“What’s wonderful about Shen Yun is that, although there’s a consistency of standard and of beauty and of theme, the stories and the performances change year by year,” Mr. Rogers said.

“This year was just as stunning as all the other previous years. It’s remarkable the skill of the performers, the stunning nature of the sets, and the beauty of the whole story.”

For thousands of years, the Chinese people were deeply spiritual, with daily life guided by the teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism.

However, these traditions were nearly erased with the spread of state-imposed atheism under the Chinese Communist Party.

“The stories about the persecution today, in contrast with the inspiring tales of ancient China, are very compelling,” Mr. Rogers shared.

“This is a show about celebrating Chinese culture, but in many ways, people can’t do that freely in China today. And indeed, Falun Gong practitioners face severe persecution, as those scenes illustrated.”

Mr. Rogers believes what everyone can take away from Shen Yun is “the celebration of old traditions, moral values, and the beauty of [traditional Chinese] culture.”

“Those are the lessons we can take forward,” he added. “I was amazed by [the dancers’] skill. They were able to do things I can’t imagine ever doing. I can only imagine how many hours, weeks, months, years of training they put in.”

If given the opportunity to meet Shen Yun performers in person, Mr. Rogers said he would tell them, “Thank you for your dedication, for bringing to us and bringing to life such an extraordinary performance.”

“Keep going,” he stated. “I hope the day will come when these performances can actually be performed in China itself.”