SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Romanian Theatergoer at Shen Yun Says Tradition Transcends History

Jan 18, 2026

1/18/2026Updated: 1/19/2026

LONDON, UK—Shen Yun Performing Arts enthralled the matinee audience at Eventim Apollo on Jan. 18. Cristina Licuta, an accountant, felt positive emotions as she enjoyed the performance on stage and listened to the music.

“I feel great. I feel happy,” she said.

Shen Yun’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of traditional culture from “China before communism.” In a world filled with troubles and chaos, New York-based Shen Yun brings messages of hope to modern society. Ms. Licuta stressed the importance of preserving China’s beautiful past, as well as the cultures of other countries.

Ms. Licuta, who is originally from Romania, which is dominated by communism, said, “I think communism is just a point in history. Throughout history, we had other bad periods, but I think traditions transcend all these points in history.”

“As for me, [tradition] is preserving a way of being, preserving the human being, preserving the feeling of home, of family, parents, grandparents, and their parents before us,” Ms. Licuta said. “That’s the root of tradition—the family.”

Ms. Licuta said she relates to Shen Yun’s stories of Chinese culture. “I think everybody can relate to the stories. We all have a mother. We all have family. We all have our own traditions, and we all express this through music and dancing, and [what is] beautiful,” she said.

“I think it’s not only Chinese tradition that ought to be preserved. I think every country’s traditions should be preserved. Then, the transition from traditional to the modern era would be a little bit smoother and would accommodate everybody,” she said.

Ms. Licuta spoke of the fast-paced modern society. “Nowadays, I think this push towards digital and artificial intelligence is too fast, and it’s so fake. You lose touch with being human. Here is where remembering the tradition is not necessarily equal all the time,” she said.

Shen Yun features a patented digital backdrop in the dances. Performers seem to jump in and out of the fantasy landscape in telling the story.

“I think the whole show together complement each other—the music with the dancers, the movements with the story,” she said.

“The special effects are just an extra. I did not expect to have that kind of transition, from tradition to the use of technology and the digital thing—that’s so creative. I love it. I’m enjoying it,” Ms. Licuta said.

Reporting by Bao Yuan and Yvonne Marcotte.

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