AUSTRALIA—Excitement mounts across Australia as Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company’s 2015 World Tour draws near.

The world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company, fresh from the United States, will arrive in Australia’s Gold Coast on Thursday to kick start its Australian-leg. Based in New York, the company will perform in Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and Melbourne, from Jan. 31 through to Feb. 28.

Shen Yun was formed in New York in 2006, the vision of a group of talented young artists. The group was inspired to revive 5,000 years of China’s divine culture—largely destroyed by 60-plus years of communist rule—and launched with just one company.

Today, entering its ninth season, the company has grown to four touring companies performing simultaneously in more than 100 cities across four continents, touching the hearts of millions.

Shen Yun starts each season with an entirely new program and hundreds of new hand made costumes. Classical Chinese dance is the heart of what Shen Yun does but it encompasses so much more.

“Sophisticated dance techniques, an orchestra joining instruments from both the East and West, beautiful costumes, and a stunning back drop—this is Shen Yun at first glance. But digging deeper, one discovers a sea of traditional Chinese culture. Mortals and divine beings merge on stage as one. Principles such as benevolence and justice, propriety and wisdom, respect for the heavens, and divine retribution, all come to life, washing over the audience,” the website states.

Since launching its 2015 World Tour, audiences have continued to shower Shen Yun with praise, according to the Epoch Times.

Comments such as, “I was very captivated. … ”You'll never see anything like this anywhere else,” echo across North America.

According to Shen Yun’s website, many of the techniques we see in gymnastics today in fact have been part of classical Chinese dance for thousands of years.

“What few people realize is that these gravity-defying techniques introduced to gymnastics over the last decades have, in classical Chinese dance, a history of thousands of years,” states the website.

“Indeed, when audience members see our dancers … fly across the stage, they often say things like: ‘I loved the acrobatics,’ or ’the flexibility reminded me of gymnastics.' But these moves come from neither gymnastics nor acrobatics. They actually all originate from classical Chinese dance.”

Recalling a performance by the Shen Yun International Company that toured here in April last year, Douglas Heywood, OAM, baritone, conductor, and musical director spoke about Shen Yun solo singing performances in Melbourne.

“I thought the singers had great sense of power, a great sense of presence on stage. … It is just so great to hear such strong powerful voices. And their stage presence and their command of the song, it’s just really wonderful to hear,” Mr. Heywood said.

In Sydney, New South Wales MP David Shoebridge, understood the importance of traditional Chinese culture.

“It is important for people to really understand just how rich Chinese culture is, particularly through their art forms,” he said.

And in Queensland, Senator Mark Furner was fortunate to have seen Shen Yun perform in Brisbane in 2009 and 2013, he said.

In a greeting letter, Mr. Furner wrote, “I was inspired by the beauty and the messages that Shen Yun brought to their performances and enjoyed the experience greatly. I hope Australians of all backgrounds have the opportunity to experience this rich and compelling performance of classical Chinese dance.”

This year, for the first time New Zealanders will need to fly across the Tasman Sea to see Shen Yun perform. Also, Western Australia will be by-passed as well.

Shen Yun will kick off its Australian tour at the Gold Coast Arts Centre, on Saturday Jan. 31, with three performances before leaving for Brisbane.

Performances to be held at the following theatres:

The Arts Centre, Gold Coast Jan. 31—Feb.1;
Concert Hall QPAC, Brisbane Feb 3—4;
Capitol Theatre, Sydney Feb. 6—15;
Canberra Theatre, Canberra Feb. 17—18;
Adelaide Festival Theatre, Adelaide, Feb. 20—22;
Arts Centre Melbourne, State Theatre, Melbourne, Feb. 25—28.

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.

Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reaction since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.