SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Des Moines Theatergoers Moved by Shen Yun’s Portrayal of ‘China Before Communism’

Mar 15, 2025

3/15/2025Updated: 3/16/2025

DES MOINES, Iowa—It was a year ago that Marvin Yahnke, a retired trader, first saw the show that’s been populating billboards across the country with flying, angelic dancers and a promise to deliver “China before communism.” The New York-based classical Chinese dance company Shen Yun Performing Arts has visited practically every major city in America.

This year, Mr. Yahnke saw the group perform at the Des Moines Civic Center on March 15 and spoke about the experience behind the billboards.

“It was so wonderful last year in Minneapolis when I took my wife, we decided we had to come back this year,” said Mr. Yahnke, who, in addition to trading, is a dancer, like his wife. “She’s not able to be with me this year, but I’m sure she would love it if she were.”

Shen Yun was first launched by followers of the Chinese spiritual practice Falun Dafa in 2006, and has since toured around the world in an effort to “revive 5,000 years of civilization” nearly destroyed by the Chinese communist regime’s Cultural Revolution. Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, teaches the three principles of truth, compassion, and tolerance, but has been persecuted by the communist regime in China since 1999.

Mr. Yahnke called Shen Yun’s effort to promote traditional culture in the aftermath a “wonderful idea,” adding: “I have a friend, that I won’t name, that lives in the mainland [China] and we’ve talked about things like this a few times.”

Agreeing with Mr. Yahnke, and even going beyond praising Shen Yun, one member of the Martin family, who saw the same show today, considered heckling villains portrayed on stage during the performance.

“I kind of wanted to boo at the point when they took the man to prison for believing in Dafa,“ Chris Martin said, referring to a segment of the performance set in modern-day China portraying religious persecution. ”That was a pretty emotional part.”

He shared that he wishes for “whoever is wanting to express their beliefs in that to be able to do so with their free will.”

The Martin family enjoyed Shen Yun at the Des Moines Civic Center on March 15, 2025. (Yeawen Hung/The Epoch Times) — The Martin family enjoyed Shen Yun at the Des Moines Civic Center on March 15, 2025. Yeawen Hung/The Epoch Times

Mr. Martin said his family are first-time Shen Yun attendees. His wife, Christine, and their two daughters sat and watched the show beside him.

“We have been wanting to see Shen Yun for years,” said Mr. Martin, who works as an IT manager. “Finally, we had an opportunity here in Des Moines to come see it. And so far we’ve loved every minute of it.”

Christine was so moved by the performance that she spoke to our reporter in the theater through tears.

“When the couple gets separated, that was—and then they’re reunited at the end,” she said, breaking down, speaking of the persecutory scene where a couple were torn apart. “It’s beautiful. It’s a beautiful story.”

Reporting by NTD, Yeawen Hung, and Michael Wing.

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