SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘I Felt Energy Coming From the Performers’: Shen Yun Impresses Journalist in DC

Jan 08, 2026

1/8/2026Updated: 1/9/2026

WASHINGTON—Jon Levine, a journalist with The Washington Free Beacon, was excited to experience Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time at the Kennedy Center Opera House on Jan. 7. The evening proved to be a memorable experience that exceeded his expectations.

“I had a wonderful time. It was my first time watching Shen Yun. The dancing was incredible,” Mr. Levine said. “The musical performances were incredible, and I was very impressed by all of the technical capabilities of the performers as well.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company.

The artists are highly trained in classical Chinese dance—an art form with a history spanning thousands of years, celebrated for its athleticism and expressive power. In fact, many tumbling techniques often associated with gymnastics and acrobatics actually originate from classical Chinese dance.

“The dancing was very sophisticated, and I can tell everyone has practiced for many hours,” Mr. Levine shared. “I felt energy coming from the performers. I could tell they had great energy when they were performing.”

As one of the oldest civilizations in the world, China’s 5,000 years of history is filled with breathtaking legends and rich traditions. Yet, within just a few decades of the Chinese communists’ rise to power, this magnificent culture was destroyed.

Today, the artists are working to revive this lost civilization and bring back to the world through dance and music, the beauty of China before communism.

Mr. Levine appreciated the company’s mission and agreed that restoring traditional culture and moral values is important in today’s society.

“I find the concept of China before communism to be very important. … Communism destroys the human spirit,” he said. “What I like from this show is [that] it’s a celebration of the human spirit and human achievement, and it’s everything that communism has tried to destroy but [they’re] keeping that alive.”

“That makes me very happy on a personal level. Communism is the enemy of the human spirit, and what [Shen Yun is] doing here is reminding everybody that before communism, China celebrated the human spirit.”

When asked to rate the artistic level of the performance, Mr. Levine did not hesitate.

“10 out of 10—high level of artistic achievement,” he praised. “Everyone has clearly practiced very hard. It was a very impressive demonstration of technical skill and [they] should be very proud.”

Reporting by Sherry Dong and Jennifer Tseng.

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