MODESTO, Calif.—Susan Sargis, a retired banker and award-winning writer, described her experience watching Shen Yun Performing Arts as “inspired, alive, and joyful.”
On the afternoon of Jan. 10, she attended Shen Yun’s second performance at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, California. She expressed her wholehearted support for Shen Yun’s mission to bring the world the beauty of “China before communism.”
“I’m so glad I came,” Ms. Sargis said. She first learned about New York-based Shen Yun through social media and was drawn by the advertisement’s colors, brightness, and flowing costumes. “I thought, ‘I have to see this,’” she said.
Ms. Sargis expressed her awe at a dance piece called “Water Sleeves,” in which long silk sleeves flow in the air, lending the women’s dance a unique elegance and grace.
“That was so flowing and beautiful,” Ms. Sargis said.
Shen Yun’s male dancers impressed her as well. “I loved watching them leap up and perform somersaults in the air. It was truly phenomenal,” she said. “You can tell that they are very well-trained. It’s just fabulous to watch them.”
Ms. Sargis also praised the choreography, saying that all pieces were “overwhelming and beautiful.”
Shen Yun was formed by a group of leading classical Chinese artists in 2006 in New York, with a mission to bring back the beauty and goodness of pre-communist China.
She believes that the values and messages Shen Yun shares are universal.
“We share a lot of those values with them here in the West. We all believe in God and that the divine comes to Earth to be among us. We share the values of self-reliance, self-discipline, and joy with each other. I think it’s important for us to support them in their efforts to bring back traditional Chinese because it’s sad the way it is right now,” she said.
She wanted to send a message to the performers: “Keep it up. Keep sending your message because it will be heard. It’s being heard.”
Learning that 2026 marks Shen Yun’s 20th anniversary, Ms. Sargis was delighted. “This is a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday,” she said.
Reporting by Lily Yu and Olivia Li.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
