How long is Shen Yun?

Q: How long is Shen Yun?

2 hours and 15 minutes including intermission.

Shen Yun 2023 | Enjoy OC

Shen Yun Performing Arts will feature performances at Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa plus many other theaters throughout Southern California and the world.

Through the universal language of music and dance, Shen Yun weaves a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends, and modern heroic tales, taking you on a journey through 5,000 years of authentic Chinese culture. The 2023 production, unearths new historical figures, revisiting ancient legends, and traveling with timeless melodies through China’s five thousand years of civilization.

Shen Yun takes you back to the magical world of ancient China where you’ll experience a lost culture through the incredible art of classical Chinese dance and see legends come to life. Shen Yun makes this possible by pushing the boundaries of the performing arts, with a unique blend of stunning costuming, high-tech backdrops and an orchestra like no other.

Shen Yun

SHEN YUN 2023
China Before Communism
5,000 Years of Civilization Reborn
Run Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes including intermission

Shen Yun Tickets

Seating options and prices vary by theater.

Reserve Seats at the Shen Yun Official Site

The 2023 touring season is from December 2022 through May 2023.

SoCal Shen Yun Dates & Locations

Costa Mesa, CA | Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Address: 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Dates: Tuesday, February 28, 2023 – Sunday, March 5, 2023

Escondido, CA | California Center for the Arts, Escondido
Address: 340 N Escondido Blvd, Escondido, CA 92025
Dates: Wednesday, February 8, 2023 – Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Long Beach, CA | Terrace Theater
Address: 300 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802
Dates: Saturday, March 18, 2023 – Sunday, March 19, 2023

Claremont, CA | Bridges Auditorium – Pomona College
Address: 450 N College Way, Claremont, CA 91711
Dates: Friday, March 10, 2023 – Sunday, March 12, 2023

Thousand Oaks, CA | Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
Address: 2100 E Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
Dates: Tuesday, March 14, 2023 – Thursday, March 16, 2023

Northridge, CA | Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts
Address: 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330-8448
Dates: Tuesday, March 21, 2023 – Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Las Vegas, NV | The Smith Center for the Performing Arts
Address: 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89106
Dates: Friday, February 24, 2023 – Sunday, February 26, 2023

San Diego, CA | The Smith Center for the Performing Arts
Address: 1100 Third Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
Dates: Friday, April 21, 2023 – Sunday, April 23, 2023

Shen Yun Dancing

The short story dances are like little excerpts from Chinese history. They may be about the Yellow Emperor of antiquity, a modern-day tale, heroes, deities, or colorful characters that have appeared throughout the millennia of dynasties.

Classical Chinese dance is an art form that’s steered by the artist’s heart. Only when dancers invest their feelings into the movements will the body be able to follow the heart. This creates a compelling and expressive dance form.

“The same movement can be fast or slow, sorrowful or joyful, all depending on what type of feeling the dancer wants to express,” Shen Yun Principal Dancer Carol Huang says. “The same movement can express different things because the feeling behind the movement is different. This is one of the unique characteristics of classical Chinese dance… Just like traditional Chinese culture, classical Chinese dance focuses on inner meanings and feelings.”

There is a Chinese saying: 艺无止境 (yi wu zhi jing), meaning “artistic excellence is an endless journey.” Classical Chinese Dance involves various jumping, tumbling, and turning techniques. Over the centuries, these techniques have been borrowed and adopted by other dance forms. Here are some of the movements:

Barrel Leap
Sao Tang, literally “sweeping the court”
Windmill turns
Butterfly kick
Front tuck
Leg holds
Zhan shen, a movement based on the tornado kick.

Shen Yun Music

One unique aspect of Shen Yun performances is the live orchestra that accompanies every show. Each piece of music the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra performs is an original composition, made to elevate and bring each one of our stories to life. Many melodies are inspired by ancient folk and ethnic tunes passed through the dynasties.

The compositions are all-original works that combine classical Western and Eastern instruments. Ancient Chinese instruments such as the soul-stirring erhu and the delicate pipa lead the melody on top of an orchestra of Western strings, percussion, woodwinds, and brass.

About Shen Yun

New York-based Shen Yun is a classical Chinese dance and music company. The group was formed in 2006 by artists who had left China in pursuit of freedom of belief, Shen Yun developed into a global sensation in just about a half dozen years.

According to Shen Yun, its mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, showcasing the beauty of China before communism through music and dance.

“Shen” means divine or divinity, and “Yun” means feeling or rhythm. The name “Shen Yun” translates into “the beauty of divine beings dancing.”

Shen Yun’s performances typically include a mix of classical Chinese dance, folk dance, and story-based dance, as well as live music played on traditional Chinese instruments. The company is known for its colorful costumes and elaborate backdrops, as well as its use of digital animation in its stage productions.