ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Shen Yun Performing Arts has a new vision for how people can coexist peacefully in this chaotic world, and theatergoers in St. Petersburg, Florida, including several artists, were stirred by the group’s message when the dance company performed in the Duke Energy Center for the Arts on Saturday.
Chinese culture is “so oriented towards people, individuals, taking care of others, respecting others. And that message was presented here today, and it’s very much missed here in the U.S.,” said Kim Tice, a music teacher who saw Shen Yun and spoke to The Epoch Times after the performance.
That message includes getting “back to what’s important” and “focusing on what’s best for all of us in our society,” she said—as well as “stepping back from the era of cellphone media and all the chaos in the world.”
Through ancient Chinese myths and legends, Shen Yun teaches the values of ancient times, which it says were “almost lost” in campaigns like China’s Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. Under the communist regime, atheism was promoted widely, and spirituality was denounced. Through music and dance, Shen Yun now aims to revive the traditional spiritual culture of China, which is steeped in Buddhist and Daoist beliefs.
Ms. Tice watched Shen Yun draw on those spiritual rootsand found them “very uplifting.” She said she “just wish[ed] that this philosophy would blossom and grow everywhere in the world.”
Shen Yun Performing Arts' curtain call at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Feb. 7, 2026. Gary Wang/The Epoch Times
As ethnic dances and dynasties played out during the two-hour performance, Shen Yun’s live orchestra flowed seamlessly with the dancers’ movements. Ricky Allan, a musician and vocalist, watched and listened to the performers, feeling comforted and warmed. “I would call that therapeutic,” he said.
While Mr. Allan’s specialty is musical instruments, such as the piano and guitar, he was also very keen on the athleticism of Shen Yun’s dancers, who perform classical Chinese dance.
Mr. Allan found the energetic Mongolian dance “very interesting and different,” he said. “The male dancers are extremely athletic and well-trained, and the ladies are beautifully, exquisitely talented.”
Watching the dozens of dancers flow in unison, Bernice DuBro-Clark, who teaches ballroom dancing and attended the same show, was also impressed. “The movements—I appreciate it because I know what it takes to do something like that,” she said. “They’re so synchronized and talented. Very, very interesting.”
Ms. DuBro-Clark attended with several of her students, introducing Shen Yun’s artistry, message, and values to new, fledgling dance artists. They said the performance was wonderful and that they “enjoyed the dancing very much.”
Reporting by Lily Yu, Sally Sun, and Michael Wing.
