SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

San Antonio Theatergoers Finally See Shen Yun After Waiting Over a Decade—Here’s What They Said

Jan 25, 2026

1/25/2026Updated: 1/26/2026

SAN ANTONIO—Robert Vazquez Jaramillo laughed, cried, and celebrated together with his daughter at the theater on Sunday, where they both finally saw ancient Chinese tales retold onstage by Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Watching 5,000 years of culture unfold—starting from the myth of creation up through China’s dynasties to the present day—was “very educational” for Mr. Jaramillo. “I’ve been wanting to come to this show [for a] long, long time,” he told The Epoch Times after the performance at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.

Jaramillo has been wanting to see Shen Yun since 2014, he said.

Dozens of dancers in a dazzling array of bright and colorful costumes had swooped, jumped, and twirled, playing heavenly fairies and stoic heroes from ancient Chinese culture. Jaramillo, an Army sergeant who has seen three combat deployments, said he loved watching the emperor dress in commoners’ clothes to observe the world in a new light.

Besides the stories and classical Chinese dancing that Shen Yun specializes in, Jaramillo bubbled with laughter at the comical interaction between the host and the company’s live orchestra. “The cello [just] kept playing in the middle of their conversation, and then he’s like, ‘Thank you, cello!’” Jaramillo said, recalling the moment of comic relief where the audience burst into laughter.

Speaking of music, Shen Yun features a full Western orchestra with wind, percussion, and strings—like the cello—blended with Eastern instruments from China—like the pipa and erhu—which together make an appealingly unique sound.

According to Mr. Jaramillo’s daughter, Zeneah, who also spoke to The Epoch Times, he even cried.

The stirring melody and uplifting colors “caught me,” he said. “It was beautiful.”

Tina Hart, who runs a real estate business with her husband, also watched Shen Yun. As the curtains rose for the opening scene, a sun-soaked paradise appeared before the audience as Chinese deities and the Creator himself moved gracefully about before descending to the Earth to mark the beginning of human history.

Although this myth stems from Chinese culture, Hart saw parallels between Shen Yun’s spirituality and her own.

“I think that it spoke to the heart in a very Christian way to me, the interpretation of a higher being and coming down and your salvation,” she told the newspaper. “I thought it was lovely.”

Although many in the audience have told The Epoch Times how “entertaining” the performance was, the company makes it very clear (both onstage and in its advertising) that its performers are on a mission to save China’s traditional culture that was “almost lost” during the communist regime’s destructive cultural revolution.

That’s very important, Hart says, particularly in this modern age. “Our world is smaller with all the technology that we have now, and this is a very important message that [Shen Yun is] sending out,” she said.

“The artistry was fantastic, and I love the fact that they have preserved it over the years.”

Reporting by Sonia Wu and Michael Wing.

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