DAYTON, Ohio—“Oh, it’s very exciting,” said engineer George Dalton after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Mead Theatre. “It has lots of excitement, dance, and the traditional Chinese drums, … very interesting,” he said.

The director of Dayton Operations at KEYW Corporation, which supports U.S. federal Intelligence, Defense, and Homeland Security agencies, saw the traditional Chinese music and dance performance with his wife on Feb. 26.

“There are lots of cultural aspects to it but it is also very emotional,” he said.

Shen Yun, based in New York, aims to restore the divinely inspired civilization of China by presenting myths, legends and stories of its 5,000 years.

Mr. Dalton said that he studied Chinese history in high school and so was familiar with some of the stories he was seeing.

The stories are presented through classical Chinese dance, a comprehensive dance system is known for its expressive, emotional quality, as well as it demanding technical aspects: its leaps, flips, and spins.

Mr. Dalton appreciated the dances’ high jumps, its beauty, and the synchronization between the dancers.

In addition to story-telling through dance, Shen Yun is also known for large group dances in which the movements of all the dancers are flawlessly timed.

Theatergoers often comment on feeling relaxed or inspired after the performance. For Mr. Dalton the overall theme was about peace.

Reporting by Carie Du 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.