SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Translates Art Into Meaning

Apr 26, 2026

4/26/2026Updated: 4/26/2026

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.—For a performance to succeed, it must translate art into a message with meaning; and when that message is spiritual in nature, the artists have a heavier responsibility.

Shen Yun Performing Arts’ mission is to recapture and showcase 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture that was almost destroyed by the communist regime through decades of campaigns. In fact, the company’s tagline is “China before communism.” What the Chinese Communist Party has nearly destroyed was the highly spiritual culture of China.

New York-based Shen Yun’s about 20 dance segments take the audience first from heavenly beings arriving on Earth from across the cosmos through Chinese history to, eventually, a story from modern China. In between those pieces, dances spin tales from literature and mythology, as well as demonstrate the beauty of ethnic dances across several of China’s regions. The storytelling is assisted by Shen Yun’s patented use of digital animation on its backdrop and a live orchestra that blends Western and Chinese instruments.

Jeff Rea, whose law firm deals in construction and infrastructure law for power plants and defense facilities, saw Shen Yun at the State Theatre New Jersey on Sunday, April 26. He affirmed the importance of the traditions that Shen Yun aims to promote.

“We should always adhere to our traditions because it is what binds us as a culture and as a people. Even though I am not of Chinese ancestry, I can appreciate the tradition and the history. We have European history, African history, South American history; they are all tied in. It is important for generations to pass those traditions down.”

He was impressed by Shen Yun’s pageantry and the artistry, as many attendees often comment on the colorful, exquisite costuming that brings the dynasties of ancient China to life.

But he was drawn primarily to the music. Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra often performs at Carnegie Hall and has its own tours as well, which include Western masterworks. In addition to the orchestra, two soloists performed—a soprano and a traditional ancient Chinese instrument. Both are accompanied by a pianist.

“I loved it. I loved it,” Mr. Rea said about the erhu piece, a resonant two-string Chinese instrument known for its poignant expressiveness. “That was just fabulous.”

“What I enjoyed about it was the uniqueness of the sound and how she integrated it with the piano. It was beautiful, absolutely outstanding.”

But the soprano’s solo impressed him as well: “I happened to have been a singer when I was younger, and the soprano was excellent.

The lyrics of the soprano’s song, “Life Is a Spiritual Journey,” conveyed the embedded message that “there are higher beings than we are, and we need to realize how fortunate we are. As human beings, as the human race, we need to remember that there are higher powers than us.”

For Mr. Rea, it was “the translation of the art into the message” that made the afternoon so impressive.

‘Very Powerful’

Also in the audience was Teresa Doyle, who works with a non-profit to help troubled youths in New York City.

Of the scene from modern China, depicting religious persecution where a Falun Gong practitioner is abused and blinded by agents of the Chinese Communist Party, Ms. Doyle said, “It was powerful. Very powerful.

“It made it real,” she added. “You hear about the Chinese Communist Party, gulags, slavery, the Uyghurs, and all of that, and it feels so far away. But when you see it depicted so brutally on stage, especially the gulag scene, it really reminds you that this is happening now, in 2026.”

Glad that the program “did not shy away from tough things, like the gulag and jail,” Ms. Doyle also expressed her appreciation for Shen Yun’s artists, saying “everyone was incredibly talented” and were able to “really shed deeper light and understanding on Chinese culture.”

Ms. Doyle also embraced the music.

“You can hear when every part of the orchestra is performing optimally,” she said. “It made me want to go check it out. And the dancing was so colorful. It was lovely. It was a really wonderful experience.”

As a musician and singer herself, Ms. Doyle said it felt “wonderful” to see Shen Yun’s artists up close, as there were some moments when the dancers’ expressions were so authentic that their passion was unmistakable.

“Even their facial expressions showed that they were not just dancing,” she said. “They were connecting with the material. For me, that is tremendous.”

Reporting by Frank Liang, Sharon Kilarski, and Michael Wing.

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