SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Is Reviving ‘The Beauty of the Soul,’ Says Oregon Theatergoer

Apr 19, 2026

4/19/2026Updated: 4/19/2026

PORTLAND, Ore.—Nurse and financial manager Marichka Moysyuk has seen Shen Yun Performing Arts’ advertisements for years and, finally, on April 18, she decided to attend the company’s third performance at the Keller Auditorium.

Exiting the theater at the end of the evening, she was stunned by the beauty and depth of traditional Chinese culture.

“All my friends have been [to Shen Yun], and they told me how wonderful it is, and I always wanted to, but this was the year that I actually have come and I am so happy I have,” Ms. Moysyuk said.

“It was absolutely amazing. I loved every single [piece] that they had. The choreography was outstanding. The costumes were very vibrant, very beautiful, very alive. I enjoyed it very much.”

The New York-based Shen Yun was founded in 2006 by elite Chinese artists who had fled persecution by the Communist Party.

For 5,000 years, China’s civilization flourished under the shared belief that the divine will bless those who uphold traditional moral values. Tragically, within just a few decades of the communist party’s violent takeover, these beliefs were erased and replaced with atheism.

The artists’ mission is to return to the world’s stage the glory and beauty of China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture.

Ms. Moysyuk loved every program so much it was impossible to pick a favorite. One very memorable piece for her was the light-hearted story-dance about the magical Monkey King, who studied the art of transformation with a Daoist master to defend his home against invading forces.

“There were some funny ones I enjoyed quite a bit. I didn’t expect [the performance] to be funny, but it was. It made me laugh quite a few times,” she shared.

“I love the Monkey King. I enjoyed that one quite a bit. There were so many of them it’s hard to remember, but I do remember the feeling—it’s very, very pleasant, happy, very peaceful, and a lot of history, a lot of story behind the whole thing.”

She also loved that, in addition to bringing back traditional culture, Shen Yun is reviving “the beauty of the soul, which is being kind, being helpful to one another.”

To summarize her experience, Ms. Moysyuk said, Shen Yun is “very deep in culture.”

“They portray it so well in the details that you don’t need words to understand,” she said.

“I really enjoyed it a lot, and I plan on definitely coming again and bringing my daughter here. I want her to see it, it’s absolutely beautiful, the way they portray the history and the culture. I absolutely loved it. It’s very, very deep. … It’s beautiful. I definitely recommend.”

Reporting by Jane Yang 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.