ST. LOUIS, Mo.—Curtis Unterriner, warehouse employee, was enthralled by Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Stifel Theatre on March 21, 2026.
His first time seeing Shen Yun, Mr. Unterriner said he had been looking forward to watching the performance for years.
“I always wanted to come see Shen Yun. They’ve come to St. Louis for a number of years, and due to various circumstances, I was unable to attend in the previous years,” he said. “I’m very thankful that I did come to see the show this time because I was enthralled with the performance.”
“I’m walking on air after seeing this performance tonight,” he said. “I feel more enriched: I feel enlightened, spiritually and emotionally for having seen this having seen this performance.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s leading classical Chinese dance production. Featuring a live orchestra that blends Eastern and Western instrumentation and authentic classical Chinese dance that has been passed down since antiquity, Shen Yun presents story-based dances that span 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.
“It showed me a side of Chinese culture … which I’ve never seen before,” Mr. Unterriner said. “I’m just very impressed with how they presented all of the various acts and scenes on stage. … It opened my eyes up to a whole new way of seeing the Chinese people and their culture.”
According to the company’s website, the performance consists of 20 pieces that move “from one legend, region, or dynasty to the next,” and presents “China before communism.”
Sitting three rows from the orchestra, Mr. Unterriner was fascinated with the expressive quality of the dancers.
“The majesty, the poetry, and the grace all the dancers displayed onstage … was very captivating,” he said. “The dancing was very expressive. … I could also see the emotions on their faces registering with every act that was done.”
According to the company’s website, the dance system involves a dance-acting element where coordinating facial expressions with physical movements results in an amplified form of expression.
Mr. Unterriner said he almost couldn’t attend this year’s performance, but cosmic timing was in his favor.
“God knew how much I wanted to come and see this show,” he said. “If I had not gotten that tax refund, I probably, sadly to say, would not have been able to attend. But, it came in at just the right time.”
“Everyone associated with the performance [did] an outstanding job,” he added.
He said he now understands why people who have seen the performance say “everyone should see it at least once in their lifetime.”
“I wish I could give all the performers a big hug,” he said. “I’m glad and very thankful that they came to our humble little city here in the Midwest.”
