MINNEAPOLIS, Ill.—On Saturday afternoon, a minister, an insurance agent, and a healthcare worker all walked into the same theater to see a cultural show with an unlikely tagline—“China before communism.”
The dancers onstage, who are all members of Shen Yun Performing Arts, presented traditional Chinese culture with heart, hope, and humor for theatergoers at the Orpheum Theatre. The New York-based company has been touring for 20 years, fulfilling a mission to revive a culture that was “almost lost” during China’s destructive Cultural Revolution in the 1960s.
Philip Schotzko, the aforementioned minister, said after the performance that he was filled with “wonder and awe.”
“There’s a real common thread that is woven through it all,” Mr. Schotzko told The Epoch Times, adding that the world today has hit a spiritual roadblock that Shen Yun is helping clear away. America, he says, is suffering a “post-religious” bent.
“When you see a presentation like this, it just sets one back to open up what we had decided was our point of view,” he added.
Shen Yun opens with the Chinese tale of creation, wherein the Creator descends to the world, leading an entourage of deities who, together, play as characters throughout China’s 5,000-year history. This aligns with traditional Chinese beliefs, wherein all people were once divine.
“I want to take a deep breath and go meditate or to find a space to sort through it,” Mr. Schotzko said, adding that he’s “grateful” to the artists for their ability “to express themselves in such wonderful ways.”
Carsten Ellison (R) with friends enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, Minn., on March 28, 2026. Yeawen Hung/The Epoch Times
Carsten Ellison, an insurance agent who spoke to The Epoch Times, said he felt hope after the performance. “It gives me more faith in mankind,” he said. “It’s a difficult world now, and this is something that gave us a lot of light.”
“It was a religious content that I did not expect,” he added. “I was very appreciative of that.”
The words “outstanding” and “more than I expected” also came to mind when he described Shen Yun.
Monica Gordon and Paul Robinson enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, Minn., on March 28, 2026. Nancy Ma/The Epoch Times
Paul Robinson, a healthcare administrator, said Shen Yun had “really good storytelling.”
“It was funny,” he said, while mentioning the famous Chinese superhero, the Monkey King, who made the audience laugh. “It had a little more humor to it. And just very active and fun.”
“We’re seeing something that they can’t really do over there [in China],” Robinson said. “So I feel fortunate that I’m able to see this and that the story is being able to be told here. And it’s really cool.”
Reporting by Yeawen Hung, Nancy Ma, and Michael Wing.
