INDIANAPOLIS—“It’s a very spiritual culture,” Judy Mernitz said of China’s 5,000 year divinely-inspired civilization. She and her husband, Dr. R. B. Mernitz, had just seen Shen Yun Performing Arts at Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University on April 19.

“It is a very quiet, serene, meditative type of culture that we don’t have in the United States,” Mrs. Mernitz explained further.

Dr. Mernitz had the same impression: “It’s very beautiful, very calming, very calming.”

“A Shen Yun performance features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops—together creating one spectacular performance,” according to the company’s website.

“It’s wonderful. It’s beautiful. I have never seen anything like this, never seen anything like this,” Dr. Mernitz said about “the backdrops, the costumes, the choreography.”

“It’s a beautiful, beautiful performance—the costumes, everything about it,” Mrs. Mernitz agreed.

“The backdrops are so unusual from anything else we have ever seen,” the doctor said.

Shen Yun’s backdrops not only complement the dancers’ costumes, but also engage the audience as with their movement. Animated figures projected on the backdrops interact with the onstage performers.

The couple has never been to China, but are planning a trip in August.

“It is a trip that I am truly looking forward to,” Mrs. Mernitz said with enthusiasm. “This is 5,000 years of history that is just unbelievable,” she said, referring to the impression Shen Yun left with her.

Reporting by Stacey Tang and Sharon Kilarski

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. 

The 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.