PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil— On the afternoon of May 10, Shen Yun Performing Arts closed out its 2026 South America tour with a third performance in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Looking back on the tour, Shen Yun staged 10 performances in Buenos Aires, Argentina, before traveling to three Brazilian cities for a total of 12 performances. Along the way, Shen Yun brought the essence of traditional Chinese culture to audiences, earning praise, emotion, laughter, and tears as the tour concluded on a high note.
“It was fabulous, incredible,” lawyer Jean Paulo Thomas Santana said from the theater. “The dedication of the artists, the synchrony with the orchestra, and the way the stage was integrated into the dance itself—I had never seen a performance like this before, with such a combination of scenes, colors, and sound. It moves us from the very opening of the curtains until the very end.”
Mr. Santana, who traveled from Osório to Porto Alegre specifically to see the performance, said Shen Yun left a deep impression on him.
“I found the story of the Monkey King incredible,” he said. “And then later, when the performance moved into more contemporary times, showing this political and social pressure trying to stifle the flame of a culture and the essence of a people with more than 5,000 years of civilization—I found that connection to cultural preservation truly fabulous.”
“It is the people themselves being prevented from expressing their own culture,” he said. “We always speak about evolution in the 21st century, yet in many ways we are still undeveloped when we fail to respect people and their own culture. The greatness of this representation of the divine within each person can transform society into something much more harmonious. The strength of Chinese culture must overcome these political and social obstacles imposed by politics itself.”
Mr. Santana also reflected on the importance of passing traditional values and spirituality to future generations.
“It is important because we are spirit in flesh,” he said. “Without this representation, it is as if we forget who we really are and where we truly came from. This integration with the divine, with nature, and with the essence of the spirit is something important to transmit. Maintaining the tradition and spirituality connected to us is essential.”
“You can perceive it because emotion cannot be hidden when someone is pretending,” he explained. “In every step, every movement of an arm, every look, there was genuine emotion. They truly demonstrated this full expression of Dafa [great way].”
He shared a heartfelt message to the artists.
“Continue with this strength, this flame, and this brightness,” he said. “Carry this emotion to the world and the certainty that the divine exists within you. Your performance overflows with this integration between the sacred and ourselves. We may be only a tiny part of the sacred, but together we can form the whole of the sacred.”
