SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Escondido Theatergoer: Shen Yun Is a ‘World-Class’ Production

Jan 28, 2026

1/28/2026Updated: 1/28/2026

ESCONDIDO, Calif.—Drew Vincent, an author and radio broadcaster, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts on Jan. 27 at California Center for the Arts, Escondido.

“There is so much to wrap your brain around. There’s so much entertainment from just the incredible athleticism of the dancers, the grace, the production, the timing, the music, the visuals, all of it is just world-class entertainment, hands down,” Mr. Vincent.

Shen Yun, based in New York, is on a mission to present “China before communism,” and revive people’s connection with 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and culture.

“Loved it. We need more of that. We get back to some traditional values in this country, which we have sadly lost, and so this brings it back into focus,” Mr. Vincent said.

Shen Yun’s artists are trained in classical Chinese dance, one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.

“There’s so much emotion and story being told just by their movements, which is just astounding. We’re just in today’s society, we’re just not used to that. We’re so used to everything just being thrown at us, and this just kind of makes you think. It was absolutely enjoyable,” Mr. Vincent shared.

Shen Yun uses dance to tell stories from China’s five millennia. One dance story also portrays the modern true story of Falun Dafa practitioners being persecuted for their faith in China. Falun Dafa is a peaceful practice that teaches the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

“I think that was the most powerful scene. It was amazing. Yeah. A lot to learn and people need to wake up and learn these things,” Mr. Vincent said.

Although Shen Yun is sharing the beauty of Chinese culture with the world, it is unable to perform in China.

“I think one of the most powerful things was saying that you couldn’t see a show like this in China. And that’s really sad. We take for granted how many freedoms that we don’t even realize what we have until you hear a line like that, which is chilling, absolutely chilling,” Mr. Vincent expressed.

With 5,000 years of history and literature to draw from, Shen Yun is able to put on an all-new production every year.

“I’m going to get on social media and tell all my friends—you’ve got to go see this in other cities,” Mr. Vincent shared.

Mr. Vincent commended Shen Yun, saying, “If our legacy in the world is to make the world a better place, then you are doing your job times a thousand. So, keep up the great work.”

Reporting by Linda Jiang and Maria Han.

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