Overall, I enjoyed the performance. The combination of music, story, and dance made for a very unique experience. However, I did notice a few things in the performance that were a little unusual. In particular, I noticed that many of the backdrops featured buildings of a distinctive Japanese style. Many of these buildings had Karahafu, thatch or bark rather than tile roofs, purlins parallel to one another rather than the more typical radial purlins, and unfinished wooden exteriors. While some of these elements can be found in Chinese buildings, they do not represent the quintessential Chinese style and are more indicative of the Japanese style. During the performance, I was able to follow the backdrops through different time periods nonetheless, but I noted that many of the buildings have out of place elements. For example, even in the Han Dynasty, the roofing of a building as important as a palace would be composed of ceramic tiles, and the exterior decorated with various designs and patterns (usually in red and/or green); and the small and numerous dougong brackets featured on the buildings of the Tang palace did not become commonplace until the Ming and Qing Dynasties (the Tang palace would also have ceramic tile roofing and a painted exterior). The brackets featured on the main hall of the Buddhist temple in "Sweeping Out the Tyrant" were also of a very unusual design, and judging solely by their appearance, I doubt they would be able to support the roof of the building. Shen Yun is about "Reviving 5,000 years of civilization", and as a strong admirer of architecture I believe that Chinese architecture is an indispensable component of Chinese civilization; and that genuine Chinese architecture (rather than the all too common generic east-Asian architecture) is needed for the accurate and wholesome portrayal of Chinese culture. I also noticed that India, as portrayed in the performance "The Monkey King Thwarts the Evil Toad" seems to be represented by the Islamic Mughal period of Indian history. I thought this was a little silly, as "Journey to the West" (despite being written in its current form during the Ming Dynasty) concerns the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang's quest to acquire Buddhist scriptures - and at a time when Islam hardly existed as a religion. During the time of Xuanzang's pilgrimage (7th century) India would have been mostly Hindu, with a dwindling (though still significant) Buddhist presence. I would prefer that the scene where Xuanzang and Sun Wukong arrive in India feature more Buddhist and Hindu iconography, perhaps with more Dravidian style temples in the background and Gupta period clothing. I also noticed some minor discrepancies in the clothing styles, but I do not know enough about Chinese clothing myself to identify all the elements of a specific period's clothing style. Despite the minor inconsistencies I enjoyed the performance. I was particularly impressed by athleticism and vigor of the dancers. In "Ne Zha Churns the Sea", I recall picking up on a duilian which I had seen before called "空手夺枪" being incorporated into the performance. It was quite impressive. I am not sure whether the performer had trained in wushu, or if classical Chinese dance simply shares elements with modern wushu - either way I would love to see more performances like it.

Having never seen Shen Yun before, only looked at the website, I was not fully prepared for the exceptionally professional and breathtaking experience. I have never seen dancers be so graceful while maintaining near perfect unison. Each dance was entertaining. I was particularly taken with the two drum dances performed by the men and the lotus dance by the women, as well as the first soloist. I just wish I'd had the opportunity to see the traditional instruments played on stage - they sounded so lovely. Everything was perfection - from the clever backdrops to the costumes to the wonderful orchestra. You are welcome to use any and all of these comments. On a side note - the people manning the sales booth for Shen Yun items were not well informed about what they were selling. I asked for a music CD of music like what I had just experienced, and instead got an orchestral CD filled with operatic voices and chorus. It is not at all what I would have chosen.

I saw Shen Yun on March 1 and really enjoyed it. I was in the first row - any show of this magnitude deserved my full attention - and was spellbound from beginning to end. The dance principals/ensemble, musicians, singers, costumes/costume accessories (great color selections), music, choreography and the detailed digital backdrop projection were amazing. The way an animated character on the screen was seamlessly transformed into the performer on the stage was a technique I had not seen before. The two hosts were very enlightening - even humorous - taught the audience to say "I love Shen Yun" in Chinese... "Woe I Shun Yun" (pardon spelling). The audience recited it back - great moment. I appreciate the hard work put into making this a must-see performance.

My Wife and I had the most breathtaking experience at Shen Yun. The dancing, choreography , and reaction from the band, players was just mind numbing. I recommend that everyone who likes music and dance, should see this spectacular show. Can't wait until they return.

Really enjoyed the dancing, singing and the orchestra. Wonderful!!

SIMPLY AMAZED! The price of the ticket was worth it just to hear the live orchestra and the operatic performances. The large screen, digitally/interactive with the actors is simply a phenomenon! The dancing: as we learned from the narrators, (speaking in Chinese and English), the most involved number of elements with ballet of any dance on earth, was awesome! The costumes were gorgeous! Precise, in synchrony, a wonderful experience! And even more important, we were reminded that this could not be experienced in China. That is horrific.

I have traveled extensively through China. I wrote a professional review of your show, but this box won't allow me to paste it into your site. If you would like the review, go to arts at www.Beforeitsnews.com ; www.freedomsphoenix.com and many other news websites. If you want it directly from me, write me at frostyw@juno.com . You will be very pleased with my review. Frosty Wooldridge, six continent world bicycle traveler

.The very best performance I have seen in quite awhile. Beautiful and breath taken, the drop stage was extraordinary. One can not expression the beauty without being seen. Magical in every sense.

What an Awesome Experience done with such Perfection & Undeniably the most Beautiful Costumes in the World!!