SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Gives a Retired Physician a Sense of Being ‘Steeped in a World That’s Not of Now’

Jan 14, 2026

1/14/2026Updated: 1/15/2026

LONDON, UK—Dr. Jeff Phillips, a retired physician and the chair of trustees of a charity, experienced Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time on Jan. 14 at the Eventim Apollo.

Although he doesn’t know too much about traditional Chinese culture, Mr. Phillips said the performance conveyed a sense of “timelessness, like something steeped in a world that’s not of now, which is very impressive.”

“Spectacular. Very spectacular. Beautiful, really,” he exclaimed at the end of the matinee. “The costumes are incredible. The visuals are incredible. The music is so well played. It’s really high production values, amazing.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun 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. What many may not realize is that numerous tumbling techniques often associated with gymnastics and acrobatics actually originate from classical Chinese dance.

According to the company’s website, the classical Chinese dance seen in China today is heavily mixed with military and modern styles. Only at Shen Yun can audience members experience it in its purest form, preserved as it was passed down through generations.

“The women are incredibly graceful, the way they move across the floor without even seeming to bob up and down. They’re just linear,” Mr. Phillips shared.

“The height the men get in their jumps and their [flips and tumbling techniques] are astonishing. Just the sheer speed that they move at—the men doing their 540-[degree] twists around are incredible. And the girls—flexible, beautiful, incredibly feminine.”

He also loved the original compositions by the live orchestra. First of its kind in the world, Shen Yun’s musicians blended the grandeur of a Western orchestra with the ethereal beauty of Chinese melodies.

“It’s calming. There’s a calmness to it, yet it’s full of energy. I can’t really put my finger on exactly what it is, but there’s something that’s very gentle about it, but at the same time, it’s dynamic,” he described. “It’s a contradiction in terms, but it’s really, really beautiful to listen to.”

It’s definitely something “you want to experience more of.”

Summing up the matinee, Mr. Phillips said Shen Yun brought him a profound sense of peace and tranquility.

“It’s just an ageless, timeless quality to the appearance of the costumes, the music, the movement, it takes you to another place,” he expressed.

“It’s really difficult to put in words. I think perhaps somebody more articulate than I could express it better, but it’s how it makes you feel. It’s not always easy to express what our feelings are.”

Given the chance to meet Shen Yun’s performers, Mr. Phillips would like to say, “Thank you.”

“Incredible, mind-blowing, really, really impressive. You obviously work incredibly hard to produce what you do—utterly astonishing.”

Reporting by NTD 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.