SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

World-Class Baton Twirler in Phoenix Inspired by Shen Yun

Mar 09, 2026

3/9/2026Updated: 3/9/2026

PHOENIX—Today, world-champion baton twirler Cody Carter watched as dozens of classical Chinese dancers performed enchanting tales onstage that he said gave him a “tingly” feeling inside.

After 17 years spent mastering the baton, Carter knows personally what Shen Yun’s dancers must have gone through to become artists in New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts. Donning the attire of the myths and legends of China, their movements displayed a balance of both “power” and “grace,” Carter said.

“I’ve now travelled all over the world doing shows and corporate events and music festivals,” Carter told The Epoch Times. “This is my first time seeing Shen Yun, and the word I can take away from it is just ‘inspiring.’”

Seeing their artistry and perfection of their craft onstage today at the Phoenix Symphony Hall made Carter want to try some of their “very unique” movements with the baton, he said.

Now 20 years old, Shen Yun is made up of mostly American-born Chinese as well as expats who fled mainland China to escape religious persecution. All are passionate about expressing the culture of “China before communism” that is forbidden in their ancestral homeland—which was “almost lost” in the purges of China’s cultural revolution. So the artists formed a classical Chinese dance company to keep those traditions alive.

After seeing Shen Yun advertisements showing exquisite costumed dancers performing graceful leaps, Carter had to book his ticket. On billboards across the United States, the dance company brands what it offers as “China before communism.” Yet the ancient tales felt “fresh” to Carter today, despite some being 5,000 years old.

“It was very powerful,” Carter said. “The tradition is staying alive through the performance. You can really feel the power through their dance and through the storytelling.”

The curtain opens with the greatest story of all time: the myth of creation. Smoke billows offstage as a scene from the heavens fills the theater with light. Dancers play regal deities, looking divine in costumes, before an immersive animated backdrop displays the Creator himself. All descend to Earth and kick off 5,000 years of Chinese history in a grand procession.

Segments of Shen Yun follow this history through different dynasties and various ethnic dances. Though the show features lighthearted myths filled with magic and heroes, like the Monkey King, it also touches on serious events, portraying persecution in modern-day China, where members of the faith Falun Dafa are depicted being persecuted onstage by the followers of the communist regime.

Carter could tell it was a “very heartfelt performance.”

“The dancers give it their all,” he said. “And you can see how expressive they are and how much they express through their dance that they love what they do and they love their culture.”

He has a message for them.

“I can see all the hard work that they’ve put in and the perfection, I know that’s not easy,” he said. “From one performer to another, you should be very proud of yourselves.”

Reporting by NTD, Lily Yu, 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.