WASHINGTON, D.C.—Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) had seen
Shen Yun Performing Arts before—in rehearsal. The congressman’s district in New York is home to Shen Yun, the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, and he had previously made a visit.
“It was an incredible show and honor to be here,” said Mr. Ryan on Feb. 2. He came to see the performance with his wife and his entire staff.
“It was an incredible performance,” he said. “To be here to see it at The Kennedy Center was very impressive.”
“This show should be able to be seen around the world [in] every country,” added Mr. Ryan.
As a world-renowned dance and music company, Shen Yun’s
mission is to revive the 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, a culture its people held to be divinely inspired.
But that means that Shen Yun is all but blacklisted in China, where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has sought to destroy traditional Chinese culture in its 70-some years of rule. Shen Yun cannot be seen in China, and
the CCP has sought to extend its influence beyond its borders, pressuring theaters in other nations, including South Korea and the United States, to cancel Shen Yun.
“I know there are many challenges, many places to have the freedom to see the show,” Mr. Ryan said. “So that’s something that I strongly support and will continue to support.”
Also attending the performance was Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who saw the performance with his daughter.
“I enjoyed it thoroughly,” said Mr. Buck, who is a repeat
Shen Yun audience member. “It was great, as usual. Great costumes, great dancing, great music.”
“I think it’s a great look back on Chinese culture before communism, and hopefully we return to that someday so that the people of China are free again,” he added.
Reporting by Weiyong Zhu and Terri Wu.
