On April 24, the Shen Yun company returned to Toulouse for its 2026 season. Michel Escoffre and Anne Garnier attended the opening night, invited by a Chinese friend.
Mr. Escoffre, an automotive engineer, was pleasantly surprised to discover classical Chinese dance, the hallmark of Shen Yun’s performances.
“I find it surprisingly modern for a traditional dance. There’s a lot of energy, as well as humor. It’s been a wonderful discovery,” he said.
Dr. Garnier, a psychiatrist, was also “pleasantly surprised.”
A Dance that Blends Tradition and Virtuosity
Classical Chinese dance draws its techniques from thousands of years of ethnic and folk dances, street theater, and the majestic dances of the imperial court. Jumps, twists, and pirouettes are added to the basic postures and movements, creating a discipline that is at once graceful and athletic, yet deeply expressive, thanks to “yun”—the dancer’s expression of their deepest emotions.“These are beautiful costumes,” Mr. Escoffre said. “They’re both very colorful and very cheerful. I really like the long sleeves, which look very poetic when they move.”
“I spotted the two-stringed violin,” Mrs. Garnier said happily. “It looks like there might be a little surprise on stage later.”
A Cultural and Spiritual Immersion
Shen Yun means “the beauty of divine beings dancing,” as the company has made it its mission to revive 5,000 years of authentic traditional Chinese culture, from “China before communism” which was deeply rooted in spirituality.The performances feature historical narratives, heroic figures, and ethnic dances, showcasing the cultural richness of the Middle Kingdom and its spirituality rooted in Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
A Look at Contemporary China
In addition to traditional culture, Shen Yun also highlights the reality of contemporary China, including the persecution of the Falun Dafa meditation practice.Indeed, upon coming to power in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party sought to eradicate the rich and deep-rooted Chinese culture, viewing it as a threat to its power. “Through campaigns such as the Cultural Revolution, it systematically uprooted traditional beliefs and destroyed ancestral treasures, bringing 5,000 years of civilization to the brink of extinction,” the company states.
Since 1999, practitioners of Falun Dafa—a spiritual discipline rooted in traditional Chinese culture—have also been subjected to harassment, imprisonment, and torture leading to death in Chinese prisons. Since 2001, the Chinese Communist regime has also been committing the crime of forced organ harvesting against these practitioners.
A Collective Energy and a Universal Message
The psychiatrist also praised the energy she sensed among the artists. “I’ve read that they pay close attention to their lifestyle and their life together, and you can feel that in their dancing. You can tell they’re happy to be there, driven by something that brings them together.”“There’s a great sense of team spirit,” Mr. Escoffre said. “You can tell they’re enjoying themselves; you can really feel it on stage. There’s no pretense.”
“They’re actually elite athletes, and I think their training must be pretty tough. So being able to share that experience while traveling the world must bring them closer together.”
For Dr. Garnier, Shen Yun offers the opportunity to discover both “Chinese culture and what the people are going through: I think that’s very important.”
“We don’t realize it in France, and even if we stay informed about what’s happening in the world, I don’t think we can imagine it. So it’s really very important that they can convey their message, their uniqueness. I think that’s really great.”
“China is a very modern country,” Mr. Escoffre added. “I think that right now, in the news, we’re seeing more of a clash of civilizations. Here, we see that there is beauty, that it’s lighthearted, but that there are also parallels with our culture, since we have a dance culture as well. So we are both distant and yet close. The show therefore carries a message of unity and reconciliation through art. And that can resonate with Western audiences.”
“Shen Yun offers ‘a different perspective on China,’” the engineer said.
