SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Is ‘Steeped in History,’ Former Representative Blown Away

Jan 22, 2026

1/22/2026Updated: 1/23/2026

GENEVA—Magali Orsini was a member of the Grand Council of Geneva (Grand Conseil) from 2013 to 2018. A certified public accountant who runs her own business, she is also the author of two detective novels.

For her, the Shen Yun performance at the Geneva Arena was “absolutely breathtaking, truly incredible, absolutely magnificent.”

The 5,000-year history of China, depicted in the show on Jan. 20, had a profound effect on this French-Swiss official.

“It’s totally otherworldly. And you can sense that it’s very old, that it carries thousands of years of history,” she said. Mrs. Orsini added that the representation “is charged with an emotion that is truly rooted in history.”

“It’s not just a static snapshot of a moment in history. It’s steeped in history,” Ms. Orsini said.

Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Its mission is to revive China’s culture as it existed before decades of communist rule nearly destroyed it.

In addition to depicting China’s ancient history, the Shen Yun company denounces what is happening in the country today. Some of the dances depict the persecution of the peaceful meditative practice of Falun Gong, which has been ongoing since 1999.

“Knowing a little about the history of this group, of course, I am moved by the life they are forced to live,” Ms. Orsini said. “It is one of the horrors of our time, and we feel completely powerless to do anything about it.”

Despite this powerlessness, the former representative left the show with a great deal of resilience. “I think that’s the only thing that will save us. We must resist. We must fight to the end,” she said.

Reporting by French Epoch Times and translated by Sonia Rouleau.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.