SYDNEY, Australia—On March 25, Canterbury Bankstown Councilor Jennifer Walther enjoyed Shen Yun’s matinee at the Sydney Lyric, marking the company’s sixth of 11 consecutive performances at the venue.
It was her first time seeing the show, and even by intermission, Ms. Walther knew she was experiencing something truly special.
“It was truly divine, really. It was amazing, and it’s a great story,” she shared. “It captures China’s ancient, rich cultural heritage, so it’s wonderful.”
As one of the oldest civilizations in the world, China’s 5,000 years of history are filled with breathtaking legends and rich traditions. Yet, within just a few decades of the Chinese communists’ rise to power, this magnificent culture was destroyed.
The spread of atheism quickly eradicated the Chinese people’s belief in the divine. The cherished virtues and values learned from the teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism disappeared overnight.
Today, the New York-based Shen Yun is working to revive this lost civilization and bring back to the world through dance and music, the beauty of China before communism.
Ms. Walther was stunned by the exceptional talent of Shen Yun’s artists. She appreciated that the story-based dances depicted not only light-hearted, humorous moments, but also universal messages such as kindness and peace.
“It was very captivating,” she said. “I was very taken aback by the performers. They were quite skilled, and it was amazing. [China had] clearly, a very rich heritage, rich culture.”
Shen Yun artists are masters of classical Chinese dance, an ancient and highly expressive art form dating back thousands of years. Unlike the modern, military-influenced styles often seen in China today, Shen Yun preserves and performs this tradition in its most authentic form, as it was originally passed down through generations.
Reflecting on the traditional values portrayed in the matinee, Ms. Walther said she believes the most impactful for modern society are “truthfulness, courage, and patience.”
“It’s very important,” she stated.
For its 2026 touring season, Shen Yun’s eight equally sized companies will perform in more than 200 cities across five continents. Since its founding in 2006, the company has been widely acclaimed and returns each year with an entirely new program of choreography and original music.
