Hannah Cai

For David Slocum, one of the founding members of the CNY Ballet Company, Shen Yun was an entirely new experience.

“I am inspired to be more creative myself,” said Ms. Steenberge. “With the dance and the colors, it makes me want to do something more along those lines and incorporate that into my life.”

Liu receives much support from state-run Chinese regime media, inside and outside of China, which portray him as a celebrity figure, warmly received by the public.