Shen Yun Theatergoer: ‘The Dancing Is Unbelievable’

Apr 01, 2025Shen Yun

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.—For over a decade, Shen Yun Performing Arts has been sharing the beauty of Chinese culture with the world, and sometimes it takes the right time for a person to decide that this year will be the year to see Shen Yun.

“It’s really fantastic. I’m really glad I came,” said Tom Baker, a mastering engineer who has known about Shen Yun for three or four years.

Shen Yun is based in New York, and its artists are trained in classical Chinese dance, one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.

“It’s fantastic. I’m really shocked. It’s really fantastic. The dancing is unbelievable,” Mr. Baker said.

Shen Yun’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, China before communism.

“[Shen Yun] makes me want to know more about the dancers and the dancing and the history of China,” Mr. Baker said.

Shen Yun puts on an all-new production each year, and in each production, Shen Yun recreates stories from Chinese history, literature, myth, and legend.

“The stories are really great, the little individual stories are really fantastic, so it’s just wonderful,” Mr. Baker said.

Although modern-day China teaches that the state is above all and that there is no higher power, Shen Yun is a reminder that China was once a place known as the land of the divine and that spirituality used to permeate every part of society.

“It’s wonderful to see the religion and the religious values that kind of permeate through dance. It was a big part of what they were singing and creating, and it was just phenomenal,” Mr. Baker shared.

Shen Yun’s live orchestra is a unique combination of traditional Chinese instruments and a classic Western ensemble.

“The music, it’s remarkable. And then you have a live orchestra and the colors and the history,” Mr. Baker said.

He also commented that living in America, he doesn’t understand a lot about China beyond its communist history.

“We grew up learning about communism in China. We didn’t really learn that there was a whole free and very expressive Chinese culture. And it kind of makes me wonder what these Chinese dancers would say about what’s going on in this country,” Mr. Baker said.

He also saw parallels between what China went through and what America is experiencing today.

“It’s kind of symbolic of what’s happening, what’s wrong with America today. We kind of lost traditional values and religion. And I would like to see it come back. And that’s one of the big things that’s lacking in America,” Mr. Baker expressed.

Reporting by Michael Ye and Maria Han.

From The Epoch Times

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