Is this ‘Chinese ballet’?

No, Shen Yun dancers perform classical Chinese dance, along with a range of traditional Chinese ethnic and folk dance styles.

Whereas ballet’s historical roots lie in European culture, classical Chinese dance’s lie in traditional Chinese culture. Classical Chinese dance has its own systematic training, and encompasses many types of leaps, turns, flips, spins, and tumbling techniques that have not historically been a part of ballet. It is a dance form as ancient as Chinese civilization itself and it contains China’s deep cultural traditions. This renders its movements richly expressive, such that personalities and feelings can be portrayed with utmost clarity.

Performing classical Chinese dance in its purest form is the artistic hallmark of Shen Yun. No other company has successfully brought pure classical Chinese dance to stages around the world!

(Learn about 7 key differences between ballet and classical Chinese dance.)