SAN FRANCISCO—Magnificence is how Mr. Luis Alfaro, owner of A&O Global Enterprises, summed up Shen Yun Performing Arts at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, Jan. 9. 

“It’s beautiful, the choreography, the dancing, the grace, the grace!” said Mr. Alfaro, seeing New York-based Shen Yun for the first time. “It’s uplifting.”

Shen Yun was established eight years ago by a group of artists who came from around the world to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, a mission that touched Mr. Alfaro deeply. The traditional culture, said to be inspired by the heavens, was once almost lost under the current regime in China.

Being from Nicaragua, Mr. Alfaro said he understood the oppression of tradition by governments, and was in admiration of Shen Yun’s efforts to keep the traditions alive.

“It’s great to keep the culture alive, and learning about culture and the history of the Chinese people is, I think, very important—in any culture,” Mr. Alfaro said.

Shen Yun told a story of the traditional belief that heaven, earth, and humankind are connected, from the inception of the first Chinese dynasty to the modern day. The stories told through Shen Yun’s mini-dramas depicted everything from everyday life of the common people as well as nobles, to epic adventures.

“One of the beautiful things is the history of family and the bridging, the food, the understanding about each other, and the struggling also,” said Mr. Alfaro.

The traditional culture and values can survive in the modern day as Shen Yun presented, Mr. Alfaro said, as there is no clash between modern day needs.

“The old traditions, I think, keep humanity alive,” Mr. Alfaro said. “That tradition has to go from one generation to another generation to keep humanity together.”

“It’s valuable,” Mr. Alfaro said of his experience watching Shen Yun. “It has a value, the feeling of ... admiring something I didn’t know about much, and know more now.”

Reporting by Catherine Yang

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.