Shen Yun Performing Arts will feature performances at Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa plus many other theaters throughout Southern California and the world.
Using 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 2025 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 pushes the boundaries of performing arts with stunning costuming, high-tech backdrops and an exceptional orchestra.

Shen Yun
SHEN YUN 2024
China Before Communism
5,000 Years of Civilization Reborn
Run Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes including intermission
Shen Yun Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn
Shen Yun Tickets
Seating options and prices vary by theater.
Reserve Seats at the Shen Yun Official Site
The 2024 touring season is from December 2023 through May 2024.
SoCal Shen Yun Dates & Locations
Costa Mesa, CA | Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Address: 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Dates: April 15-19, 2025
Riverside, CA | Fox Performing Arts Center
Address: 3801 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, California 92501
Dates: April 24-25, 2025
Escondido, CA | California Center for the Arts, Escondido
Address: 340 N Escondido Blvd, Escondido, CA 92025
Dates: March 13-19, 2025
Long Beach, CA | Terrace Theater
Address: 300 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802
Dates: March 22-23, 2025
Downtown Los Angeles, CA | he Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Address: 135 North Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Dates: January 17-19, 2025
Claremont, CA | Bridges Auditorium – Pomona College
Address: 450 N College Way, Claremont, CA 91711
Dates: March 28-30, 2025
Thousand Oaks, CA | Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
Address: 2100 E Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
Dates: March 25-26, 2025
Hollywood, CA | Dolby Theatre
Address: 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028
Dates: April 8-9, 2025
Northridge, CA | Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts
Address: 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330-8448
Dates: April 8-9, 2025
Las Vegas, NV | The Smith Center for the Performing Arts
Address: 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89106
Dates: TBA
San Diego, CA | San Diego Civic Theatre
Address: 1100 Third Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
Dates: April 12, 2025
Also Performing in San Jose, San Francisco, Berkeley, San Luis Obispo, Modesto, Folsom, Sacramento, and Fresno.
Shen Yun Dancing
Shen Yun’s short story dances are excerpts from Chinese history highlighting significant cultural elements like the Yellow Emperor of antiquity, modern-day tales, heroes, deities, or other colorful characters from Chinese dynasties.
The classical Chinese dancing is steered by the artist’s heart. According to Shen Yun, “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 that have evolved over time and been adapted from other forms of dance. Some of the movements include:
- 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
A live orchestra accompanies every Shen Yun performance and each piece of music performed by the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra is an original composition that brings the stories to life. Many of the melodies are inspired by ancient folk and ethnic tunes passed down through the dynasties.
The original compositions combine classical Western and Eastern instruments. The erhu and the pipa are Ancient Chinese instruments leading the melodies with and an orchestra composed of Western strings, percussion, woodwinds, and brass.
About Shen Yun
Shen Yun is a classical Chinese dance and music company based in New York, originally formed in 2006 by artists who left China in pursuit of freedom of belief. Shen Yun became a global sensation in less than a decade.
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 include a mix of classical Chinese dance, folk dance, story-based dance, and 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.
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