SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun’s Beauty Is ‘Second to None,’ Says Melbourne Theatergoer

Mar 08, 2026

3/8/2026Updated: 3/8/2026

MELBOURNE, Australia—Sales manager Fiona Annett brought her mother, Rose Campbell, a retired company recruiter, to attend Shen Yun Performing Arts’ matinee at the Plenary Theatre on March 7, as a Christmas gift.

Coming from a family with strong dance backgrounds, the mother-daughter duo thoroughly enjoyed the company’s rich display of classical Chinese dance.

“To watch something like [Shen Yun] that was so aligned and together with such a beautiful story—and looking at the Chinese culture was incredible,” Ms. Annett said. “The dancing is amazing, and I could watch that every day.

Ms. Campbell chimed in that the most impressive aspect for her was how perfectly synchronized the dancers were in their movements. She could find no flaw in the performance.

“You couldn’t look at one person. You looked at the whole performance,” she added. “Everyone did everything exactly the same; there’s not even a finger out of place. It was amazing.”

“It’s just beautiful. The orchestra—wonderful, everyone was just perfect. I’m so glad I came.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun artists are highly trained in classical Chinese dance—an art form with a history spanning thousands of years, celebrated for its athleticism and expressive power. What many may not realize is that numerous tumbling techniques often associated with gymnastics and acrobatics actually originate from classical Chinese dance.

According to the company’s website, the classical Chinese dance seen in China today is heavily mixed with military and modern styles. Only at Shen Yun can the audience experience it in its purest form, preserved as it was passed down through generations.

Ms. Annett also enjoyed the company’s use of its signature 3D digital backdrop. The technology is so innovative that it holds its own patent. The dancers, music, and animation collaborate seamlessly to create a magical illusion for the audience and enhance storytelling.

“It was just incredible,” she said. “I haven’t seen anything quite so spectacular before in my entire life, and it was just so well done. Congratulations to everyone involved.”

Reflecting on the artists’ mission to revive traditional Chinese culture and present to the world the beauty and glory of China before communism, Ms. Annett said it was wonderful to witness “the culture and the tradition that was brought forward today versus the communist rule.”

“It was so great. I was so grateful to see the real Chinese spirit come through today,” she shared. “The color, the energy, the synchronicity—everything was just so beautifully performed and portrayed. [It’s an] incredible celebration for everyone involved. It was just amazing.”

Ms. Campbell wholeheartedly agreed. “From the moment we sat down, and the curtain went up, it was just inspiring to watch,” she said.

The pair are eager to share this experience with family and friends, and hope to return for more in the years to come.

“It was just a magical day and a magical performance. I wish Shen Yun all the best [in] the rest of their performances,” Ms. Annett said.

“I’m just so grateful for New York’s Shen Yun Performing Arts to actually put that out for us—celebrate all of the Chinese dancing and everything that was displayed today. … Now that we’ve come, we will tell so many others and certainly in the next year and the year after and so on, there'll be so many more people that come to celebrate what we saw today because it’s second to none. It was beautiful.”

Reporting by Lucy Liu 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.