What’s the Inspiration Behind Shen Yun’s Story Dances?

Shen Yun’s short story dances are like little excerpts from Chinese history—from the Yellow Emperor of antiquity through the millennia of dynasties and all the way to the modern day. A unique feature of Chinese civilization is that its history has been recorded and passed down uninterrupted for 5,000 years, sometimes in vivid detail. This provides Shen Yun with vast source material, making it possible to revive this ancient culture on the twenty-first century stage.

In under seven minutes each, Shen Yun’s mini dramas recount timeless legends, bygone heroes, literary classics, and celestial paradises. Every dance embodies and celebrates the virtues that were at the heart of Chinese civilization for thousands of years: loyalty, courage, compassion, piety, and veneration for the divine.