SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico—On Feb. 27, company director Jose Rodas and his wife, Christy Garcia, a manager, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ evening show at the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré with their parents for a special family outing.

“I enjoyed everything,” Mr. Rodas said happily. “The music, the movements—everything. You feel that energy.”

As one of the world’s oldest civilizations, China’s 5,000 years of history is rich with breathtaking legends and time-honored traditions. Yet within just a few decades of the Chinese communists’ rise to power, this magnificent culture was almost destroyed.

The spread of atheism rapidly undermined belief in the divine, and the cherished virtues drawn from Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism were swept away.

Today, New York–based Shen Yun is working to revive this lost civilization, bringing to life through dance and music the beauty of China before communism.

The couple was very touched by this mission. Ms. Garcia, in particular, appreciated that the artists spoke openly about their belief in the divine.

For her, Shen Yun stands apart from other performances because of “the story, the background, and the message they want to convey.”

“The message is to return to the values and elements that have been lost through evolution,” she said. “We are more focused on technology and progress, and we are forgetting traditions, values, and ancestry.”

Also in the audience was Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2023, Karla Guilfu Acevedo. She, too, enjoyed the evening and was pleasantly surprised by Shen Yun’s beauty and depth.

“It’s a very revealing experience. It’s a show that invites us to reflect on important values such as tolerance, freedom of love, and empathy,” Ms. Guilfu Acevedo said.

“Something that is very nice that I take away from [Shen Yun is] the importance of bringing such a beautiful philosophy and culture to other nations and to our island.”

In 2026, Shen Yun’s eight touring companies are bringing their stunning performances to over 200 cities worldwide. With a brand-new program each year, the company’s 20th anniversary marks another season full of fresh surprises for both first-time and returning audiences alike.

Ms. Guilfu Acevedo loved Shen Yun’s story-based dances and especially the piece “Scholarly Affection,” which portrayed an ambitious young girl who disguised herself as a boy to study in an all-male academy during a time when aristocratic girls were expected to remain at home.

“It made an impression on me,” Ms. Guilfu Acevedo said. “I liked it a lot because [it’s] a young girl challenging stereotypes and what society expects of women, saying, ‘No, I want to get an education.’ … I loved it. It inspired me a lot.”

Reflecting on the performers’ artistry, Ms. Guilfu Acevedo said she is impressed by “how intentional [the artists] are with everything they do.”

“From the costumes to the music to the traditional Chinese dance—you can tell they take care of every detail. It’s a magical experience.”

Another piece she found especially memorable was the modern-day dance that raises awareness about the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing persecution of people of faith.

“Seeing how a mother and a young man are fighting and resisting [against] these forces that seek to silence them, and how they remain firmly rooted in their beliefs was very beautiful,” Ms. Guilfu Acevedo said.

“For me, spirituality is one of the most transcendental and important values in my life. … I believe there is wisdom in many beliefs, in many philosophies. I dare say that there is also a lot of wisdom [in Shen Yun] that I can take away, a lot of value.”

Summing up her evening, Ms. Guilfu Acevedo said the performance was both thought-provoking and impactful for modern-day society.

Its message “invites us to reflect, to really ask ourselves what we are doing in our personal lives that contributes not only to individual well-being, but to the collective well-being of society as a whole,” she said.

“Most importantly, even [when] there are external forces that seek to silence us, it is very important that we unite and believe that truth and love will always prevail.”