SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘A Feeling of the Divine’: New Yorker Inspired by Shen Yun’s Classical Chinese Dancers

Apr 04, 2026

4/4/2026Updated: 4/4/2026

NEW YORK—When the graphic artist Dan Fallon isn’t designing logos for Olympic games in Asia, he might be watching dance shows in Lincoln Center—shows like Shen Yun Performing Arts, which he saw on April 3.

Mr. Fallon knows how colorful Asian culture can be. His work for the Olympics in South Korea stood out as an example in his mind, though the classical Chinese dancers of Shen Yun stole the show this evening, he said.

“I love the costumes. I was thinking there must be just as many tailors and seamstresses and costume makers—there’s probably more of them than dancers,” he said, laughing.

“The colors are very unbelievable. I mean, it hits me like I just can’t believe it,” he added. “I see they come out in green, and the whole place turns green.”

Shen Yun’s dozens of dancers wear attire inspired by China’s spiritual past, their designers drawing on how the ancients once painted divine beings in heaven. This inquiry into China’s past is part of the company’s grander mission: to revive “China before communism” and a culture that was almost lost during China’s decades-long Cultural Revolution that began in 1966.

For 20 years, Shen Yun has been spreading its artistic message to the world. But its message is also deeply spiritual.

“It’s inspiring. I think there’s a central feeling of the divine,” Mr. Fallon said. “And if we all followed that, we would be in good shape, right?”

Through ancient tales, like the Chinese myth of creation, and ethnic celebrations, like the Mongolian dance, Shen Yun makes very old values seem fresh and new. It tells us a higher power is always right by our side.

This pre-communist history is celebrated by Shen Yun’s performers. Classical Chinese dance is the time-honored medium of expression they use, speaking to a global audience of countless different languages. The message is universal.

Reporting by Frank Liang and Michael Wing.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.