Reviews

"The Best! The Best! The Best!" - Charles Wadsworth, Founding Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

"The dances were graceful, delicate, and beautiful! There was something pure and bright and also very dignified about them. This show gave me a real sense of goodness and meaning in life." - Anna Liceica, Soloist of American Ballet Theatre

More Reviews & Quotes

* Shen Yun Performing Arts', formally known as Divine Performing Arts, shows included Holiday Wonder and Chinese New Year Spectacular.

	Congresswoman Eileen Kowall of Michigan, thought that there was "a lot that stood out" about Shen Yun, particularly how the dancers moved. "It was just a different kind of dance; very fluid, graceful, beautiful, and it transports you out of the movement," she said. Kowall also thought that the high-tech animated backdrops projected behind the dancers were out of this world. "I thought it was a very enjoyable evening, and I am glad I came," she beamed.
	Ms. Karen DiChiera, founder and director of Community Programs at Michigan Opera Theatre in Detroit, said: "It's a fabulous experience for everybody - people who are of the background in China, and people who are not, and everybody in between." Ms. DiChiera brought her critical eye with her to the performance, noting the differences between Western and Eastern performances, but only had good things to say. "It was like watching an opera chorus in motion. It was very interesting and very enjoyable and the animation was fabulous, all the animation, and the orchestra." she said.
	Mr. Rosolino LoDuca, founder of Bellini Opera of Detroit, calls Shen Yun "Amazing". "We really enjoyed the show tonight - very superb, beautiful, fantastic, bellissimo!" he said, using an Italian superlative. Mr. LoDuca said he would definitely recommend Shen Yun to his friends.
	"Athletic, yet graceful. Very controlled [and] very disciplined in their movements," said Pat Dwyer, the owner of a Volvo dealership in Commerce Township, Michigan. "They managed to present 5,000 years of history in just 2 hours, it was quite an accomplishment," he said. Mr. Dwyer's wife, Chris, said that she liked the way the female dancers moved. "The way they walk, it's like they're floating. They were just fantastic dancers. The choreography was spectacular. They were all beautiful and poised and it was effortless for them; it was gorgeous. The men were spectacular too," she said.
	Shen Yun Performing Arts was an enchanted event that brought back many memories for Carl Kiehler at the Detroit Opera House. In addition to his admiration for the show, he also got to enjoy it in a theater built partially by his famous uncle, architect Elmer George Kiehler. "The performance was magnificent!" exclaimed Mr. Kiehler. Mr. Kiehler said he felt "enthused" after watching Shen Yun.
	For years Lee Pantely, now CEO of Health Insurance Pro., was a professional musician - a singer and composer - who could play any instrument by ear, his wife Mary says. It's not strange, then, that he would have good things to say about the Shen Yun Performing Arts. 'It is very nice that they do have a full or live orchestra," Mr. Pantely said. "It is very colorful, very beautiful, very dissimilar in a lot of ways to our culture, you know. And, it's just kind of refreshing to see something totally different," he said. Mrs. Pantely, the owner of Mary Pantely & Associates, who attended with her husband said: "The music, I mean, everything that they do - you can see - they give it their all. I mean it is beautiful, beautiful."
	"I was totally lost in bliss and amazement," said former minister of public engineering and state land in the State of Geneva, a politician with musical talent. "I was amazed by the performers' bearing and form. In the flowing dance 'Water Sleeves', the three basic elements--form, bearing, and technique--were all fully reflected. They were simply beautiful."
	Well-known South Korean Vocalist & music professor: "The show made me feel I had left the secular world for a moment. I don't know if I will have another opportunity to see such an outstanding performance in this lifetime." On stage, Xin Guikun mostly sings western pieces. He said that most operas depict secular stories of love and death, revenge and hatred, "But the music I heard today is so pure, and it can make people healthier and purer." "The coordination between the sopranos and the pianist was simply perfect. The contralto's timbre is extremely abundant and very peaceful. It left a very deep impression on me. The Divine Performing Arts is a masterpiece that transcends human imagination and makes one forget one's own existence, as if one has been elevated out of this world. "
	Robin Dale, a popular Scottish musician in Taiwan: I Thought I Was in Heaven...I felt for the first time complete fulfillment. I was 100 percent satisfied! When I heard the songs during the show, I wanted to sing along. I grew up in Asia. Therefore, this is not the first time I saw classical Chinese dance. I am in show business and I have seen many world-class performances. I must say that the Divine Performing Arts is unique and was an eye-opener from the minute I began watching the show. I can't say which number I liked best, because everything throughout the entire show was beautiful and the backdrops were perfect. What is most amazing is that the costumes, the dance, the music, the songs and the message throughout the program tried to convey a meaning. I liked everything very much. The beautiful celestial maidens and accompanying music made me wonder if I was in heaven! I am a composer and I sing and play instruments. From a professional point of view, the music in the Chinese Spectacular is very beautiful and moving. The music composition is perfect and ties in with the choreography. The music even matches the backdrop and the colors. It is marvelous! This is why music is important, because it unifies everything harmoniously.
	"Everything was impressive," said Canadian figure skaters & Olympic medallist. Elvis Stojko, one of the most successful and well-known Canadian figure skaters to ever take to the ice. He's a seven-time Canadian champion, three-time world champion, and two-time Olympic Silver medallist. "Each single act had its own energy and character," he said. "I prefer it over ballet because it's not just about perfect technique and perfect toe point, even though they also have that, it's about the energy and the essence and the spirit of the person doing it and what they're trying to convey... It's a breath of fresh air ..."
	"The show is perfect in every aspect, " said New York musician Shannon Taylor who very much enjoyed the Holiday Wonders. He expressed with emotion how the show captivated his heart as soon as the curtains lifted, revealing a beautiful scene. "...the production's music, dance, costumes, backdrop, sound effects, and the entire arrangement of decoration and stage props were perfect and blended together naturally to give it a great deal of power. The technology in the backdrop and its effect in this show are rarely seen. From the backdrop, the different characteristics of ancient China, Mongolia, and Korea are displayed, as if we were actually there. You get a very strong feeling of personal immersion in the setting," he said. Taylor has attended many musical performances and managed various artistic shows. He said, "Even though I have a lot of experience, many aspects of this show are unique and cannot be seen anywhere else...the performances in the show are rich and colorful, and the choreographers and directors skilled and talented." "The entire show conveys the messages of brightness, joy, life, and hope. These are not only the essence of Chinese culture, but universal values. From them we can see the compassion of human nature, as well as the ideals of human rights, which is very inspirational and educational. That was the best part."
	Mihail Iovu, president of the Societe Generale BRD, the second largest bank in Romania, "I've seen numerous performances in my life, including ballet, the theater and the orchestra,etc., but I've never seen such a beautiful show. Today's performance surpasses all of them, from dances to the costumes, everything is perfect. The spirit that the performance expressed, is also outstanding, marvelous. It's the best and the most beautiful performance I've ever seen during my 76 years. This show should play here [in Romania] for half a year so that more people can see it. " "These performers are so young, but their skills are already advanced. They have reached perfection. All that I've seen today is incredible. The beauty of the performance today is hard to describe with words."
	Roland Cope, a popular actor in Paris: The show is of top quality - it is extraordinary and full of poetry. Roland Cope and his wife Monique applauded enthusiastically throughout. Roland's wife stood up and yelled, "Absolutely wonderful!" after the show. Roland said, "The show is of top quality - it is extraordinary and full of poetry. I can feel a strong power that is very natural. This type of dancing is rarely seen in Europe, or for the matter in Paris. The show addresses the past, present and future. What's unique about it is that it conveys a great power, which is magnificent..."
	Kenyan artist Louise: The Chinese Spectacular was extraordinarily beautiful. "Compared with Western shows, the Spectacular is even more beautiful and exquisite, with its costumes and the orchestra." Louise thought the performances were in line with Chinese philosophy and history, and admired the very clear theme that ran through the entire show: that heaven decides the fate of humans.
	Minister: A Refreshing Beauty to be Found Nowhere Else. "This is the second time I have seen a performance by the Divine Performing Arts. I discovered this show last year, and the 2008 show is as outstanding as it was in 2007," said George, a minister, after the show in Paris on March 1. "I remembered this date so that I wouldn't miss the show. Its refreshing beauty can't be found anywhere else."
	Psychiatrist: "This performance has a soul; it will open your heart and mind!" Jussi Nikkila, a psychiatrist in Finland and five of her friends watched the second show of the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular in Tampere, Finland. Nikkila could hardly suppress her excitement, "We all felt the pure beauty of the dances and the colors tonight. It really is one of a kind! "I want to thank the artists from the bottom of my heart; I thank them for coming to Finland. I want to tell every performer that you must keep moving forward and continue this artistic creation and performance!"
	World-class musician Alicia Zizzo: The Divine Performing Art's original musical pieces were rich in positive energy and were purifying to the soul. Each musical  piece told a story, which she had not experienced before in listening to western music, said Alicia Zizzo, PhD, an expert on George Gershwin variations. Comparing to western music, which is splendid on the surface yet lacks variation, eastern music is often slow, leaving sufficient time for one to ponder. She said that the musical pieces were powerful and they penetrated people's hearts, as their simplicity enforced their purity.
	Kory Tylor, ballerina, singer, and choreographer, who owns the Dance Arts Centre in Toronto: "Did I enjoy it? There are no words to say how much I enjoyed it. It really was fabulous, fantastic, absolutely delightful." "I've never seen a dance company like it. I've seen the National Ballet, I've seen the New York City Ballet, and they dance from technique; but these people dance from the heart, from the soul. That's what I like about it." "They're so symmetrically correct, everything's beautiful. Just wonderful, I love it and I will come to every performance they ever have.... I think everybody should see this. These performances are phenomenal."
	Swiss Property Group senior executive Richard Unwin attended the performance in Geneva. He said that the DPA performers conveyed high artistic value.... He said, "everyone in this world should see this show !"