NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.—Chuck Cababe is a budding soloist who takes voice lessons from a professional opera singer in his leisure time. He even sings in his local church choir. That’s why he was so impressed with the soprano he heard perform onstage this Saturday afternoon alongside dozens of dancers with New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Mr. Cababe, a financial controller who is planning to retire soon, admired the way she sustained her notes and managed her breath support while singing in Mandarin about spirituality and the salvation of people’s souls.
“Her singing technique is fabulous,” Mr. Cababe said, speaking with The Epoch Times in the State Theatre New Jersey after today’s matinee. “The message is fabulous. I’m trying to see the similarities between ancient Chinese culture and Christianity.”
The arts company, based in upstate New York, seeks to present many of the spiritual aspects of “China before communism,” aiming to revive an ancient culture that was “almost lost” during the nation’s devastating Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. Meanwhile, the officially atheist Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has banned Shen Yun from touring in China.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Shen Yun specializes not just in music but in classical Chinese dance, an art form thousands of years old, while retelling legends from China’s ancient past. Many segments are spiritually inclined, such as the story of creation, in which the Creator descends to the world with a team of deities to inaugurate Chinese history; many are lighthearted, featuring heroes like the Monkey King, and beautifully illustrate ancient Chinese values—like kindness and people helping each other.
Speaking of the song he heard this afternoon, Mr. Cababe said, “It conveys wisdom, steadfastness, purpose in meditation, purpose in the culture that surrounds one’s life.”
‘I Always Want to Come Back’
Joe Perdue attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the State Theatre New Jersey, in New Brunswick, on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Weiyong Zhu/The Epoch Times
Also watching Shen Yun in the theater today was Joe Perdue, a senior vice president of investment for Wells Fargo Advisors. Mr. Perdue told the newspaper that he was blown away by the comical special effect during one segment, in which an old man is magically rejuvenated and instantly turns young. Mr. Perdue said he couldn’t figure out how it was done.
“I think the production’s fantastic. I think the color, the dancing, how they’re so synchronized, the music, seeing the live audience right here, it’s amazing,” he said, adding that he’s seen Shen Yun several times in New Jersey. “Every time it’s perfect. I always want to come back. I think it’s a very special show.”
And he, too, saw similarities between ancient Chinese values and Christianity.
He said. “If you do good—not even wanting to be acknowledged, you don’t need to be acknowledged—the good deed is the acknowledgment.”
Delving into the roots of the dance company, he noted there are “problems in China” related to freedom of expression and “suppression of the Chinese government.” It’s a reality many members of Shen Yun have had to face, since they practice Falun Dafa, a traditional meditation system with moral tenets that is banned and persecuted by the CCP. Some members even faced persecution firsthand and fled to America to help found Shen Yun, aiming to raise awareness and express traditional values worldwide.
“It’s nice to see a program like this, talking about freedom like this,” Mr. Perdue said. “This isn’t shown in China.”
Then he added, “I think it’s a must-see. Everybody should see it once and then decide if they want to come back and see it again.”
Reporting by Frank Liang, Weiyong Zhu, and Michael Wing.
