LOS ANGELES—Dr. Garbis Der-Yeghian, a Rotary District governor and Armenian college president was in the audience of the Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company, on March 23, at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live.

According to its website, “Through the universal language of music and dance, Shen Yun weaves a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends, and modern heroic tales, taking you on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese culture.”

Dr. Der-Yeghian said that the performance was “out of this world. It’s exceptionally superb.”

“It presents to us a culture that has a lot of history, and they’re really just cultural ambassadors of China. It’s exciting, it’s very entertaining and there’s a lot of culture and history combined.”

Shen Yun uses classical Chinese dance, which has been developed over millennia. The Shen Yun website explains: “China’s deep cultural traditions are contained in classical Chinese dance, allowing its movements to be richly expressive, such that the personalities and feelings of characters can be portrayed with unparalleled clarity.”

When asked how he enjoyed the dancing, he said “It’s extraordinary, especially the costumes, and the techniques.”

The website says that the Shen Yun Orchestra masterfully blends two of the world’s greatest classical music traditions.

Dr. Der-Yeghian, was particularly pleased when he learned of a fellow countryman in the orchestra. “It’s very good, because I was pleasantly surprised to see a compatriot, an Armenian, who is the violinist.”

“I would encourage my friends to come along,” he said. “A double plus!”

Reporting by Michael Ye and Kathy McWilliams