Dancing Targets: New Documentary Follows Shen Yun Dancers Defying China’s Threats
What does it mean to pursue artistic beauty and expressing your faith while living under the constant physical threat of harm?
A powerful new documentary premiering March 24, 2026, explores that question through the lives of performers from Shen Yun Performing Arts, the classical Chinese dance company known worldwide for its mission to revive “China before Communism.” Executive produced by Steve Lance, the film reveals a side of Shen Yun audiences rarely see: the relentless pressure, intimidation, and danger its artists face simply for performing.
- New Documentary: Executive producer Steve Lance’s film (premiering March 24) reveals the hidden dangers behind Shen Yun Performing Arts.
- Art Under Fire: Shen Yun performers face bomb threats, sabotage, and intimidation linked to the Chinese Communist Party.
- Faith Beijing Fears: Many dancers practice Falun Gong, a spiritual movement the CCP has persecuted for decades.
- A Targeted Family: Levi Browde of the Falun Dafa Information Center speaks out against Beijing—while his two sons dance with Shen Yun.
- Courage on Stage: Performers preserve culture and faith despite relentless pressure from Beijing.
Shen Yun’s dancers and musicians train under some of the most demanding regimens in the performing arts. Classical Chinese dance requires extraordinary athleticism, discipline, and interpretive storytelling rooted in thousands of years of traditional culture. But for these performers, the physical rigor is only part of the story.
The company’s artists are practitioners of Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa), a spiritual discipline that has been brutally persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999. Because Shen Yun openly portrays traditional Chinese culture and stories of modern-day repression, the troupe has become a persistent target of Beijing’s global intimidation campaign.
Bomb threats against theaters. Slashed tires designed to explode at highway speeds. Harassment aimed at venues hosting performances. For Shen Yun’s performers, the threats are real—and constant. Touring artists often perform knowing hostile actors are working to silence them.
The documentary centers on Levi Browde, executive director of the Falun Dafa Information Center, who has long been a leading voice exposing the Chinese regime’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. His advocacy has made him a frequent target of CCP hostility.
But Browde’s story is also deeply personal.
Two of his sons are Shen Yun dancers themselves. As they dedicate their lives to preserving traditional Chinese culture through dance, they do so under the shadow of a regime that views their beliefs—and their art—as a threat.
This film follows their journey: the grueling rehearsals, the emotional stakes of performing cultural heritage in exile, and the courage required to step on stage while knowing powerful forces want the show to stop.
Through intimate storytelling and behind-the-scenes access, Unbroken Spirit reveals Shen Yun not merely as a dance company but as a symbol of resilience. The performers are cultural ambassadors, artists, and, in many ways, frontline defenders of freedom of belief and expression.
At its heart, this documentary argues that Shen Yun’s mission goes far beyond nostalgia for ancient China. It is a story about courage—the courage to perform, to believe, and to stand up to intimidation from one of the world’s most powerful regimes.
As the film’s March 24 premiere approaches, audiences will see that the story of Shen Yun is not only about preserving culture.
It’s about refusing to let fear silence it.
Relevant Article(s):
FILMMAKERS – UNBROKEN: A Shen Yun Story
OPTIONAL Q&A:
- What inspired executive producer Steve Lance to tell the story of Shen Yun Performing Arts now?
- How does the film reveal the hidden pressures and intimidation Shen Yun performers face from the Chinese Communist Party?
- Why does Beijing view practitioners of Falun Gong—including many Shen Yun dancers—as such a threat?
- What was it like filming dancers who must balance elite classical Chinese dance training with real-world security threats?
- How does the story of Levi Browde and his two sons bring a personal dimension to the broader conflict with Beijing?
- What kinds of intimidation—from bomb threats to alleged sabotage—has Shen Yun encountered while touring internationally?
- Why is Shen Yun’s mission about more than presenting “China before Communism”?
- What do you hope audiences take away about courage, culture, and freedom when the film premieres on March 24?
ABOUT STEVE LANCE…
Steve Lance is an Executive Producer with Sincere Pictures, where he focuses on investigative documentaries and cinematic storytelling rooted in real-world events. In UNBROKEN: The Untold Story of Shen Yun, Lance leads the film’s investigative narrative, examining threats, sabotage attempts, and the broader campaign targeting the performing arts company.
Drawing on his background as an investigative journalist and Vice President of NTD Television, Lance has reported extensively on issues related to U.S.–China relations and foreign influence operations. Based in Washington, D.C., his work sits at the intersection of journalism and filmmaking, bringing rigorous reporting and narrative depth to stories about power, truth, and resilience.
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