As Christmas approaches, Shen Yun Performing Arts is preparing to return to the stage with a brand-new production for 2025. Over the past 19 years, Shen Yun has brought to the stage a classical dance form that has thousands of years of history, earning praise from top dancers worldwide.
“It was an incredible performance, with the professionalism of the dancers, as well as the choreography, the colors—beautiful, a unique experience,” said Nicoletta Buonaguro, dance school founder and dance judge, after watching Shen Yun in Udine, Italy. “In my opinion, all dance teachers around the world should see a show like this to truly appreciate this wonderful discipline of art.”
“I wish they’d do more of that in Royal Ballet,” said Wayne Sleep OBE, former principal dancer of the Royal Ballet, in London, UK. “It was unique, and it’s something I didn’t expect at all.”
Musicians around the world also had high praise for Shen Yun’s live symphony orchestra, which presents a harmonic blend of melodies from Western and Chinese instruments.
“I thought … the orchestrations were very beautiful, a good interplay between both traditional and modern scoring techniques, which I think made a real big difference,” said Phil Gelfer, symphony orchestra founder and artistic director in New York.
“The dancers and with the music—also, the music is very well played,” said Joaquin Valdepeñas, clarinetist and orchestra conductor, in Toronto, Canada. “The orchestra is very good and also, the tempos have to be just right for the dancers to dance. So that could be tricky, right? It was terrific.”
“We are dealing here with people who are geniuses of orchestration, in the sense that they move from one color to another with great ease, and a lot of energy as well, and then an orchestra that plays wonderfully well,” said Antoine Marguier, founder and conductor of the Geneva International Orchestra, upon watching the show in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Audiences marvel at the visual beauty of the performances, describing it as deeply moving.
“I think we’ve gone to heaven as well,” said Sleep, gesturing upwards. “Well, it’s something one doesn’t normally see. I think it’s gone beyond technical—and of course, the cleverness of we know what they do, and the cleverness of the set, and then going down onto the ground, coming up as if you’re real. I’ve never seen that before, so it was wonderful, and it was so accurate.”
“The costumes are beautiful and bring a lightness to the dance,” said Paula Linhares, film company founder, in São Paulo, Brazil. “It makes you want to go in there and dance along.” She laughed, adding, “It was beautiful, I loved it. thank you.”
“It was a delight to see such a high form of artistry being portrayed as an example of spirituality and beauty,” said Minerva Borjas, vocal producer, songwriter, and TV host, after watching the show in Miami, Florida.
Shen Yun will be kicking off its 2025 tour on Dec. 23, premiering in Atlanta, Georgia, and simultaneously in Nagoya, Japan.
For more information, visit ShenYun.com.
