SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Theatergoers Both Say Shen Yun Is ‘Very Beautiful’

Feb 09, 2026

2/9/2026Updated: 2/9/2026

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.—When Mary Bailey celebrated her birthday on Feb. 8, she knew exactly how she wanted to spend it—enjoying Shen Yun Performing Arts’ matinee at the OCCC Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater with her husband, Mark, an air traffic controller. The couple enjoyed every aspect of the performance.

“I saw the advertisement and read about it,” Mrs. Bailey said, adding that she “was hearing the traditional costumes were going to be a star as well as traditional dance, so I wanted to learn more.”

“I love that we had a baritone as well as a soprano and the [erhu] soloist. I had not seen that instrument before. It was very beautiful and very moving,” she said.

Mrs. Bailey was drawn to the dancers’ vibrant costumes. She said she thought “every costume that came out told a different story.”

“I loved that the fabric was very flowy. All of the different bits, the props ... heightened the performance very much,” she said.

“I was tense a lot of the time because I was so moved. I had to remember to take a deep breath. It was amazing,” she said.

Endowed with 5,000 years of history, China was once known as the “Land of the Divine.” For millennia, its people believed that by keeping their hearts pure and upholding strict moral standards, they would be blessed by the divine.

Indeed, for 5,000 years, the country prospered. However, after the communist takeover and the spread of atheism, all this traditional culture was almost destroyed. Today, Shen Yun’s mission is to bring back the beauty and goodness of China before communism.

Mr. Bailey, too, thoroughly enjoyed the performance. He said, “With the live music, it’s very beautiful. It’s wonderful.”

The most memorable moment for him was the erhu solo—a 4,000-year-old Chinese instrument reminiscent of the human voice. Though it only has two strings, it is capable of expressing a wide range of emotions.

“That was beautiful,” he said. “I can understand what [the artist] has to go through to practice and maintain that level of perfection. ... It’s very awe-inspiring to see that performance,” he said.

“I can’t imagine the work these performers go through to maintain that,” he added.

Mr. Bailey said he can’t wait to share the beauty of Shen Yun with his friends and family.

Though he initially thought the tickets were a bit expensive, he said, “It’s definitely a performance worth seeing, even if you can just go see it once in your lifetime.”

“Classical performances and the arts are a necessary component of any culture, especially seeing how our own culture is on the decline, or it’s degraded so much,” he said.

Mrs. Bailey completely agreed and said she hopes to bring her four children to see Shen Yun when they are a bit older.

“I hope [Shen Yun] will come back to Oklahoma City,” she said. “Right now, my children are very young, but this is a performance I would come and see again and tell other people that it’s worth coming and experiencing Shen Yun.”

Reporting by NTD 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.