Special Coverage: Unbroken LA Red Carpet Premiere

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story, Unbroken, the untold story of Shen Yun, is the first documentary featuring two brothers dancing with Shen Yun performing arts, facing death threats. We step inside the Los Angeles premiere of the documentary on June 17th. Filmmakers, cast members, and special guests gathered at AMC The Grove to celebrate a story of artistic courage. Unbroken, the untold story of Shen Yun, is the first documentary on the global phenomenon, Shen Yun performing arts. Produced by NTD's Sincere Pictures, the film made its LA debut on June 17th at AMC The Grove with filmmakers, cast, and special guests in attendance. China In Focus brings you NTD's special coverage of the event. Tune in. You want to go that way? I never thought I'd be a movie star in the red carpet in LA and here I am. I was born and raised in California. It's home to me. It's the best. It's pretty surreal for me to actually see a film representing our story as Shen Yun. It's really amazing. You will be up here when the red carpet starts at six o'clock. We'll ask you to come down. Two nights ago, we flew out of New York City and came to the greater Los Angeles area and we've got a couple of screenings we're doing here. Welcome to NTD. I am your host, Fiona Ji, and tonight is a very exciting evening here in Hollywood. It is the LA premiere of Unbroken, the untold story of Shen Yun. I am here in the absolutely gorgeous AMC The Grove. Come on and follow me while I tell you a little bit more about what makes tonight so special. So Unbroken really is the first documentary of its kind. It's the first documentary that really explores the story of Shen Yun, its mission, as well as its artists. It follows two brothers, Jesse and Lucas Browdy, who we will be meeting later on tonight, and their journey as dancers with Shen Yun. It's really a story of artistry, of discipline, of brotherhood, but also of a shocking campaign to try and silence Shen Yun and its artists. Now, I don't want to give anything away or spoil anything, but I will say that this film really uplifts, shocks, entertains, but most importantly, I think it gives the promise of a better future for everyone. But of course, what is a premiere without a red carpet? Here we have it, the absolutely gorgeous red carpet for the Unbroken LA premiere. Absolutely gorgeous, and I'm going to take a second to get my photo on the red carpet. So I'm going to have to ask my cameraman Hao to step back a little bit. Thank you, Hao. Just give me one second as I get my photos. I'm going to step down just a little bit, get a few more photos. So in case if you've ever wondered what it's like to be on the red carpet, this is it. Thank you so much. All right, moment of vanity over. Let me take you down the rest of the red carpet. We've got here the gorgeous poster for Unbroken featuring principal dancer Peter Huang. If we keep moving down, you'll also see all of these amazing media and all of their stations here, a lot of them waiting to interview artists. We've got the Xinyin 2026 poster that I'm sure is familiar to many. You probably see them on billboards all around the world, featuring principal dancer Angela Lin, who, spoiler alert, we also will be meeting tonight. And it's also very exciting because now Unbroken is available for streaming on all major platforms, including Amazon, Google, Apple TV, NTD+, as well as Ganjing World+. But I'm sure you've heard enough from me about how great this documentary is. Why don't we hear what the audience themselves have to say? You know, this story is a theme of America, in a sense, when you really think about it. A discouraged group that came here to find the freedoms that most Americans take for granted. Shen Yu is trying to represent something that is America because that's what we want, you know? I was just deeply moved because we do definitely need young people who are of courage and of character and who do have a sense of purpose in life and a shared love for life and shared love for others. It's a bit of an eye-opener insofar as the New York Times ran such a sustained campaign against an organization which I greatly respect. And we must be eternally vigilant that the oppressive practices of China are not allowed to spread to the West. So inspiring, heartbreaking at the same time, and inspirational to see that they did not allow that China regime to bring them down. The love that the gentleman showed for his two children, he went to the ends of the earth, not only to protect his kids, but also to protect the future children that will come behind him. It's really motivational for people to see, you know, what they went through and to realize that, you know, things that you want to do in life, it takes effort, it takes determination, and it takes, you know, consistency of effort. And I think it just shows through in what they say and their way of being. I was really taken by the professionalism of the documentary. It was beautifully done. If I'm saying I'm overwhelmed, I'm far beyond that when it comes to the content and the story behind it. I didn't know. I'm just a person who doesn't know this story and now I'm affected by it. I'm literally changed because of what I experienced today. Well, I couldn't have said it better myself. And ladies and gentlemen, this is where I'm going to be all evening, bringing you the latest from the red carpet. And speaking of the latest from the red carpet, it seems like the artists are making their grand entrance. Leading the line, we've got principal dancer William Lee with principal dancer Bella Fan in a gorgeous blue dress. Then we've got Shen Yun dancer Shindi Cai, principal dancer Angela Lin, Shen Yun violist Rachel Chen, Shen Yun dancer Sam Poo, principal dancer Jesse Browdy, Lucas Browdy, the proud parents Levi and Vivian Browdy, and of course, Shen Yun emcee Lishai Lemesh. Amazing atmosphere tonight. We have a packed house, 225 seats in the theater that are all going to be filled with VIPs. We've got award-winning filmmakers, we've got lawmakers, we've got a wide array of all of the best in the industries. A lot of entertainment industry professionals as well tonight. It's going to be a very, very exciting evening. We've got principal dancer William Lee signing his name right now. Following up is principal dancer Bella Fan with her turn getting her signature onto that board. Leaving their marks on this very important and beautiful evening. And as we watch the artists coming and signing their names before the live screening of tonight's documentary, just another reminder that Unbroken is available to stream on all major platforms. And it looks to me now, I've got an old friend here, I've got a familiar face here. Why don't we call him in right now? Lishai, why don't you come on over? I'm sorry, I interrupted your autograph signing. You'll get it later. Can we get Lishai a microphone, please? Perfect. Thank you. All right, Lishai Lemesh, we've got Lishai Lemesh here. He is a emcee with Shen Yun Performing Arts. You've been an emcee with Shen Yun Performing Arts since 2006. Yep, it's been 20 years. 20 years as well for any audience members who might not know, it is the 20-year anniversary of Shen Yun. I'm a super fan. I saw your work at the Toronto Red Carpet. You were amazing. She was amazing. Absolutely brilliant. So much energy. How many cups of coffee a day? Zero. I'm on five right now. Well, it looks like it's working. Well, Lishai, you flattered me, but let's get back to the main point, which is you. Tell us how does it feel being here since the early days of Shen Yun all the way today? How does this feel? Yeah, I mean, when we started Shen Yun in 2006, I mean, we were a group of volunteers, and frankly, we had a dream. We had some talent, and just we really wanted to do this mission of bringing back traditional Chinese culture. It's been quite a journey. We grew from one company then to two, and now we're eight companies, a tour around the world. And if you told me in the beginning when I signed up for this, that we'd be here 20 years later and such a phenomena. Everybody has seen our billboards. Everybody's heard about it. I think it's 11 million people have seen the show at this point, and we're doing Red Carpet. I would not have believed you at the time. It was really a dream, and we just took it one step at a time, and it's really a story of hard work. It's a great success story because you have, I mean, I'm an exception. I'm American born, not Chinese, but the vast majority of our performers are ethnic Chinese, a lot of them first-generation immigrants, some of them people who escaped persecution themselves in China. So for them to achieve this and bring this dream to life is quite an achievement. I'm really honored to have been a witness to this journey. Well, I know that you have a little bit of history with California because you went to Pomona College here. How does that feel, going from a college student to now being here, as you said, on a red carpet? Who would have thought? So yeah, I learned my Chinese at Pomona College over in Claremont and spent four years here in Southern California. I played baseball before that in San Diego. And so I love Southern California, a lot of friends here. And I think there's such deep roots to Chinese culture here in California, as well as some of the issues that we're talking about in the movie in terms of transnational oppression. They also play here quite a lot. And so it's very symbolic and appropriate for us to be here tonight. Okay. Well, can you show off some of your Chinese skills to our audience? Translation, please. Have a good night. All right. I'm not exactly sure that was the entire translation, but Li Shai, thank you so much. Enjoy the red carpet. Enjoy the screening. I'll see you later. Thank you. Pip the energy. Thank you. Bye. Quite the comedian. And let's take a look, actually, at Li Shai's story in Unbroken, the untold story of Shen Yun. What really drives me is the way that the performance brings hope to people. My name is Li Shai, and today we invite you to discover a culture inspired by the heavens. When you say something and you hear the audience go, really? I love those moments. It can express a wide range of emotions. Through Shen Yun, through this performance, we take this story that has been covered up by the Chinese Communist Party, has sometimes been covered up by Western press, and we put it on stage at the Kennedy Center, at the Lincoln Center, in front of congressmen and parliament members in Europe, and we tell them, this is what's happening in China right now. For thousands of years, Chinese civilization was deeply connected to the divine. And there was a clip of Li Shai Lemesh, emcee with Shen Yun Performing Arts, for over 20 years in Unbroken, the untold story of Shen Yun. And now I'm very excited, ladies and gentlemen, to introduce really the stars of tonight. We've got Jesse and Lucas Browdy, the brothers that are featured in Unbroken. Jesse, Lucas, how are y'all? Pretty good. It's pretty exciting to be in Hollywood, you know, featuring this documentary, like, where, you know, all these famous movies have been, like, featured on this very red carpet right here. So it's pretty surreal. It's pretty exciting. Honestly, I'm from, we're from New York, but, you know, being on the West Coast, we love being in California. The good weather, the good vibes, good people, you know, it's... Y'all feeling like movie stars? Not quite. Not quite, not quite, not quite. All right, that's all right. All right, tell us a little bit more. How long have you guys been with Shen Yun at this point? Me, I've been with Shen Yun since 2019. So it's been about seven years. I was, I was with Shen Yun since 2020. What has been so, so special about being with Shen Yun? Okay, not only the fact that we get to, you know, travel the world, you know, see every, see these amazing sites, doing what we love most, you know, on stage. Really, what strikes me as so special about Shen Yun is the brotherhood that I forged with so many people along the years. It's like going from having one brother to two, three, four dozen more, right? And it's pretty amazing to tour with, you know, these brothers in arms by my side. Well, he took my answer, I don't have to say anymore. Anyways, I completely agree. He mentioned that aspect of going back to being with the tour. I mean, how old are we? We're in our early 20s. And we get to go to countries, places around the world that people even double our age haven't even gone to yet. You know, it's been quite special seeing so many new people meeting so many great places. Yeah. Yeah. And you know, when I watch videos of you guys on tour showing off what you're doing during break, all the fun things. I'm always curious, what's what's your favorite memory from being on tour? You talking about this tour? Just any tour that you've ever toured? Gold Coast. What about the Gold Coast? It's in the documentary. So if those of you seen the documentary, you know what it is. We woke up to catch the sunrise in Gold Coast, Australia. And it ended up being like the most worth two hours of sleep of my life. So it was pretty amazing. Just watching the sunrise, you know, with the people around me, like filming, taking photos, you know, creating amazing memories. Yeah, honestly, it was also special because it was, we just wrapped up all our shows in Australia, New Zealand, as we had a day off. And we we we made the most out of it. We went jet skiing that day. We went everywhere beaches. And another like a little bit of a backstory that goes into that Gold Coast day is because those shows were almost cancelled. There was a hurricane that wiped through Gold Coast and power was lost, flights were cancelled. And so those shows almost didn't happen. But thanks to our team, thanks to everybody's perseverance, we made it happen. We managed to cram four shows in the last two days. And so it really wasn't easy. And it just made that last break day all the more special. And I think that's a recurring theme throughout my interviews with you performers and in the documentary itself is this idea of perseverance and really making what seems impossible possible, right? Okay, when I watch the show, there's a lot of flips, a lot of techniques, there's a lot going on, not to bring up any sibling rivalry here. But who's the better flipper? Not even close. Really? Like, like, 200%, not even 100%. Who's more flexible? Oh, you kind of see where it gets more flexible. Once more strong with limber. Okay, okay. Fair enough. Fair enough. I guess these two brothers, they have a very strong bond. I can't bring up any rivalry between you two. Another thing from the documentary that I didn't know about you guys before was that you guys are pretty big baseball fans. Since we were little. If anyone knows anything about baseball, there was a very intense set of games between the Toronto Blue Jays and the LA Dodgers last year. I want to hear about your thoughts on that. That was nail biting. I have to say, because I'm a Yankees fan, and Blue Jays and Yankees are always fighting for first place in AL East that year. So I was always rooting for the Blue Jays to lose. Even though the Blue Jays wiped the Yankees out in semis, when it got to the World Series, I saw how hard they played. I saw their camaraderie. I saw they were the better team. And so by the time it got to game six and seven, I was, I was rooting for the Blue Jays. Yankees fan rooting for the Blue Jays. Think about that. East coasters, we got to stick together. Yeah, we got to. It's very simple for me. I mean, I'm a Mets fan, which means underdog mentality. So it was pretty easy for me to pick the Blue Jays. All right. Well, that makes me feel a little better. Okay. I'm going to ask this to all the dancers, but Unbroken, that's a very powerful title to this documentary. What does Unbroken mean for you guys? It means perseverance. It means when things aren't going your way, when you feel in a kind of broken place, mentally, physically, it doesn't matter. Like everyone's going to have bad days. Everyone's have really, really low points. It's just a matter of how you treat those moments, how you stand up after you've been, you know, beaten down again and again and again. And take putting one foot in front of the other, you know, for years and years and years. And I feel like that's what it means to me is to just, just to keep persevering, to keep push through whatever difficulties that come our way. Okay. I mean, Unbroken, honestly, is a term anyone could use, depending on what life experiences you've been through. You could use it throughout your life. But in this context, Unbroken for us means no matter what pressure you face, how much things get thrown at you, can you still get up on your feet and fight for what's right? I think those are very valuable lessons to take with us all throughout life, right? Jesse, Lucas, thank you so much for being here today. I hope you guys really enjoy the red carpet and the documentary. The Q&A as well after, right? The panel. All right. Very exciting things coming up. We'll now take a look at Jesse and Lucas's story from going from baseball boys to world-class performers. Take a look. For athletes, dancers, everything you do has to be perfect. My guy goes, come on, get up. We gotta do this. Like bring it in more. People have called us the number one show in the world. Lovely job, guys. I just hope I can continue this career for as long as I can because I don't want anything else in the world. But never would I have imagined what battle I joined. It's really such an exciting night for everyone here in LA celebrating the LA premiere of Unbroken, the untold story of Shen Yun. We're also here with another star from the documentary. We've got Shen Yun violist, Rachel Chen. You've been with Shen Yun how many years now? Remind me again. 15 years. So you've been on 15 tours, that means. Basically. Wow. Tell us, what's your funniest memory from 15 years worth of touring? The audience reaction to different things. Like every country, we go to Europe, Asia, America, they laugh at totally different things. And for me, it's always something really interesting to, like and enjoyable for me too, because it's like, oh, they react because every culture is different, but our story is coming through to so many audience members around the world. For me, it's, I guess it's not really funny, but it's something that I really enjoy. It's really interesting seeing all the cultural differences, right? Yes. And just a rough estimate, how many countries have you toured in at this point? I want to say 20 to 30 countries. Wow, 20 to 30 countries. Yeah, I feel like. I don't think most people travel to that many countries in their entire life. Yeah, I've been very lucky. I've been able to travel to so many places. I think something that you mentioned in the documentary is something that really resonates with a lot of people. It's the fact of being born to immigrant parents in America and having sort of that disconnect between either side of these cultures, right? Tell us a little bit more about how that evolved once you started touring with Shen Yun. Well, for me, you know, growing up, and in the documentary I mentioned growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I was the only Asian girl, basically. And then like, I felt very embarrassed because like I just wanted to be really Western and American. But then after seeing Shen Yun, you know, to see our culture is so beautiful. And also not just the colors and the dance and the music, but really the morals in Chinese culture. I learned so much about that at Shen Yun and at Beitian. But I feel like I'm very proud to call myself Chinese because these stories, I feel like, shaped our civilization and it's something that's really worth respecting. And I think it's really beautiful to see the combination between the traditional Chinese culture and the very beautiful aspects of Western culture as well. Yes, yes. And that's also in our orchestra because we have Western instruments and Chinese instruments and we combine them. It's kind of like, kind of like me in a sense, you know. I play the viola, it's a Western instrument, but I have to try to find ways to make it sound Chinese or Western. I have to make that differentiation. But the blend is something that's really, something very beautiful. Wait, okay, so tell us a little bit more about this orchestra. What are the Chinese instruments in the orchestra again? In the Shen Yun orchestra, we have the pipa and the erhu, the traditional Chinese instruments. And they also, we have some Chinese drums, some in the percussion that like have different sounds that really help like create the mood. But the bass is basically a symphonic orchestra with Western strings, winds, brass. And then we combine together to make the string music, which is very, something very beautiful. So the orchestra works like a Western orchestra with some Chinese instruments added within. Yes, yes. Very, very interesting. Very interesting. Okay, tell us what Unbroken means. Right now in this moment, I feel like Unbroken just means to me that no matter what happens, we have to keep going. And throughout these premieres and sharing our story with so many audiences around the world, I feel more motivation and inspiration to do my best for the show. Absolutely beautiful. Everyone, Rachel Chen, violist with Shen Yun Performing Arts for a whopping 15 years already. Let's take a closer look at her story in Unbroken. When Shen Yun came to perform in Chicago, I was around nine. And to see my culture so beautiful and brilliantly displayed on stage, I was like really intrigued. Okay, I just want to work on Milky Way Lovers. I want to change the phrasing. Knowing that Shen Yun Feitian is a place where people were just like me, it was just really cool to go and perform. Being able to travel around the world in all these top venues and all these different orchestra hits and stages, it has really pushed my growth as a musician. A good orchestra is able to feel each other. Okay, let's try from letter C. And we just saw there a very touching clip of Rachel Chen, violist with Shen Yun Performing Arts in Unbroken, the untold story of Shen Yun. And now we've got Angela Lin here with us, principal dancer with Shen Yun Performing Arts. And another familiar face that you will be seeing in the documentary. Tell us more about your time with Shen Yun and how it felt to be able to be part of this documentary and share your story with the world. I think that being in Shen Yun, I have really grown as a person. And I don't think I would have been able to experience so many things, especially travel the world with Shen Yun. Like I can brag with my friends that I've been to like 20 something countries and they like look at me in shock. Like I was saying with Rachel, it's really not something that a lot of people get to experience in their life. Is there anything that you think the audience would be surprised to hear about what life is like on the road? You gotta be a minimalist. I guess I can't do that, guys. That's if you fly. I'm an overpacker, literally coming here for two days, I already overpacked. Okay, tell us more about what it's like being a dancer with Shen Yun. I think it's such a beautiful career to have. It definitely takes passion, but at the end of the day, it takes resilience and perseverance and a lot of blood, sweat and tears. And I think that goes for a lot of professional career paths. All sorts of athletes, ice skaters, dancers, gymnasts, basketball players. Yeah, absolutely. But I think what makes dancers so lucky is they get to perform their craft. You know, go through all of this, but they're wearing these gorgeous, gorgeous costumes on stage. You know, every time I watch Shen Yun, I'm like, I want to wear one of those costumes. Even if it's just for a few minutes. And I know there's something very special about your dress tonight, which is that it was designed by the artistic director for Shen Yun. Tell us a little bit more about this. Well, this specific gown was based on traditional Tang Dynasty attire. I think we're very honored and proud to present a part of our Chinese culture here tonight. What exactly is the Tang Dynasty? It was the most powerful. Yes, it was the peak of Chinese civilization, basically. And it was said that tens of thousands of countries would come to the Tang Dynasty and basically pay their respects to the emperor. Wow. So with this design, it's really almost summarizing all those hundreds of years of history. Yeah. Absolutely gorgeous. Can you give the camera a little bit of a twirl? Show off that skirt a little bit. Oh my goodness. Absolutely gorgeous. Before we go, tell your fellow Californians one message. What's one message you want to give them? Make sure to watch the documentary. It's available for streaming right now. All right, Angela Lin, thank you so much. I'll see you later. And let's take a look at Angela Lin in Unbroken, the untold story of Shen Yun. I'm more of an introvert, but with dance, I'm able to express what I feel or what I want to say with my movements to the audience. It's your inner emotion, basically. It kind of flows through all of your movements. You can't see it. It's hard to describe, but everyone does it a little bit differently. As artists, we really believe in our mission. I've met so many great people and I've learned so much through this whole experience. Completely like dream come true. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's all from me for now. I want to thank you so much for joining me here on the red carpet at the LA premiere of Unbroken, the untold story of Shen Yun. Just another reminder, if you weren't able to join us here at the screening tonight, make sure to check out Unbroken, which is available on all major streaming platforms now, including Amazon, Apple TV, NTD+, Ganjing World+, and Google. And if you have any other questions or want any more information, make sure to check out unbrokenxinyun.com. Keep your eyes peeled because we may have more screenings coming in the future. And one of them may just be at a theatre near you. All right, and remember, if you enjoyed this film and you love Shen Yun, share what Unbroken means to you. And remember to tag us on Instagram and Facebook. If we like your quote enough, we may just choose it for a little something special. That's all from me for now. I am Fiona Ji with NTD News. Good evening. They are so positive. They bring so much value and beauty that you have no idea behind the scenes they're facing so many difficulties. Looking back at how far Shen Yun has come, it makes it even more special. No matter what pressure you face, what attacks you get, can you get it back on your feet and keep fighting for what's right? We're really honoured actually to have some of the principal dancers and musicians from Shen Yun. To see this film premiere in Los Angeles, where, you know, as a kid, I watched so many, you know, big films on stage and to actually see like a film representing our story as Shen Yun, it's really amazing and surreal for me. I never thought I'd be a movie star in the red carpet in LA, and here I am, you know, oh my goodness. I was born and raised in California and I've stood on the stages of the world, but I still think that California, it's home to me. It's the best. This is a difficult story to tell, I feel. Obviously, there is a very human experience with our family, with all the performers at Shen Yun. I think they really pulled it off. That's the most accurate depiction I've seen. About what Shen Yun is going through, what our family's gone through, so many other performers have gone through. Some of the faces that were going by the screen, they're always so happy and smiley and, you know, working towards their craft and trying to create a show. Because I grew up in the West, you know, the persecution is very far from me. Actually, when I was in the Taipei premiere, there was another artist on the panel with me and she shared her experience of her family being persecuted in China before she immigrated to Canada. And I've toured with her for five, six years and I had no idea until that moment on stage. And her telling her story made it feel like this is our story. This is really our story. And we've been trying to share our story with the world for 20 years, but this is the first time that our story is on the big screen. So for me, it's a moment of reflection and also pride. I wanted to be a part of something so much bigger than myself. I saw the passion of the dancers on stage and I cried a lot that night watching the dancers perform, not just about the persecution, but just like the whole beauty of the show. And until now, it still is my purpose. It still is what keeps me going. And it's to inspire the people in the audience like I once was. In spite of a recession, in spite of COVID, in spite of other performing arts companies going bankrupt, I mean, Shen Yun at this point is the fastest growing performing arts company in American history. And to have witnessed that is really special. And for me, it started here in California. It's dark though. We should. Yes, I did. It doesn't matter because it's not a red carpet. The first time I saw it on the big screen, I was pretty surprised about what a difference it makes. Because it's palpable. You can sort of feel what the audience is feeling. And I guess people key off that. So why don't we start by just going down the line. And if everybody could introduce yourself, what your role is at Shen Yun. Maybe tell us something interesting about the company. Hi, everyone. My name is Angela Lin and I'm a principal dancer with Shen Yun Performing Arts. And because we have a new production every year, fun fact, the costume department makes around 3,000 costumes every year. Yeah, pretty intense work. My name is Cindy Kai. I'm a dancer with Shen Yun Performing Arts. Something interesting about the company, even though many of us have been dancing for over half our lives, we all have our own interests. And I've always loved writing. And this year, I finally have one of my dreams come true, which is I'm publishing my very first book. Hi, my name is Rachel Chen. I'm a violist with Shen Yun Performing Arts. And something interesting about Shen Yun is, I would say 90% of all our members are bilingual in Chinese and English. And we're all 100% fluent in Chinglish, which is the most common language. Hi, everyone. My name is William Lee and I'm a principal dancer with Shen Yun. I'm also an instructor as well, a dance instructor. And I've been with Shen Yun for a very long time. Probably one of the veterans, like I've been dancing for 19 years and I have well over 1,000 performances under my belt. Hi, everyone. My name is Sam Hu and I'm a dancer with Shen Yun. If we're throwing fun facts out, did you know that 11 million people have seen Shen Yun from the beginning to now? My name is Lishai Lemesh. I'm an MC with Shen Yun. And fun fact, I guess, is not all of us are Chinese. About 50% of us, we're based in New York, as you saw, about 50% plus are American citizens. And then we actually have on campus or in our companies, you'll hear Spanish. You'll hear we have performers from Venezuela. We have performers from Spain. We have Russians. We have Ukrainians, sometimes sitting and having lunch together, believe it or not. We have Japanese and Korean and German and French. I mean, just from all over the world. A lot of them are, I think, Chinese. A lot of them are not. This is Shen Yun's 20th tour season. And after all these years, 11 million audience members watched our shows. Sometimes when I'm standing on stage and I'm looking out and there's just thousands of faces. And I just think how many people sitting in the audience have been Olympians or been in the army, Navy SEALs, been bosses or own their own companies. How many people know what it really feels like to have something you believe so strongly in and to work so hard for a mission, to wake up in the morning and have a purpose and to suffer and be willing to really give your all. And in the end, to really achieve something. And I feel like here in Shen Yun, that's what we do. We really believe in truthfulness, compassion and tolerance. But because of that, we have been almost demonized by people who don't understand us. I hope everyone that watches the film just remembers we really have more in common than we think. Because even though on stage, we are artists, dancers, performers, but once the curtain comes down, we're all human. And we have our friends and we have our family. But just because we choose to continue doing what we do and to persevere in our faith, we have been called horrible things. So I'm really grateful that this film was made to show the audience that we have our own story as well. And I'm also very grateful for the community. I think that without the people next to me, I wouldn't be able to persevere until this day. I guess I'm a pretty pessimistic person sometimes. I'm pretty negative. And sometimes, for example, when we're practicing, I'm like, oh, I feel like a rock. I can't leave the floor when I'm jumping. There's always people next to me that are like, no, you look fine. You're jumping fine. And I think it's really the positive energy that keeps me going too. Don't let Angela fool you. She was the kung fu lady boss. Much tougher than she looks. So I've written four books on China. Some of them say some things about Xi Jinping that aren't very nice. And so my family says, you can't go back to China because they'll do something to you. Do you all worry that you can't go? Or are you worried that anything will happen to you if you ever decided to go? That's something that ever since my family left China because of our faith, I actually don't dare go back to China because I feel like if I did go back, something would happen. That's the reality of it. And it's very sad. But that's why, I mean, I do have a dream to one day be able to go home to where my parents are from and be able to perform Shen Yun Der. And we'll see if that happens one day. But I think it will actually. If I could just add a little bit. Actually, it's a little emotional for me because only my mom and dad are in the US. They actually live in LA and they're here today. But all my other family is in China. And I've only seen them once or twice because I moved very early to LA. I moved when I was five. So they really just tore our family apart. Besides my mom and dad, I haven't seen my cousins. I have a bunch of cousins. And I haven't seen them. I only talk to them through the phone. I feel broken. Yeah, to put it simply, I feel torn apart because of what the Chinese government has done. Like Will said, we don't dare go back. But I also hope one day I'll be able to see them in the audience of performance in China. And actually, because we show the stories of the Shen Yun members that have family persecuted in China. But on the other half, people like us that grew up in the West, our parents immigrated here for school. And before the persecution started, it's very common that for my family, all my family, like Sam's, they're all in China. And when my grandparents passed away, my parents weren't able to go back. And I don't have any grandparents left. And both my parents weren't able to see them one last time. And my dad, he hasn't seen his brother for almost 50 years. So it's really saddening because this is a story that's like, it's like half and half. We have family members that have family persecuted in China and they fled to the US. And we have a lot of Americans who can't go back to China. And that's like all the personal stories. I'm similar to them as well. Because apart from my parents, the rest of my family is all in China. And I'm getting married this year. And I don't even know if they can come attend my ceremony, which I think is really, really sad. And my grandparents, oftentimes they call and then they ask when can I go back to perform for them because they're getting old. And I think my dream as well as the dream of so many other people here in Shen Yun is that one day we will be able to go back to China. I believe we definitely will. I've reached out to some local elected officials knowing that they go to events like this. And one person in particular who I see at a lot of events, and this is the response. I wanted to know what your response is to it. My initial response listening to this is he reads the New York Times. This is how he responded to me. Hi, good evening, Mary. I'll normally be happy to support and attend, especially whenever asked upon. Yet for Shen Yun, I have to decline. They're directly related to the Falun Gong. Please be cautious with them. What do you make of that? We are directly related to the Falun Gong. And we're proud of that. They don't hide it. It's on the website. Why is he concerned about that? Is he reading the wrong newspaper? Well, what I can tell you from my editorial process is that there has been a tremendous amount of propaganda put out against Falun Gong. Me and my family, we've always been practicing Falun Gong. And I've literally had someone come up to me in America and ask me if I ate babies. And I looked at them like, did I do something to make you think I ate babies? The amount of propaganda that's being spread, even here in the West, is ridiculous. Also for me, my family, we immigrated to the U.S. My parents came to the U.S. in 1994. And the persecution started in 1999. They were already introduced to Falun Gong in 1996. And when the persecution first started, there was a lot of media covering it about how it's, oh, it's banned by the CCP and no one's allowed to practice it. And honestly, for my parents, they shared this with me. Okay, we follow the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. There's nothing wrong with those principles. And after my parents started meditating and improving themselves morally, their body completely changed. They were much more healthy. My dad quit smoking. He quit drinking. And overall, our family was much more happy. And I feel like that's something that I don't know why they're trying to. There's so many people saying so many bad things about us when I feel like all we want to do is become better people. And for me personally, I feel like my faith has really shaped my character and has given me motivation and inspiration to become a better person each day. Yeah, I think it's one of the things that makes Shen Yun so special because in a company, there are about, let me say, 13, 14 girls. Can you imagine having like 12 sisters? So much girl drama, right? But once it comes to the show, what's really touching is that Falun Gong teaches us all to look within. And what that means is whenever there's a conflict, we take charge of the responsibility. We know that you can't just blame the other person. Like, oh, it's your fault. I'm so angry at you. I'm going to trip you on stage. Like, no, we don't do that. We know that whenever there's a problem, everyone is thinking, oh, did I mess up? Like, how could I treat this person better? And when you have that as the core of our company's culture, you see that no matter how many shows we have or how tiring it gets or how stressful, like everyone is really looking out for each other. And I feel like not only do we become a very close-knit community, but we are honestly there for each other every single step of the journey. And I remember hearing one story about something that happened from another dance academy. Basically, someone kept their dance shoes next to their pillow because they were scared that someone else would go to the classroom first and would practice more than them. But I think that competition really does not exist at these campuses or at Shen Yun. Like, the whole environment is very, very friendly and people look out for each other. I remember a long time ago when I was having trouble getting over my front aerial, a flip. And then I had two classmates that stayed with me in the classroom until it was like almost midnight, like trying to help me. They really encouraged me and they were so, like, selfless. They put in their own time, their own effort to hope that I can become better. And I really hope that I can also become a person like that, a selfless person like that. First of all, Angela here, super humble. I don't know if you've seen the poster from last year. She's our poster girl for last year. She's talking about not going over aerial. Give me a break with your aerial. That was like years ago. And she's a very good Kung Fu lady boss. That was my favorite dance. I don't know how many of you saw that show two years ago. She punches a hole through a walk. But I really appreciate the question because I think it's important. I think that's what actually is really nice about these forums because we get to address this. We're really glad to see the movie. We're really glad that this movie actually got made because more people need to see the truth. Your courage and also your perseverance really shine on the stage. And it's something that we'll never forget. I hope this gets really blown up because I think it's important that we know what's happening. And watching this unfold and seeing what was happening was laid out so well. And I really appreciate it. I feel it has encouraged me to be strong as them and fight for my own freedom. We've heard so much about Shen Yun for so long. That narrative driven by the New York Times and then seeing this documentary and it's a complete 180. And it really makes you think, as someone who's also a journalist, how oftentimes one story gets out and that's the only perspective that you believe when this documentary is offering you a much deeper, multi-dimensional, multi-layered aspect to the story. This was a beautiful way to show how to fight darkness with art, with beauty, and with love.