Shen Yun

I saw the Chinese Spectacular at the San Francisco Opera House. The performances were truly excellent! The dancers were amazing, the colors and costumes were dazzling, I have to say I felt like I experienced the true culture of China, not some cheap tricks or the usual Chinese New Year dragons and acrobatics that we see in Parades..The show is very spiritual, and very different it's a must see!

Im honestly not even into this kind of performing arts type of event but this show was probably one of the best, if not the best performance ive ever seen. The level of artistry that was presented in this show was phenomenal. I literally had tears in my eyes (and Im a dude), and one of the people sitting next to me was crying as well. I talked to some people during intermission, and they pretty much echoed what i felt as well

Actually, the parts about Falun Gong were what touched me the most, and I would not label it as "propaganda" against a gov't that has probably broadcast more propaganda in the past 50 years than any other government. I think its important for people to know more about human rights situations, like one of the dance pieces in the show, rather than just only focusing on themselves all the time. I think the show can really open you up with more compassion.

I agree with Fenchurch. This is a total waste of money to see religious anti-Chinese government propaganda. I was truly disappointed at the misrepresentation of this show. If you noticed the person who ranked this show 5 stars has only answered to these shows. No doubt a Falun gong practitioner.

This should be stated right off. The only mention of New Year during this show is when the Masters of Ceremonies, whom you will quickly tire of, try to get some audience participation going by "teaching you Chinese". It really also isn't spectacular, there are several very talented performers, the orchestration is good, and the costumes are alright. The set design is non-existent, consisting of some projectors showing cheesy animation. There is no continuity between the many skits, other then that much of the choreography is the same from one to the next. What this show really is though, and this is mentioned during the show, but really no where else, is a load of propaganda for Falun Dafa. Also not mentioned until well into the 2nd half. (If you hadn't guessed before then) is that it is a New York based company.

In the end you feel as if you have just spent 2 hours watching a High School ethnic presentation from a religious school. And really; that's exactly what you just paid top dollar to see.

If that is the sort of show that you think sounds just like what you would like to see, then I guess this is for you. If you really just wanted to see what Chinese New Year is like, well, maybe go to a neighborhood Chinese restaurant. For the price of the tickets, you could take all your family and friends, and just the process of eating a meal with friends and family would be more traditional, and bound to be more Spectacular then this production.

They are my favorite. I have seen their performance in DC once. Really love it.