Shen Yun Is ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Breathtaking’, Says Newark Audience Member

May 08, 2025Shen Yun

Shen Yun Performing Arts wrapped up its six sold-out performances in Newark, New Jersey, on May 4. The company’s artists tell 5,000 years of stories through classical Chinese dance, music, and an animated backdrop. Audience members gave their impressions after the show.

“We really appreciate their dance. It's beautiful, and it's breathtaking,” said Thomas Bauer, a surgeon. “I think it's a beautiful effort to revitalize the culture and the history that we don't get to see. And so we're very fortunate and blessed that so many people are putting forth that effort.”

“The energy, the movement, just how athletic the artists are, the colors, the costumes and the technology brings out so much more than you see in a normal performance,” said Paul Sheahen, a former company partner and philanthropy board member.

Samantha Dunn, a ballet teacher said, “I was super impressed with the technique and the way they could hold their legs up and just balance there. And also the flips and the tricks and the outfits were awesome. I loved it.”

Maureen Huntley, a business partner and former actress said, “I feel that the whole production just lifted me up. And I felt that the inspiration was not only all the scenery and the background and the colors and all of the performers, but it was their energy. It was the energy coming from it.”

Shen Yun tours the world with eight companies performing simultaneously, dedicated to reviving China’s traditional culture and values. A culture that the Chinese Communist Party has systematically tried to destroy after rising to power in 1949. Shen Yun cannot perform in China because the performance shines a light on the brutal persecution of the faith group Falun Gong by the regime.

Falun Gong teaches people to live in truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. The communist party decided to eradicate it in 1999.

Kevin Venezia, a business owner, said of Shen Yun, “I think the message was well done. I think we see China from a different perspective from what we hear about today and what we see. We always think about Tiananmen, and I think it was, at one time, a very free and open society, with a lot of faith—a lot of faith with Buddha. And now [with Shen Yun], you can see the moral values. I don't think the moral values are there under the communist regime that we see today.”

“What we see is the theft of thought and the ability to express oneself, and forced conformity to the thoughts of other people. It was very depressing and uplifting to see what this show is bringing forth to light,” Dr. Bauer said.

“I think it's great that they have the opportunity to bring that message out, and I just hope that more people can witness and experience it,” Mr. Sheahen said.

Shen Yun will be performing at the Miller Theater in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 7–11.

NTD News, Newark, New Jersey

NTD is a media sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts, covering audience reactions since 2006.