HOUSTON—Surender Talwar, Satish Sheth, and their families start every new year with a theatrical performance.

This year, the group saw Shen Yun Performing Arts, which topped all the previous performances, and they look forward to an upcoming year that mirrors the performance.

“We hope that this is the kind of year we have,” said Mr. Sheth, a vice president of international building company Cemex, at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston, Jan. 1.

Mr. Sheth, who has led many environmental preservation and community building initiatives for Cemex, was inspired by the New York-based Shen Yun’s mission to revive the once almost lost, traditional Chinese culture.

Shen Yun has been touring internationally for eight years now, bringing 5,000 years of Chinese civilization to life through the performing arts.

“This is another side of China that’s really rich. I really feel that all this culture needs to be exposed,” Mr. Sheth said.

Mr. Sheth noted that every aspect of the performance was perfectly designed, and it transported him into a different time and place.

“It seems like you’re there, you’re in it, and you’re part of it,” Mr. Sheth said. “You’re just surrounded by all of the costumes and the dancing—very real.”

“It was a marvelous [performance],” he added.

Mr. Talwar, owner of Zarposh India, specializes in fine art and hand picked antiques from India, Tibet, and Nepal. The authenticity in Mr. Talwar’s curating has earned his store the title of “mini-museum” by the Houston Museum District area.

Being from India, Mr. Talwar, a Buddhist, connected deeply with the spirituality of the traditional Chinese culture.

Traditional Chinese culture holds values like benevolence, wisdom and propriety, and respect for the heavens at its core, according to Shen Yun’s website. These ideals come from Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, and are deeply embedded in art forms like classical Chinese dance.

Through classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun depicts a wide range of stories, from myths and legends to tales bringing those ancient values up to the present day, such as in the performance’s finale.

The finale made a large impression on Mr. Talwar, who was at once both touched and full of joy as the image of Buddha appeared on the screen with divine beings following in his wake.

Mr. Talwar, a lover of the arts, said it was the best performance he’s seen and wished for more.

“Well directed, well performed, and it requires a lot of effort, a lot of practice,” Mr. Talwar said. “Beautiful. Very beautiful.”

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.