WASHINGTON, D.C.—Deborah Joy “Devora” Block, the owner of a professional dance company, knows good dancing when she sees it.

Sitting in a front-row seat of The Kennedy Center Opera House on Feb. 1, Ms. Block said Shen Yun Performing Arts is “absolutely phenomenal and top-notch.”

“I’m in heaven. I’m in paradise. I love their style—they’re so incredibly creative, and innovative, and classy,” she exclaimed. “I can evaluate the quality of dancers, and I can tell you that they were incredible.”

A dancer herself, Ms. Block understands first-hand how much skill and technique Shen Yun dances require.

To put together a show like that, it must have taken “monumental efforts and incredible creativity,” she said. “Absolutely monumental. We paid top dollars for those tickets, and it was worth every penny.”

As Ms. Block watched the performance, she felt liberated and at peace.

However, after the communist party’s takeover and its spread of atheism, this culture was systematically destroyed. Even today, millions of Chinese people are jailed for their beliefs.

“I understand universal freedom because I’m Jewish, and the Jewish people are the most persecuted people in the world. I sympathize with other people who are fighting for the freedom of religion,” she expressed.

If given a chance to speak with the performers, Ms. Block would like to tell them, “Thank you for bringing your message to the world and for fighting for freedom.”

“You are a freedom fighter, and you’re doing it through the arts—music, dance, and singing. Art is a weapon of war in the battle for freedom and liberation.”