SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Lets Us ‘Experience What China Truly Is About,’ Says North Carolina Theatergoer

Feb 22, 2026

2/22/2026Updated: 2/22/2026

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—On Feb. 22, Shen Yun Performing Arts completed its fourth and final performance at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center to an audience filled with warm applause and cheers.

Among the attendees were airline pilot Lee Gorka and Marty Gorka, a retired retail manager. They were left nearly speechless by the beauty of Shen Yun.

Mr. Gorka had seen Shen Yun’s advertisements and thought he knew what to expect, but the live performance turned out far more stunning than anything a screen could capture.

“This was wonderful. To see it live is completely different than to see it on a program on TV or anything else,” he said. “It’s highly, highly recommended.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company dedicated to reviving China’s rich culture, nearly lost under decades of communist rule.

The production is composed of a series of short pieces that takes 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, the artists tell tales from ancient times to the modern day.

“It’s beautiful. It’s gorgeous. Takes your breath away, talented,” Ms. Gorka exclaimed. “If you haven’t seen it, see it.”

“The music was so in sync with the dancers. I love the ladies—they look like flowers dancing on the stage. It’s just so pretty.”

Mr. Gorka was especially impressed by how Shen Yun reinterpreted historical legends and conveyed traditional moral values through dance and music, expressing emotions and the plot clearly without the use of dialogue.

“I like how all of the dances expressed a story. It kept you engaged with the whole dance, and you could understand everything that was going on. It was very pretty,” he shared.

“Every story was for a good cause with very good values. It makes you reflect upon yourself to be a better person.”

Reflecting on the dance piece that brings attention to the Chinese Communist Party’s violent persecution of people of faith today, Mr. Gorka said, “people forget that what we see today representative of China—[the communist regime]—is not the history reflected [in the performance].”

Shen Yun presents China before communism, “and it was such a nice thing to see that we got to experience what China truly is about. This was our first time seeing it. We will definitely be back.”

Ms. Gorka was excited to learn that, in response to popular demand, Shen Yun now has eight companies of equal size touring the world simultaneously. Each year, the artists present an entirely new program of original music and choreography.

“They take my breath away, they really do,” she said. “It’s my understanding [the artists] started at a very young age to perform like this—their movements are just so graceful, they’re so great. Keep up the good work.”

Reporting by Nancy Bao 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.