WASHINGTON, D.C.—Nina Shea, a senior fellow and director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, said Shen Yun was a “divine” and “inspired” performance featuring the “manifestation of the beauty within the human soul.”

“The show is spectacular,” Ms. Shea said. “It opened my eyes to the beauty and grace and joy of China for thousands of years before the communist party took over.”

“I am glad that the performance included a glimpse of some of the horror that’s going on now in China. I think that’s important for the world to see,” she said.

“[The performance] is full of faith, and it’s based on really universal principles of truth and compassion, and I think that this is what the communist party cannot live with,” she added.

“It’s such a positive influence on society,” Ms. Shea said of the performance. “It’s unimaginable that some government would feel threatened by it or ban it [or] would not want their society to be exposed to it. It has positive force.”

“They honor the various ethnic groups with their folk dances and their ethnic dances,” she said. “They are preserving and educating us in the West because I have not had any exposure to that before.

“I highly recommend [Shen Yun]. It was a dazzling performance, invigorating and uplifting.”