WASHINGTON—When the classical Chinese dance company Shen Yun Performing Arts performed onstage at the Trump Kennedy Center Opera House on Jan. 9, it became clear to many among the audience that it went beyond mere entertainment.
Among those attending the performance was Christopher Carter, a Washington filmmaker and journalist, who said Shen Yun presents spirituality in an age where atheism dominates the Chinese political landscape.
“What impressed me about tonight’s performance was the mention of a higher power and a God, and most people don’t realize in America that religion is illegal in China,” Carter said during the intermission. “You have to have a higher power, whether it’s your God—it’s never going to be the government.”
The New York-based company of dancers cannot be seen in mainland China, primarily because they are comprised of Falun Gong practitioners, some of whom had to flee China to escape persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The performing arts company advertises itself as “China before communism” and strives to revive the authentic Chinese culture that was “almost destroyed” in the Cultural Revolution that began in the 1960s.
Shen Yun’s dancers train in classical Chinese dance to retell ancient myths with morals that resonate beyond boundaries.
“I think it is supreme, A-plus choreography,” Carter said, adding, “an amazing theatrical production.”
Roger Uhar attended Shen Yun for the first time at the Trump Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 9, 2026. Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times
Roger Uhar, a real estate broker who saw the Jan. 9 performance, said he was very impressed by Shen Yun.
“That’s very beautiful,” he said, regarding the music. “The music is good.”
As for the dancers, he said the “synchronicity that they have is just phenomenal.”
“They’re professional across the board,” he added.
Shen Yun Experience ‘Is Incredible’
Watching Shen Yun, Trey Spetch says he felt a connection with his roots, as his grandmother is Chinese. “She never really taught me anything about the culture, so it was kind of interesting to see this,” said Spetch, who is a self-employed spacecraft engineer.
Spetch’s fiancée, Dawn Thomas, a realtor, added that she loved how Shen Yun voiced its message through dance, so the experience isn’t just aesthetic—it’s educational.
“Until now, I’ve never heard about the story about the communist country and the dancers and what they go through,” Thomas said. “And bringing that into the art of it, I think, is incredible.”
Reporting by Frank Liang, Sherry Dong, and Michael Wing.
