NEW YORK—Rev. Dr. Rachaeli Greenberg Ebert had waited the entire year to see Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Lincoln Center. “I loved it so much,” Mrs. Ebert said. 

Shen Yun’s performances feature the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, an East-West orchestra, and a dazzling animated backdrop. 

Excited and moved after the Sunday matinee show outside the David H. Koch Theater, she explained what the performance meant to her. 

“Here we are getting to witness the story of the [Chinese] people,” Mrs. Ebert said. 

Shen Yun Performing Arts is a New York-based company with a mission of reviving 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture, according to the company’s website. Traditional Chinese culture was almost lost under 60 years of communist rule. 

The company’s website states: “Entirely non-profit, and independent of the Chinese regime, Shen Yun enjoys the artistic freedom of New York, enabling it to now bring these ancient traditions to the stage.” 

As a licensed psychologist, Mrs. Ebert has worked with people who escaped China, and said she knows about the human rights abuses in the mainland, which includes the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

“The story needs to be told,” she said. 

Falun Gong is meditation practice based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, principles that are rooted in traditional Chinese culture. 

As an integral part of China’s history and culture, Shen Yun introduces pieces depicting human rights abuses of Falun Gong practitioners. Shen Yun’s performances cannot be seen in China today.

Mrs. Ebert said she agreed with Shen Yun’s stated mission “to revive the true, divinely inspired culture of China and share it with the world.” 

“Five thousand years of tradition can never go underground,” she said. 

Mrs. Ebert watched the performance with her husband Rabbi Ebert.

As a music enthusiast, Mr. Ebert could also really appreciate the Shen Yun Orchestra which blends the sounds of the Western classical instruments and traditional Chinese instruments. 

“The music was just fantastic,” he said. 

Mrs. Ebert said that there’s always something Americans can do to speak out about oppression. She sincerely hoped that the performance continues to flourish. 

“We need to continue rising up, and tell the truth about what’s happening. So the beauty within, the beauty from within can stand up and shine its light on the world,” Mrs. Ebert said.

Reporting by NTD Television and Kristina Skorbach

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.