SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Former Olympic Athlete: Shen Yun Is ‘Very Beautiful and Very Powerful’

Apr 06, 2026

4/6/2026Updated: 4/6/2026

NEW YORK—Herb Cohen, a former Olympic athlete and U.S. champion, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts on April 5 at The David H. Koch Theater.

“It’s very beautiful and very powerful,” Mr. Cohen said.

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.

“This is bringing back the element of wisdom and the unity of the mind [and] the body,” Mr. Cohen said.

Mr. Cohen is also a computer programmer. His job is heavily involved with technology, but he understands that technology isn’t where happiness comes from.

“If you just have technology, it’s not enough. You need to live in the body and the feeling as well. I think [Shen Yun] is very good for this day and age. In America, especially with all of the technology and our cell phones. It’s only convenience—it’s not really wisdom. It’s not really beneficial,” he said.

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

“As an athlete, I can appreciate the fantastic ability of all of the dancers and the acrobatics they were doing—with beauty,” Mr. Cohen said.

Shen Yun’s website states that classical Chinese dance training includes three main components—technical skill, form, and bearing, which is one of the many ways that classical Chinese dance is different from ballet.

“In the Olympics, they do acrobatics. There’s not beauty in it like there is in Shen Yun. I appreciated that very much. You’re bringing together beauty and the excellence of athletics,” Mr. Cohen said.

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

“I think that’s terrible. I hope someday that they'll be able to, because they need it there too. [The Chinese] are not doing so well, even though they’re doing well technically, but emotionally they’re not. The wisdom of it has to come back to China somehow,” Mr. Cohen said.

Mr. Cohen feels that many aspects of the world need to change in order for society to improve as a whole. He sees Shen Yun as a leader in making that change.

“We have to make these changes. And you’re on the forefront of doing that. It may take another 10 or 20 years, but I hope you get there. I'll be part of it too,” he said.

Reporting by NTD 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.