In this interview, Shen Yun dancer Felix Sun reflects on his journey performing with Shen Yun Performing Arts for more than a decade, and how perseverance, teamwork, and self-discovery have shaped him both on and off the stage.
Felix shares what it takes to grow as a performer, how he prepares for roles, and why understanding the message behind each piece is just as important as mastering the technique. He also speaks candidly about misunderstandings surrounding Shen Yun.
00:00 – Meet Felix Sun, Shen Yun Dancer 00:13 – A Journey of Self-Discovery and Perseverance 00:44 – Why Shen Yun Is Sometimes Misunderstood 01:22 – Handling Criticism and Media Coverage 01:46 – A Favorite Piece: The Monkey Dance 02:18 – What Made That Role Meaningful 02:54 – Preparing for Roles and Supporting the Story 03:25 – Advice to His Younger Self
I'm Felix Sun.
I'm a dancer with the New York Company.
I've been touring with SHAYOON for around 11 years now.
It was kind of a path of self-discovery as well in a way,
because I would always feel like I couldn't catch up
with what's required for a world-class performer.
But at the same time, I just didn't want to quit.
Because over time, you see the amount of effort
and the work everyone puts in to put on a show
and the impact on society
and the audience.
And there was always that part of me
that felt like what you're doing is right.
I feel like it's the combined atmosphere
and the pressure of society.
It kind of just flushes out traditional values
and people miss the point.
They think we're just against the Communist Party
because we had some sort of conflict.
But the persecution is real.
And people that didn't deserve to be persecuted were killed.
I think people need to understand
we're trying to clarify the truth of the Communist Party.
It's because they're deceptive.
And a lot of our practitioners have seen firsthand
what they will do to people
just because they have a belief and a faith in something.
If you're clear on what you're doing is right,
then for instance, all those inconveniences
and people attacking us and threatening us,
at the end of the day, it's just noise.
Because in your heart, you know that
you're doing the right thing.
You're not doing anything wrong.
And if you decide on this is what you want to do,
then you just have to block out the noise.
Personally, I really liked the monk dance in 2019.
It was extremely exhausting to do.
Extremely exhausting.
And I remember I would be almost out of breath every time.
But for some reason, it was very rewarding
to be able to complete that tour.
I felt very myself.
Because I've always been kind of emotional,
playful character and energetic in a way.
Where I'd always feel like I have too much energy
and I have nowhere to release it.
But after I do that piece, I'm like,
okay, guys, I'm done. I'm dying.
It's more of cooperating with other dancers.
Like you had to do fighting routines with,
for instance, it was the monk versus the bandits, right?
And you had to do a fighting routine with them.
But the context was that I was just like a playful monk.
But I got superpowers throughout the story.
But I was always that simple cleaning boy.
Where I was just cleaning and scrubbing people's clothes.
So it was beating people up.
But it was in the context of, you know,
I'm just washing your clothes.
But at the same time, it's like,
I'm clearly causing them some damage.
What I've learned throughout the years is
you have to consider what is your role within this story
that makes it complete and fulfills the message
that the choreographer wants to portray.
Because I think that's the most important thing.
And that is what makes you a good supporting character
or just a good teammate.
And sometimes that means like not doing anything
and holding back, you know.
It's not always about moving and doing stuff.
That's the perspective that I take.
If I were to tell my younger self something,
I would tell him all those worries you had.
It never really mattered.
And when you can put down your emotions,
the solution to things are actually a lot simpler
than you think.
