Shen Yun Impresses Portland Theatergoers With Message of Courage
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Scott Hefren and his wife (R), together with friends, attended a performance by Shen Yun Touring Company at the Keller Auditorium in Portland, Oregon, on April 18, 2026. Jane Yang/The Epoch Times
PORTLAND, Ore.—If artistic merit were measured in courage alone, then the dancers of New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts would surely be great masters. That was the sentiment expressed by Scott Hefren, a retired major in the United States Air Force, who watched them showcase “China before communism” at Keller Auditorium on April 18.
For 20 years, Shen Yun’s dancers, musicians, and designers have been reviving a culture that was “almost lost” during China’s cataclysmic Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. They portray spirituality in the face of the officially atheist communist regime, while bringing old tales back to life on the world stage.
But then, unsurprisingly, Shen Yun is also forbidden from performing in mainland China.
“I know that the Chinese Communist Party has been very mean or oppressive to the people that live in China who believe things that have a spiritual element to them,” Mr. Hefren told The Epoch Times in the theater after the performance. “So the fact that this show also highlights that spiritual element and is willing to say that, in the face of the Chinese Communist Party, they’re going to do it anyway, which I think is great, it takes a lot of courage to do that.”
Shen Yun Performing Arts' curtain call after a show at Keller Auditorium in Portland on April 18, 2026. The Epoch Times
From the moment the curtain opens, the audience is transported to the divinely-inspired roots of traditional Chinese culture—the ancient Chinese tale of creation where the Creator led a multitude of deities down to Earth to play out China’s 5,000-year history. Then, the program moves through the ages, telling of legends, emperors, and heroes. The moral society—including kindness and loyalty—is a stark contrast to the class struggle seen in communist China today.
For Hefren, there was some culture shock. But all in all, he said Shen Yun aligned with his personal values.
“Americans might not appreciate the fact that there is a lot of spirituality in the show; we don’t understand Buddhism so well here,“ he said. ”But it came across as being a very sincere show.”
To achieve its goal of reviving traditional culture, Shen Yun has pulled out all the stops in terms of production value. Not only does it feature dozens of gorgeously costumed dancers flowing in unison, but the live orchestra also adds remarkable power to the action onstage.
And in terms of special effects, Shen Yun has become known for its patented animated backdrop that is projected onto the huge screen behind the dancers, transporting the audience to ancient palaces, misty mountains, and even the heavens above.
Joel Andersen (L) attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Keller Auditorium in Portland with friends on April 18, 2026. Jane Yang/The Epoch Times
For some in the audience, the lighthearted tales were just the relief they needed on a spring Saturday afternoon.
“I like the one with the three monks that went to get the Buddha statue back, that was really funny how they did it,” Joel Andersen, a construction company owner, told The Epoch Times. “And then the one with the emperor who went undercover, like an undercover boss, that was a good one.”
Seeing Shen Yun’s presentation of the essence of Chinese culture felt different from the culture he saw in mainland China, he said, adding that he'd visited there “several times,” as Shen Yun keeps the spiritual inspiration in the culture alive. But for this, the performance is banned in China.
“One thing that really struck me as I was watching this, I was thinking, ‘Well, everybody’s probably passed on their chance to go back home, huh?’ Yes, they cannot go back. So that’s an incredible commitment to make.”
