FOLSOM, Calif.—Retired deputy attorney general of California Maureen Daly has always loved the arts, but she wasn’t quite sure what to expect when she attended Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time at the Harris Center on Jan. 6.
She was soon put at ease by what unfolded on stage. During intermission, Ms. Daly said she was deeply impressed by the depth and beauty of New York-based Shen Yun’s classical Chinese dance and live orchestra.
“It’s completely new and unique to me. I’ve never seen anything like this before,” she expressed. “The costumes, the characters, the facial expressions, the stories; they’re just so imaginative and so beautiful. I’m really inspired. It’s lovely.”
Ms. Daly was also amazed by the wide variety of flips and tumbling techniques featured in classical Chinese dance.
“It was incredible,” she exclaimed. “I was impressed that anybody could do those things.”
She also praised Shen Yun’s innovative use of an animated backdrop, adding that “the set with the computer imaging in the background was just phenomenal.”
According to its website, Shen Yun’s patented stage effect creates a seamless interaction between the animated backdrop projection and the performers on stage. “By extending the stage to infinite realms,” this invention brings to the audience “storytelling without limits,” it says.
The name Shen Yun translates to “the beauty of divine beings dancing.” Its artists have made it their mission to revive “China before communism” through dance and music.
With 5,000 years of history, China was once a land steeped in divinely-inspired culture rooted in the teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. This heritage, however, was all but destroyed within a few years by the communist takeover and the spread of materialism.
Ms. Daly said she was very glad to see Shen Yun bringing traditional culture back to life. “It’s wonderful,” she said. “I think that’s a very high ideal.”
Commenting on the story-dance raising awareness about the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing persecution of Falun Dafa—a spiritual practice guided by the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance—Ms. Daly said what is happening in China today “is mortifying.”
“It’s mortifying that anyone would be persecuted for what they believe as long as they’re not hurting anybody else and believing in principles like truth and justice and peace,” she shared. “Those are things that should always be a matter of personal freedom.”
For its 2026 touring season, Shen Yun’s eight equally-sized companies will be performing in over 200 cities across five continents. Met with wide acclaim since its establishment in 2006, the company produces a brand-new set of choreography and musical compositions each year for its audiences.
