PHILADELPHIA— Brenda Mills, District Office Director for Rep. Regina Young, returned to see Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Miller Theatre on April 18, 2026.
Ms. Mills said she came to the auditorium thinking, “What can they do now to top the last show that I’ve seen,” and this year, she was pleasantly surprised.
She said every time she comes, she is amazed by “the choreography, the design, [and] the soloists.”
“It’s all extraordinary … the show is just so amazing,” she said.
“The performance is electrifying,” Ms. Mills said, “the colors, the technology … it’s like no other.”
“I’m always feeling positive energy,” she added.
Besides talented dancers, Shen Yun features a one-of-a-kind orchestra that blends traditional Chinese instruments with a classical Western orchestra, a patented animated backdrop technology that allows seamless interaction between the dancers on stage and the background scenery, and virtuoso soloists.
During the erhu soloist, Ms. Mills said she likes to close her eyes and “feel the emotion through the instrument ... becoming one with the music.”
Celebrating their 20th anniversary, Shen Yun has been touring worldwide since 2006 with a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. The age-old culture has been on the brink of extinction since the Chinese communist party (CCP) seized power in 1949.
To make the distinction between the values of ancient China and those propagated by the CCP today, one of the dance stories illustrates the ongoing persecution of a meditation practice called Falun Dafa.
“I love how [Shen Yun] integrates those two together ... to let people know that [there are] some great [things] still happening in China.”
“Good will be rewarded and the evil will be punished,” she added. “At the end they provided that [there] was still hope that things can change within China [and] that things can change and get better.”
“They did a good job ... conveying the story of hope,” she said.
To the Shen Yun performers, Ms. Mills said, “Rep Young sends her grace and her a warm happiness to you guys.”
“Keep up the good work,” she added.
She said she looks forward to coming back next year.
