STAMFORD, Conn.—Andrew Nicholson, an accountant, especially enjoyed the storytelling expressed through classical Chinese dance during Shen Yun Performing Arts’ performance at the Palace Theatre on May 10.
“I think it’s very good. I think it’s an excellent presentation of a lot of the historical and classical stories that are essentially placed into Chinese culture, in particular,” he said.
“I like how the story is told with respect to the dance and the song. I very much enjoyed it.”
Mr. Nicholson highlighted the story dance performance “How the Monkey King Came to Be,” saying, “I like that one for one reason, in particular. I studied Bak Mei Kung Fu for about 20 years.”
He said, “Our old images and visual painting portraits that we have of [the Monkey King] are almost a spitting image. So that kind of biases me towards it.”
Mr. Nicolson said he also liked the dance’s spiritual message and its relevance to today’s society.
An ‘Incredible Performance’
Chris Stimpson, a mental health clinician, called Shen Yun an “incredible performance.”He was especially amazed by “just the way that the performers glide across the stage and then hop onto the screen,” referring to Shen Yun’s patented digital screen that interacts with the dancers as they jump in and out of magical landscapes.
Shen Yun’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture before communism. This civilization is deeply spiritual, as expressed in its stories and legends.
Chris Stimpson attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Palace Theatre in Stamford, Conn., on May 10, 2026. Frank Liang/The Epoch Times
He said his takeaway was a spiritual message that “there’s a recognition that we are all created, we have a creator God, and that we have need for salvation.”
Mr. Stimpson said this message is “incredibly important” for our modern society.
“I think everybody needs to recognize that we are created and that there are some problems in this world that can only be dealt with by a great God who is willing to sacrifice himself to save us all,” Mr. Stimpson said.
Reporting by Frank Liang and Yvonne Marcotte.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
