“I actually felt inspired, I did. I didn’t know it was going to get into more of the cultural aspect of it ... And I really enjoyed the depth of it and the integrity of the lessons that they were teaching within the show. It really hit home,” said O'Keefe, who attended Shen Yun in Philadelphia on Feb. 27, 2020.

“We enjoyed it very much. We loved it, every bit of it,” she added.

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. Its artists travel the world with a stage production that is spearheading the revival of traditional Chinese culture from the brink of extinction.

“Just, be kind, be kind to people. And if people want to practice their religion, if they want to do whatever feels right to them, let them do that, that’s okay. You don’t need to interfere with them,” she said.

Since 1999, a brutal campaign against the followers of Falun Dafa has been carried out to a frightening degree across China in an attempt to bend these believers to the will of the communist regime, which is officially atheist.

O'Keefe said she resonated with these followers and recognized something universally human about their plight as it was portrayed on stage by Shen Yun.

“I absolutely did, and it doesn’t cost a dime to be a nice person. So, you know, treat others with respect and kindness and compassion, and just enjoy your life while we are here on earth, and stop worrying about everybody else. And I really did get that from the show,” she said.

Many audience members feel these pieces fill them with hope, since their characters exhibit the compassion, perseverance, and faith that Falun Dafa practitioners do in real life in the face of torture and mistreatment.

Shen Yun’s mission is to bring back China’s ancient culture, which was filled with legends, intricate art, miracles, and divine beings.

“I think it’s very important,” O'Keefe said in response to Shen Yun’s mission, “because if we don’t understand where we’ve been, how can we understand where we are and where we need to be?”

“So, I think learning the cultures and understanding why people do what they do, and the culture and the religion and what not from all of our histories, no matter where we come from, is paramount to understanding where we are now and where we need to go.”