DETROIT—Brenda McIntyre teaches history and art, elements that make Shen Yun Performing Arts a bedazzling production.

Hailed around the globe as the world’s premier company of classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun appeared at the Detroit Opera House, Feb. 9.

“It’s wonderful. It’s such a different style of the art than [what] I’m accustomed to and I’m enjoying it entirely,” Ms. McIntyre said.

“Through the universal language of music and dance, New York based 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,” according to the company website. “Its stunning beauty and tremendous energy leave audiences uplifted and inspired.”

Ms. McIntyre was accompanied to the show by Jeff Osbourne from Windsor, vice president of the world’s largest inventory company, Infrastructure in IT, he said.

Shen Yun mainly stages classical Chinese dance built on traditional aesthetics, says the company website. “It was once passed down among the people, in imperial courts, and through ancient plays. It has its own set of training methods, skills, specific postures, making it a vast and independent system of dance.”

“The style of dancing and the delicacy of it—it is so very artful,” Ms. McIntyre said

Mr. Osbourne was also impressed by the hundreds of exquisitely handmade costumes that spanned dynasties. “The costumes were beautiful too,” he said. “The colors, the vibrancy … that really strikes me as a standout of the show.”

Another aspect that struck him was the interplay between the dancers and digitally animated backdrops, designed to provide vivid context for each story-dance.

“I liked the effect that they have where figures come out (of the screen) and that’s a very interesting effect, very interesting. They do it seamlessly. It’s very impressive.”

As for Ms. McIntyre, her passion for teaching history and arts became clear. She was fascinated with the infusion of cultural history, and learning the traditions and the backgrounds of some of the ideas in China—and how it is artistically presented, she said.

“And I really liked how they even included meditation ... . They are not shying away from the reality of China today, which comes from such an incredibly artistic history and a beautiful history, and that’s pretty much shut down today. That’s amazing,” she said.

Ms. McIntyre was referring to one story-based dance piece which depicts the persecution of Falun Gong, whose adherents practice truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. It has been repressed since 1999 in China.

With reporting by Raiatea Tahana-Reese

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

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.