SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Sir Dr. Antoine Chevalier Wants to Do Everything He Can to Promote Shen Yun

Jan 08, 2026

1/8/2026Updated: 1/9/2026

WASHINGTON—“I absolutely loved it. It’s truly incredible!” Naturopathic doctor Sir Dr. Antoine Chevalier exclaimed after watching Shen Yun. He added that he would do everything he could to promote it thereafter.

On the evening of Jan. 7, 2026, Mr. Chevalier attended the premiere performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C.

A first-time viewer, Mr. Chevalier was deeply moved by the spiritual theme conveyed on stage.

“I’m very impressed. I love it,” he said. “Actually, I’ve been practicing meditation since the age of 19, and I was a Buddhist monk in 1999 in Chiang Mai, in Thailand, for five months. So I believe in meditation.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company, with a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. Rooted in Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist values, this culture emphasizes reverence for heaven, moral values, mutual respect, kindness, and tolerance. However, it was nearly destroyed by decades of communist rule.

“It’s incredible to see this at the Kennedy Center.” Mr. Chevalier said. He praised the performance for focusing on the Creator, meditation, introspection, and cultivating compassion.

“That’s extremely important. It’s a universal value,” he said. “And forgiving [is also emphasized]. It doesn’t even matter which culture or which country. We should all embrace kindness, compassion, openness, and respect for one another. The world will be a much better place.”

The performance also depicts the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners who uphold the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Mr. Chevalier said presenting this on stage is crucial.

“The message against the Chinese Communist Party is very strong, and it should be. It’s important to raise awareness against evil on this world,” he said.

He went on to express his indignation at the regime’s practice of organ harvesting. “That has to be exposed. This is one of the greatest evils on this planet—the Chinese Communist Party taking their own people on a train of death, to concentration camps, opening bodies alive and stealing organs—kidneys, heart, liver—selling them on the black market all over the world. It has to be exposed—it has to stop! And this is our duty as world citizens to apply pressure here in the U.S. ... So as a world citizen, it’s our duty to act on it.”

Mr. Chevalier praised the artists for their courage and dedication. “Keep up the good work. Thank you for your service,” he said. “I will do everything I can to promote the show. I work in Japan and Taiwan as well, and I know the show is performing there already, so I can help promote the show there. And in Europe—it is very much needed in Europe.”

Reporting by Jenny Jin and Olivia Li.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.