WASHINGTON, D.C.—Nina Shea, director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute, has worked extensively on efforts to advance individual religious freedom and human rights in both the United States and foreign policy for the last three decades. On Jan. 24, she saw the theme of religious liberty play out on stage through beauty and art.

At the opening night of Shen Yun Performing Arts at The Kennedy Center Opera House in the nation’s capital, 5,000 years of Chinese civilization were brought to life through music and dance.

“It’s really refreshing,” she said. “This was constantly entertaining and inspiring and dazzling as last year. I was as surprised and delighted and awed, frankly, as I was last year. It wasn’t an old show. It was something completely new and fresh.”

Ms. Shea said the stories were different, including ones set to the present day and “adapted to the current times. ”The display of the ancient dance and storylines that blends [the modern]—very powerful,” she said.

The modern-day stories touch on current events in China, including the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s oppression of the Chinese people. Many people have come to know Shen Yun’s performance to be one about “China before communism,” showcasing the divinely inspired culture that the current atheist communist regime has tried to erase.