SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘It Just Takes Me Back to Being a Child, the Magic of Everything’: London Theatergoer

Jan 16, 2026

1/16/2026Updated: 1/16/2026

LONDON, UK—Francesca Waugh, an HR Business Partner, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts on Jan. 15 at Eventim Apollo.

“It’s magical! I absolutely loved it. It’s just bringing all the memories of China back. The choreography is spectacular, and the costumes, we were just saying how colorful it is. It just fills you with joy,” said Ms. Waugh, who was a student at Heilongjiang University in China.

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.

“It just takes me back to being a child, the magic of everything. It’s just wonderful. And I love the fact that they can tell a story. It’s just that magic of dance, the beauty of the music, and the expression on their faces, and they’re so dynamic with the movements, it is amazing,” Ms. Waugh said.

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

“The magic of the dancers, how they bring it to life, and the athleticism is just incredible. We were saying how synchronized they are,” Ms. Waugh said.

Aside from classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun’s artists are also trained in various Chinese ethnic and folk dance styles.

“The water sleeves, brilliant. They are so fun. You can see the skill on the stage, and we often go to the ballet, but it’s so different. And it’s really nice to see China’s culture being brought to the stage with all the different celebrations of the ethnic groups and things like that. That’s what I particularly love, having spent time in China,” Ms. Waugh said.

Francesca Waugh and her husband, Steve, at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at Eventim Apollo on Jan. 15, 2026. (Ming Li/The Epoch Times) — Francesca Waugh and her husband, Steve, at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at Eventim Apollo on Jan. 15, 2026. Ming Li/The Epoch Times

One of Shen Yun’s dance stories portrays the modern true story of Falun Dafa practitioners being persecuted for their faith in China. Falun Dafa (or Falun Gong) is a peaceful practice that teaches the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

“I thought the last performance was really poignant with how the religion was being suppressed, but how faith shone through. I thought that was really, really poignant to me,” Ms. Waugh said.

The persecution of Falun Dafa began in July 1999. Ms. Waugh shared that she was actually in Tiananmen Square and had witnessed the persecution firsthand.

“When I was in China, they were actually persecuting Falun Gong. So I was there at the time in Tiananmen Square. So that’s quite horrific,” Ms. Waugh said.

Shen Yun’s mission and its truthful depiction of modern day China has made it difficult for Shen Yun to perform in China. Ms. Waugh shared that she is no stranger to the censorship that goes on in China.

“I had to be very careful when I researched it, to go into libraries and ... there was no news coming in. I was very respectful of how they weren’t allowed to talk to me about it because I was a foreigner. But it’s really amazing to see that portrayed on the stage. It’s a really good thing that people are being aware of what’s going on in China now,” Ms. Waugh shared.

Reporting by Ming Li 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.