CHARLOTTE, N.C.—For the past 20 years, the dance company Shen Yun Performing Arts has left an artistic legacy self-described by its artists as “China before communism.” On Saturday evening, dancers in heavenly costumes moved to an ancient rhythm at the Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, portraying bygone dynasties, religious persecution, and the Monkey King.
North Carolinians watched a cloud-bedecked story of creation kick off 5,000 years of Chinese culture. Through legends, the show highlighted values that were “almost lost” in China’s devastating cultural revolution and a spirituality that was later gutted under the officially atheist communist regime.
Terry Hudson, a professional YouTuber who interviews up-and-coming recording artists and who after enjoying Shen Yun, said he loved how the show “just didn’t show the sunny side” of China. “This is one thing about art, art can get across a message that just a speaker can’t get across,” he told The Epoch Times after the performance. “Art can get away with saying things that they need to say to enlighten people.”
Because of its messages, the New York-based dance company is forbidden from showing in mainland China. Shen Yun’s artists also follow the tenets of Falun Gong, a faith that is banned in China, while its dances depict modern-day persecution.
“They’re telling what’s happening in their homeland,” Hudson said. “But even though we may not face the exact same struggles, and we have different ethnicities, different races, the way we respond to our struggles is very similar.”
Guillermo Palacios and his wife, Brenda, attend Shen Yun at the Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center on Feb. 20, 2026. Henry Wang/The Epoch Times
While Shen Yun does not hide its anti-communist expression—the company openly advertises it on billboards and its website—its overt spirituality has been known to surprise some showgoers.
“We didn’t expect for it to be so engulfed in culture and religious belief,“ said Guillermo Palacios, a pastor who watched the same show on Saturday. ”I think that it’s good to have your belief shown in every area of your life, not just in your home or at the place you worship. It’s always good to have your belief shown in your art form.”
However, like all artistic endeavors, the company’s success in speaking to its audience is reflected in its artistic merit. Only the audience can judge.
Hudson said he loved the costumes and how Shen Yun’s state-of-the-art animated backdrop transported him into faraway scenes from ancient China. “The special effects made it very magical,” he said. “For me, this is a 10 out of 10. It’s an A-plus experience. It’s very immersive.”
Palacios said he loved the Mongolian dance—one of several Chinese ethnicities highlighted in Shen Yun—though the classical superheroes of legend also shone brightly. “I also particularly loved the story of the Monkey King,” he said. “It was wonderful.”
Reporting by Frank Liang, Henry Wang, and Michael Wing.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
