MELBOURNE, Australia—Residents in the cultural capital of Australia expressed their appreciation for Shen Yun Performing Arts at the company’s first performance for 2026 in Melbourne on March 6.

In the audience was Jan Kronberg, former state MP and national president of the Drug Advisory Council of Australia, who described Shen Yun as “absolutely exquisite.”

“There’s genius, there’s creativity, there’s artistry that’s all in the one spot,” she said. “I loved it.”

“Everybody needs to be congratulated,” Ms. Kronberg told NTD. “They’ve done a fantastic job as patriots and people who care for their culture and their history. And they’re proud of where they’ve come from and what they stand for. It’s wondrous really.”

Shen Yun is on tour with a mission to remind the world of the beauty of “China before Communism.”

Ms. Kronberg commended the New York-based performers for preserving the essence of traditional Chinese culture that has been attacked in recent decades since communism took hold in China.

“Before this revival, [many] Chinese people would not know because their history has been rewritten by many people, and some of the upheavals of the 20th century have denied them access to their history and a knowledge,” she said. “So this is all about freedom and truth, and pride and values. And it, in lots of ways, recasts the Chinese people for the noble race that they are.”

She also congratulated Shen Yun on reaching the pinnacle of artistic creation.

“You can see a lot of people are attracted to this now,” she said, noting the seamless choreography between the dancers, the live orchestra, and Shen Yun’s renowned animated backdrop. “I take a lot of it to heart. I notice a lot of detail. I trained as a drama teacher … so I understand the skills and the training and what it brings together.

“The opportunity to hear the ancient Chinese instruments, the Erhu, and the blending with Western instruments; that was very, very special,” she added.

Morgan Jonas, president of the Freedom Party of Victoria, also commended the “very talented and beautiful” Shen Yun.

“This is the real Chinese culture; not the soulless, soulless communist uniforms of the Chinese Communist Party,” he said, referring to the militaristic Chinese dance performances coming out of China. “And it’s important for the entire world to see the real culture.”

Mr. Jonas said he had “nothing but respect” for Shen Yun’s artists, who are “in pursuit of spreading the truth about what’s been happening in China for a very long time.”

“I think it should be a duty for Australians to watch this show,” he said. “The Australian economy is completely dependent on Chinese markets, but the topic of forced organ harvesting is something that has been ignored for almost two decades by our leadership—despite the overwhelming evidence. And the great hope is that there will be such great awareness on this topic that hopefully Australians and other countries can come together to actually sanction the communist party in a meaningful way … until there’s hopefully justice.”

One of the pieces in Shen Yun’s two-hour performance tells the story of the human rights atrocities being perpetrated by the state against people of faith in China, like practitioners of the peaceful meditation practice Falun Gong. Falun Gong’s teachings—to live by truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance—are banned and its practitioners persecuted by the regime.

City of Darebin Councillor Vasilios Tsalkos, who attended Shen Yun with his grandfather, said he enjoyed the performance a lot.

“The energy is fantastic. The crowd is loving everything,” he said. “It’s a real display of culture which has really hit home.”

He recommended others to see Shen Yun. “Go and watch it. It is amazing. You will have a great night.”

David Limbrick, state MP for the Libertarian Party, said it was his fourth time seeing Shen Yun.

“I wanted to come back and see the new choreography and music that you’ve got this year, and I’m really impressed with the changes that you make every year,” he said.

And of the values truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, for which Falun Gong is persecuted in China today, Mr. Limbrick said, “These are things that I believe in too. I think it’s important for everyone to think in those sort of values.”

He also encouraged Australians not to miss out on the experience.

“It’s an amazing production,” he said. “It’s a real demonstration of the contribution of Chinese culture to the world and to Australia.”