HOUSTON—On Dec. 27, finance manager John Mohundro and his wife Jena, a teacher, treated their three daughters to Shen Yun tickets as a Christmas present. As avid fans of the arts and theater, the family thoroughly enjoyed their evening at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts.

Sharing his thoughts during intermission, Mohundro said the cultural aspect of the performance was very educational, and he was happy to see his daughters getting “very interested in the technical aspects of the dance.”

“All three of my daughters like theater and the arts. So, in addition to enjoying the show [they’re] enjoying the dance instruction.”

For his part, Mohundro was impressed by the powerful energy the male dancers brought to the Tibetan ethnic dance.

Enriched by the wisdom of countless dynasties, it is becoming one of the world’s most comprehensive dance systems. However, in modern China, it is often mixed with military or modern styles, losing its traditional essence.

“She had a really great voice. A really big, big voice, and really great range. It was really pretty.”

Jena Mohundro, too, enjoyed the performance. She was moved by the spiritual aspect of traditional Chinese culture and appreciated that the company is raising awareness about ongoing human rights issues in present-day China.

For thousands of years, Chinese people’s values and day-to-day actions were strictly governed by the teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism.

Yet, all this was eradicated since the Chinese communist takeover in 1949. Today, millions of people are still being persecuted for their faith.

“I didn’t know anything of this story,” Jena Mohundro expressed.