Ms. Mullins was stunned by the beauty of the dances. The matinee also marked the company’s opening show of its 2026 North American tour.

“The first thing that comes to mind is just the beauty of it all. It’s overwhelmingly beautiful. If you are trying to get back in touch with your Creator, whoever that might be, this is a great way to do it,” she exclaimed.

Endowed with 5,000 years of history, China was once known as the “Land of the Divine.” For millennia, its people believed that by keeping their hearts pure and adhering to strict moral standards, they would be blessed by the divine.

Mrs. Mullins found it especially meaningful that she had just been telling her children about the persecution of Jews and the importance of remembering those lessons, and then, at Shen Yun, the family learned about the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of people of faith in China today.

“We need to always remember [these trials of humanity] and not persecute each other or judge each other.”

“I’m very inspired. Especially this time of year, when we’re all so stressed out and just struggling with work and trying to have the perfect Christmas for the family—this was nice to kind of decompress and enjoy,” she said.

“The beauty and the flow and the art [of Shen Yun,] it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen. … It touched me personally, for sure.”