SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘It Was Beautiful’: Project Founder Regarding Shen Yun’s Artistic Communication

Jan 19, 2026

1/19/2026Updated: 1/19/2026

WASHINGTON—Kalev Leetaru, founder of GDELT Project, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts on Jan. 18 at the Trump Kennedy Center Opera House.

“I thought it was beautiful. I love to see performances like that. It’s just so beautiful,” Mr. Leetaru said.

Shen Yun, based in New York, is on a mission to present “China before communism,” and revive people’s connection with 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and culture.

“I thought it was a beautiful way of using art to communicate a message. I thought that was very powerful,” Mr. Leetaru said.

Shen Yun’s artists are trained in classical Chinese dance, one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.

“I’ve always loved ballet, and so seeing [the dance], especially with the silks and the outfits were just so beautiful,” Mr. Leetaru said.

Shen Yun’s website states that classical Chinese dance training includes three main components—technical skill, form, and bearing, which is one of the many ways that classical Chinese dance is different from ballet.

“I loved it. I thought it was fascinating because I’ve always loved ballet, and then to see—it’s almost like ballet with gymnastics in it,” Mr. Leetaru said. “I just loved it so much.”

Shen Yun uses classical Chinese dance to tell stories from China’s five millennia. Its dance stories also portray the modern true story of Falun Dafa practitioners being persecuted for their faith in China. Falun Dafa is a peaceful practice that teaches the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

“How do you take very difficult conversations and make them into beautiful scenes that are so powerful? The scene with the organ harvesting, you could just hear the entire audience react to that so powerfully,” he said.

One of the dance stories depicts the dangers of modern technology.

“I love the scenes where everyone’s on their cell phones, or they’re stuck in their moment. I think it’s so important to connect backwards—to tell those stories. [It] is so very important that we don’t lose touch of that in our modern fast-paced digital world,” he said.

The Shen Yun Orchestra, which tours with Shen Yun, is a unique combination of traditional Chinese instruments and a classic Western orchestra.

“The music was absolutely beautiful. That fusion of East and West was just amazing,” said Mr. Leetaru, who added that he loved the erhu solo, as well as all the other instruments.

Reporting by Frank Liang and Maria Han.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.