As one of the foremost performing arts institutions in the country, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington has long provided a voice to the country that is hard to distinguish ideologically. The Trump administration’s hostile takeover aims to change that.

In February, Trump fired the Kennedy Center’s leadership and appointed himself chair. He wishes to end DEI and “woke” programming and instead showcase classics. Many artists canceled. Others stayed, noting that art speaks for itself.

Last week, the administration fired more senior officials there, and the ones who have stayed note they live in fear.

Two instances, one involving an “avant-garde” program and the other a traditional one, provide counterpoints to Trump’s unpolished maneuvers at the Center.

On the avant-garde, this month the Center presented the celebrated British-Bangladeshi choreographer-dancer Akram Khan’s retelling of the classic Indian epic the Mahabharata in 70 minutes of spell-binding dance.

Khan’s choreography and music blend several classical Indian genres. The avant-garde lies in pushing the boundaries of the old to create something new. Like every other place on earth, the “puritans” in India can often be heard complaining when their notion of the “classical” changes.

To the Kennedy Center audiences, Khan represents........

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