MELBOURNE, Australia—Ballet dancer, Xiaowei Yu, was mesmerized by the Shen Yun Performing Arts classical Chinese dance company, staged at the Arts Centre’s State Theatre on Friday evening, March 28.

Ms. Yu, from Malaysia, has performed in Malaysia and in Australia. She says classical Chinese dance is totally different from ballet.

“For me, it is a brand new art form. Something I’ve never experienced,” she said.

Ms. Yu admired the discipline and synchronicity of the Shen Yun dancers.

“So many dancers can dance in one pace, it is quite something,” she said. “Because it is not only about dance, it tries to revive Chinese culture. The host explained the next dance a little bit beforehand, so I could catch the story, understand the dance much better.”

“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,” states the Shen Yun website.

“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. Originating from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, these ideals are the essence of traditional Chinese culture.”

“There are a lot of cultures that have been lost,” Ms. Yu reckoned. “Shen Yun brings Chinese culture back to life. This would be a good class for the next generation. Very meaningful education value for the next generation.”

“Forcing atheism upon society, the Chinese Communist Party has for decades launched various campaigns—most notably the Cultural Revolution—to destroy not only cultural sites, temples, and relics, but also the Chinese people’s belief in virtue and faith in the divine,” the website says.

“Today, on the surface, the Chinese Communist Party claims to be reviving traditional Chinese culture. But no matter how its efforts are framed, they are ineffectual. For the Chinese Communist Party removes the cultural essence of respect for the divine, thereby extracting the heart and soul of traditional Chinese culture.

“Shen Yun seeks to revive these virtues the world over.”

Reporting by Ruby Zhang and Raiatea Tahana-Reese

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

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