TUCSON, Ariz.—Husband and wife home builders Rudy Ing, contractor/engineer, and Kellie Ing, designer, were inspired by Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall on Feb. 28, 2026.
“It was very vibrant and entertaining … held our attention the whole time,” Mrs. Ing said, “such athletes and beautiful dancers.”
In addition to the performance being “entertaining,” she said it was “oddly peaceful … just lovely for the eyes and the ears.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. Along with folk dances and solo performances, the production depicts story-based pieces that tell tales from ancient times to the present day.
Besides talented dancers, Shen Yun features a one-of-a-kind orchestra that blends traditional Chinese instruments with a classical Western orchestra, a patented animated backdrop technology that allows for seamless interaction between the dancers and the background scenery, as well as colorful handmade costumes.
“It was a very fun show … we enjoyed learning about China’s culture before communism and seeing some of the historical virtues and morality through dance.” Mr. Ing said.
“It’s really important to learn about other cultures,” Mrs. Ing added, “I think the medium of dancing is … a universal language and [Shen Yun] beautifully conveyed all of the ideas.”
According to the company’s website, the performance consists of 20 pieces that move “from one legend, region, or dynasty to the next.” The presented heroes in the story-based dances embody the most exalted virtues of Chinese civilization and convey morals that are still relevant.
Mr. Ing said the spiritual aspects of the performance were the most impactful.
“The spiritual element of the creator and some of the lessons … [such as] what you give you get] … [and] the balance between good … that was very good,” he said, “it reinforces a lot of the things that I believe in.”
China was once known as “The Land of the Divine,” and Shen Yun presents this culture by drawing upon the Middle Kingdom’s Buddhist and Daoist philosophies. As such, the performance often includes spiritually uplifting messages, according to the company’s website.
Aside from “just enjoying the music and the dance,” Mr. Ing said he would sometimes reflect on the “philosophy and morality.”
He believes that Shen Yun can “bring people together.”
“We hear so much, so many bad things about China nowadays … communism is not good, but the Chinese people are good, and the culture is good, so we have to remember that,” he said.
If he had to summarize his experience of seeing Shen Yun in one word, he said it was “inspirational.”
“We enjoyed it very much, and we appreciate all their hard work,” Mr. Ing said, “they’re very disciplined and put a lot of work into their dance, very professional.”
Reporting by Lily Yu and Jennifer Schneider.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
