Stars of Shen Yun: Ellie Rao

Ellie Rao was born into a typical middle-class family in China, her childhood was anything but ordinary. Her father, who practiced the spiritual discipline Falun Dafa, was jailed by the Communist Party and tortured to death for his faith. She was only four. She and her mother then fled to Thailand and finally arrived in the United States as refugees when she was nine. She then decided to become a dancer and use art as a way to tell stories of faith and courage. This is her story.

“My mom never told me where dad went,” Rao says. “She just held me tight and whispered: ‘Stay strong’.”

In this video, this Shen Yun principal dancer who has experienced so much talks about how a regime can take away your childhood and your family, but can never take away your faith.

“Today, as I stand under the spotlight, I wish to tell the audience through dance: ‘The world needs Truth, Compassion, Forbearance’.”