You know when you’re lying in bed going to sleep, and your mother is reading you bedtime stories? That feeling of warmth is how the audience felt after watching Shen Yun.

Shen Yun brings 5,000 years of the traditional Chinese culture into one night performance through segments of classical Chinese dance, story-based dance, ethnic dance, operatic singing, and solos featuring erhu–a Chinese instrument. Shen Yun toured over 130 cities around the world , performing in Wisconsin from February to March 2017.

The live orchestra starts to play in the pit. The curtain raises, and the female dancers dressed in bright vivacious colored dresses move gracefully among the fog with their flowing sleeves.

The first segment, “Descent from Heaven–A Renewal,” is the beginning: the creation story in Chinese traditional belief. We see the heavenly beings answer to the creator’s call descending on earth, and incarnated into the imperial court of Han Dynasty.

Through the variety of performances, Shen Yun educates people about the different ethnicities in China, and the historical legends and real stories that have been honored in the Chinese culture.

Shen Yun performances not only show that classical Chinese dance is  exquisite in physical techniques and rich expressions of emotion. But the performance further promotes the Chinese traditional values, such as candidacy, compassion, and reverence to the divine.

What many audiences said in common was that they leave Shen Yun feeling hopeful, and appreciating the good side in people.

Some of them said that through the lyrics of the operatic solos and some of the story-based dance, Shen Yun reminded them not to be materialistic, but to value the spiritual side in life.

The non-profit institute behind the performance was founded in 2006. With a goal of  “reviving the 5000 years of civilization,” Shen Yun has many innovative ideas in artistic vision and technology. The live orchestra plays out Shen Yun’s original music, combining the western instruments with Chinese instruments, impressing many musicians in the audience. The animated backdrop interacting with dancers on stage, explored a new dimension of on-stage storytelling.

Although receiving a broad recognition in the world, Shen Yun can not be seen in mainland China. Shen Yun tells the stories of how practitioners of Falun Dafa – a spiritual belief that teaches “truthfulness, compassion, tolerance” are persecuted in China.

For years, Shen Yun has faced obstacles from the Chinese Communist Regime. Theaters around the world have received messages from the Chinese embassy threatening them to cancel Shen Yun’s performance. Most of the theaters rejected the idea. The article, “New York dance troupe says China banned shows over Falun Gong links,” from “The Guardian” in 2016 reported on this issue.

Another letter the article cited was from the Chinese embassy in Los Angeles to a local official in 2008. According to the article, “…China’s consulate general in Los Angeles wrote a letter to a local official saying that certain dances ‘defame China’s image in the international community and undermine the development of US-China relations’. The local government rejected the call to cancel the performances.”

Despite the obstacles, Shen Yun has touched hearts of many. This year in Wisconsin, Shen Yun performed in Appleton, Madison, and Milwaukee. Many audience expect to see Shen Yun coming to Wisconsin next year, with its brand new segments.