SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Is ‘Beautiful and Divine,’ Says Professional Musician

Jan 23, 2026

1/23/2026Updated: 1/23/2026

LOS ANGELES—Musician Truce Mitchell, who owns a music studio, was stunned by the precision of Shen Yun Performing Arts’ live orchestra when he attended the company’s matinee at the Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Jan. 22.

“I feel exhilarated,” he exclaimed. “I feel a little bit heightened from the precision, the beauty, the creativity, and even the animation. It’s really nice.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s top classical Chinese dance and music company. According to its website, its name ‘Shen Yun” translates directly into “the beauty of divine beings dancing.”

Mr. Mitchell couldn’t agree more. The performance conveyed “a very elevated feeling of precision and beauty,” he stated. “The beauty is very touching.”

Traveling with each of Shen Yun’s eight companies performing simultaneously around the world, the live orchestra features traditional Chinese instruments such as the two-stringed erhu and the ancient lute, the pipa.

By seamlessly blending the grandeur of a Western orchestra with the ethereal qualities of Chinese melodies, Shen Yun’s musicians create a profound emotional range that reflects the depth of the human experience.

For the 2026 season, they are slated to perform in over 200 cities across five continents.

Mr. Mitchell praised every element of the performance. “I love it. It’s amazing. Everything is put together so beautifully—the costumes, the direction, the style, the music—everything.”

“The dancers are amazing. Very disciplined, very beautiful. You can feel that they put love into their work, into the dancing.”

Shen Yun’s program is composed of a series of short pieces that take its audience on a journey through the dynasties and across the vast regions of China. Using classical Chinese, folk, and ethnic dances, as well as solo musical performances, Shen Yun tells tales from ancient times to the modern day.

Mr. Mitchell was particularly moved by the artists’ mission to bring back China’s 5,000 years of divine-inspired culture and moral values, nearly destroyed by decades of communist rule.

“I liked the divine part. Very, very, very inspiring. It takes us to another—a spiritual level,” he said. He thought Shen Yun’s message is very important for society nowadays because “people are losing hope.”

“I think it’s very necessary and it’ll inspire us…It’s beautiful,” he reiterated. The performance was “exciting, exhilarating, beautiful, and divine.”

Reporting by Michael Ren 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.