SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Is ‘Great for All Ages,’ Says Marine Officer

Jan 11, 2026

1/11/2026Updated: 1/11/2026

WASHINGTON—Marine officer, Infantry Corps Scott Stewart and his wife, Christine, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ evening show on Jan. 10 at the Kennedy Center Opera House. The couple was very impressed by the quality of the New York-based production.

“Everything was pretty impressive,” Mr. Stewart said. “The messages were beautiful. Understanding the history and culture was really impressive, and to be able to see that through music and dance was awe-inspiring.”

Endowed with 5,000 years of history, China was once known as the “Land of the Divine.” For millennia, its people believed that by keeping their hearts pure and adhering to strict moral standards, they will be blessed by the divine.

Indeed, for 5,000 years, the country prospered. However, after the communist takeover and its spread of atheism, all this traditional culture was systematically destroyed. Today, Shen Yun’s mission is to bring back the beauty and goodness of pre-communist China.

Mrs. Stewart appreciated how educational the performance was.

“I love the culture and a lot of the history that I never knew about,” she said. “So, it was really cool to see that with dance, and the music was so beautiful. It really helped me learn more about the Chinese culture.”

Mr. Stewart echoed his wife’s sentiments, adding that the artists’ story-based dances shared a lot of “great values.” He believes it’ll be very beneficial for young children to watch.

“There was a young lady sitting next to me, and I thought it was awesome that her mom brought her to be able to see that,” he said. “I thought [Shen Yun] was great for all ages.”

Met with wide acclaim since its establishment in 2006, Shen Yun has expanded rapidly from one to eight equally-sized companies that perform in over 200 cities across five continents. The artists return each year with a brand-new set of choreography and musical compositions.

The couple was pleasantly surprised by the spiritual aspect of the performance and thought it’s quite similar to their faith. Mr. Stewart loved the lyrics of Shen Yun’s singers, who sing in the traditional bel canto style and present original songs exploring the deeper meanings of life.

“We actually loved the spiritual aspect of the show. There was a lot of uh tie-ins and similarities to our beliefs, and so it was very interesting to see,” Mr. Stewart expressed.

“The two solo artists with the words portrayed on the screen, it was awesome to see that. The message that was portrayed through both of those songs were very good.”

Reporting by Weiyong Zhu 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.