CLAREMONT, Calif.—Watching Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Bridges Auditorium at Pomona College on March 9 with a group of friends were Brent and Elizabeth Jones, presidents and missionaries for a church.

“The artistry was absolutely fantastic,” said Mrs. Jones. “The beautiful colors, the costuming. The whole thing was just such a beautiful production. I loved the level of training. I can appreciate that, you know, what they went through and the beauty that, you know, the energy that they had.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 by leading Chinese artists and quickly became the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Now with eight equally sized companies that tour the world simultaneously, Shen Yun is on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture and the beauty of China before communism.

Mrs. Jones, who is also a former professional dancer, was impressed by the discipline and expertise she observed in the dancers’ movements.

“You can see through every movement, and you can see the energy that they use that goes out through their fingers and arms and every movement that they do,” she said. “I really appreciate what they were doing, what they [were] portraying and just how beautifully they did it.”

Shen Yun’s performance features its very own patentedanimated backdrop, which allows performers to move seamlessly between the stage and background. Each year, the backdrop is a particular favorite among the audience.

“I love the transition from the stage back to the production,” said Mr. Jones. “It was so creative.”

“The background, the scenery … They used everything that they could to put into this to tell such a beautiful story,” said Mrs. Jones.

According to the Shen Yun website, China was once known as “the land of the divine,” and its people believed that their culture was a gift from the heavens. However, since the Chinese Communist Party seized power, the close connection the Chinese people had with the divine was severed and replaced with atheist ideologies. Luckily, Shen Yun honors the spiritual elements of traditional Chinese culture in its performance and keeps it alive.

Shen Yun’s program also includes songs performed in the traditional bel canto style. The lyrics urged a return to tradition, which Mr. Jones was very appreciative of.

“I appreciated the spiritual side because that’s our connection right now,” he said. “It was so nice to see that we’re not afraid to do that. You know, we shy away from that spiritual side at times, and [Shen Yun] did not do that. The solos were beautiful, and I loved reading what they were saying. … There was a real connection to a supreme being.”

Shen Yun’s website also shares that Shen Yun’s dancers “are also spiritual seekers,” and that they “believe that cultivating the heart is the way to create art that is beautifully sublime.” Mr. Jones said that he could see that the performers were special.

“I love talent, and I just looked at every one of them, and as I looked at them, I thought of them as … that special talent that they’ve got. Children of that deity, children of that God. They’ve been given that to share with us, and it was just fabulous that they could share that, the gifts that they’ve been given.”

Reporting by Alice Sun and Wandi Zhu.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.