SHEN YUN 2026
Thank goodness for Shen Yun—now there’s finally a show to which I can give a good review! It’s the best presentation I’ve seen in quite a while!
Shen Yun Performing Arts. (I emulated this iconic number with my too-long sleeves for Laura later that day, and she knew what I was doing right away!)
This is the third time I’ve seen this gorgeous dance troupe, and if it’s even possible, I enjoy it more each time. My friend Laura had never seen them before and she was equally bowled over. We were both so impressed.
I don’t know if there are enough superlatives in the world to explain just how stunning Shen Yun’s creations are. But I’ll try my best to paint you a picture.
The show consists of about nineteen different numbers, all exactly the right length. There’s a beautiful variety of tales and choreography, some serious, some amusing, and all charming. It’s a wonder that they come up with these spectacular and creative numbers all the time.
Each dancer is exquisite on his or her own, but together, the ensemble is incredible! And every one of them appears to be in love with what they’re doing.
Each number begins with a stunning tableau. And then the dancers start moving and it becomes even more magical!
Everything about Shen Yun is so colorful, which you know I adore: the costumes, the digital backdrops, (which are occasionally even animated,) and even the dancers’ hair from time to time. In one all-male scene, their tresses are purple, to match their wardrobe! And just how do they keep changing the hairstyles so quickly? I need to learn their hairdresser’s secret.
Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Getting back to the exquisite backdrops, both Laura and I loved when the dancers appeared to jump right out of them onto the stage. It happened several times, and many audience members squealed with delight each time. I know that I could not help it.
There are two hosts throughout the show, Anna Yan and Ben Freed, who are very informative. They introduce each number and give us the explanations of what we’re about to see. In both English and Chinese! I love that the beautiful programs give us a brief synopsis of each dance, but for people like me, who don’t think to read them before the show begins, Anna and Ben are really helpful.
Ben also let us know that Shen Yun produces new numbers every year, and told us that what we’re seeing is “classical Chinese dance,” which is “one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.” But he needn’t have even mentioned that because…we can see it! The art is just jaw-dropping. I couldn’t stop myself from constantly exclaiming “wow” and “oh my gosh” out loud!
Adding to the artistry of the production is a quartet of classical musical interludes, all with the same accompanying pianist. The one that featured a woman playing an erhu, which is a Chinese instrument akin to a violin, was my favorite. And the wonderful live orchestra throughout the program is indeed a bonus.
Shen Yun Performing Arts.
You can tell that so much work goes into every aspect of Shen Yun, including the makeup. In a few of the numbers, some of the dancers even rock great “elders” makeup. I was trying to figure-out how they do it, with the aid of my trusty binoculars, because it brought back a funny college memory for me. The quick version is that, because I was a theater major, I had to take a makeup-for-stage class. As someone who has loved doing glamour makeup since I was a teenager, I figured I’d breeze right through it. But we had to do character makeup, which is quite different from just trying to look good to go out. The teacher never complimented me on anything I did. And then we had to make-up our faces to look like elderly Chinese gentlemen, complete with little white goatees. The teacher took one look at my work for that assignment, and exclaimed, “You really do not like to obliterate your face, do you?!” I didn’t know what she meant until I looked in the mirror a little more critically this time, and noticed that I still looked just like myself, only with some white facial hair glued on my chin! I almost failed the class because of that one misstep. True story.
Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Another true story is that I literally wanted to see Shen Yun again the very next day after Laura and I had just done so!!! So I’m heavily suggesting that you take the opportunity to see the show when it comes to a city near you, which is a strong possibility since Shen Yun is a worldwide phenomenon.
For their entire schedule, and more info on the show, in general, please just click on this link: www.shenyun.org.
