Shen Yun

Coming to this show with the correct expectations is important. It’s not an evening of blockbuster thrills with edge of your seat theatrics. It’s a show of culture and history. Come and see beautiful costumes and music from a culture where western civilization has seen little of. The dancers were so synchronized and it was just beautiful. I recommend to everyone.

My family and I just attended Shen Yun in Houston. The show was terrible and a total waste of our money. I will definitely not see the show again and suggest you don’t either.

While a few of the classical chinese dances were mildly enjoyable (hence the second star), most of the show felt disjointed and contrived. Several of the dances attempted to communicate the hardships of religious practice in modern, communist China. Instead, much of the music and dance reminded me of some old Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis skit in which they incorporate every western stereotype of Asian people.
Each dance lasted 3 – 5 minutes and was followed by two emcees relating dull introductions to the next dance. All this served to do was bring any enjoyment one might have felt from the previous dance to an abrupt, crashing halt.
By far, the lowest points of the evening were during the performances of, first, the baritone and then the soprano. I have never heard worse singing in my life, including, shockingly, my own! The overuse of vibrato and the way both singers yelled the words to their songs was overpowering in the worst way possible. We finally left after the soprano and with only 3 – 4 dances left in the show.
In the end, I walked away feeling like I had just watched a caricature of authentic Chinese song, music and dance. Save yourself the considerable cost and move along. You’re welcome.

It was basically the MC would announce the next performance, performance lasted 1 – 3 minutes, MC would come out and announce another performance. Although the performances were beautifully choreographed, they lacked a story line to connect them all which killed it for me… IMPORTANT NOTE… Do Not Sit on rows A and B (Orchestra Level)! There’s a wall in front of you that will obstruct your full view of the performance. You’ll basically only see the dancers from waist up.

This show is beyond amazing. I am impressed at how this New York Based dance company manages to choreograph such intricate dances and embodying the Asian culture. The music, dancing, and costumes are so unique. It’s boring watching the same shows like The Nutcracker every year and this show is a good way to change things up. No pictures allowed though. They tell you before the show anyways. Not a problem for me though. I like being in the moment rather than snapping a photo to remember the moment.

Last night i saw Shen Yun in Jones Hall and really enjoyed its music and Chinese classic dance. I can feel Powerful encouragement from male dancers and moved by its beautiful movement from female dancers. Not only me surprised by its beautify and I can hear others «wow» also when curtain was up. Especially I think everyone likes erhu soloist performing the whole theater so quiet.

I just saw the 2016 show in Houston (apparently the season starts at the end of 2015) and was very impressed. Great talent, beautiful costumes, and good variety of classical and ethnic dances as well as storytelling. I especially liked the tossing and catching of spinning handkerchiefs and the erhu soloist — not an instrument you see often, even for regular concertgoers (for whom the live orchestra itself is a must-​see, and I still have some of the music stuck in my head).
They are strict on the no-​photography/​recording rule but give plenty of notice beforehand.

I can appreciate all of the hard work that went into choreographing these performances however I failed to connect to the overall message. We had mezzanine seats which were practically nosebleed, and I found myself bored at times. They did have beautiful costumes, and orchestra was fabulous.

My friend and I saw the performance last year. The tickets were expensive, we sat within the first 5 rows in the center section. The performance was nice but what happened after that I found alarming. My friend, whose credit card was used to purchase the tickets, received a phone call accusing her of taking pictures or video during the performance. They knew which seats were hers and spoke to her in another language when they called. They wanted her to appear in person until she convinced then they her petite blonde build was not the woman they were seeking. Conspiracy theory… too strange. I have never heard of an event tracing a person back and CALLING them to accuse them after the fact. Who authorized them to disclose contact information for a credit card purchaser assuming that is the same person that went to the performance!!!
I cannot go back to this show and now I’m suspicious of what it represents.
My friend and I had a lovely time but the paranoia of the show has changed my perspective.

Several of us went to Shen Yun during the 2014 Christmas holiday season, so my review takes into account my views as well as feedback from 9 others. Overall, the show was «Just OK». Pros: great costumes, good live orchestra, good talent. Cons: too repetitious, average choreography, some Falun Gong propaganda. We paid $ 100 for pretty good seats, center of stage, about 14 rows back, which was perfect for taking in the full stage. Given that similar show tickets can cost 50% more, I thought it was decent value despite the absence of a «wow» factor. Apparently they change the show each year, though I don’t intend to go again. TIP: If you do plan to go, book early so you can get a seat toward the center of the stage.

I’ve been meaning to go to this show in Houston for the past 7 years. It was a complete disappointment. Poor quality dancing. Poor representation of China’s history. Pretty bad music– there was no differentiation from Mongolia to Tibet. Tibet was even claimed a part of china. Also did you know all other great forms of dancing are rooted in Chinese dance? Even Olympic level tumbling. Awesome. I left at intermission. Why waste more of my Saturday afternoon. I see this a purely a money making scheme. They were poorly synchronized and did not bother to have an English speaker check the dozen or so sentences they spoke.
I’ve posted a business review because that is all this is– money in no performance out.
Don’t bother wasting your time. Go see something worth while like the symphony or any this else.