SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Opens ‘New World’ for London Theatergoer

Jan 16, 2026

1/16/2026Updated: 1/16/2026

LONDON, UK—Lyudmyla Smirnova, a sales manager, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts on Jan. 15 at Eventim Apollo.

“I was absolutely fascinated by the show, because, to me, it was like a deep dive into Chinese culture,” Ms. Smirnova said.

Shen Yun, based in New York, is on a mission to present “China before communism,” and revive people’s connection with 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and culture.

“Today, I opened a new world for myself. I really loved the show because it showed me a side of Chinese people, and a side of history, and myself. I really love exploring the history of different countries, but today, it was mindblowing,” Ms. Smirnova said.

Shen Yun’s artists are trained in classical Chinese dance, one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.

“The dance absolutely opened up and expressed the feelings and the vibes of Chinese people, and it was absolutely amazing. I really highly recommend everyone to watch this,” Ms. Smirnova said.

Aside from classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun’s artists are also trained in various Chinese ethnic and folk dance styles.

“Also, I love that this show showed different parts of China. They showed the Mongolian people. They showed Mandarin culture,” Ms. Smirnova said.

One of Shen Yun’s dance stories portrays the modern true story of Falun Dafa practitioners being persecuted for their faith in China. Falun Dafa is a peaceful practice that teaches the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.

“It’s really sad that—I didn’t know about it—in China, actually, people cannot believe because they’re not allowed—it’s really upsetting, but it’s good to know about this. This show is literally showing the world this problem,” Ms. Smirnova said.

Despite the tragic predicament in modern China, Shen Yun is full of hope for a brighter future.

“I almost cried. I felt really upset about it. But the last part, where it shows the miracle, it really just lifted up the mood, the feelings, and expressions. So I think it was the right note to end the whole show,” Ms. Smirnova said.

The Shen Yun Orchestra, which tours with Shen Yun, is a unique combination of traditional Chinese instruments and a classic Western ensemble. One instrument that shone under the spotlight was the two-stringed erhu.

“I really loved the traditional Chinese instrument. The lady in a nice dress—she was playing the music, and you could just feel the vibe. I'd say it was almost like a meditation. It was an amazing instrument. I never heard this instrument, and the melody is something like a nice Earth vibration to me,” Ms. Smirnova said.

Reporting by NTD and Maria Han.

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