AUCKLAND, New Zealand—Shen Yun Performing Arts opened at the Aotea Centre, ASB Theatre, on April 11, to resounding applause.

Tracey-Lee Repia, works for the leader of the MANA Movement, a political party, attended Shen Yun with her husband, Glen Holland.

Shen Yun is based in up-state New York and according to its website “Chinese dance is at the heart of what Shen Yun does. Known for its incredible flips and spins, and its gentle elegance, it is one of the most rigorous and expressive art forms in the world.”

Ms. Repia was delighted by her husband with a surprise gift of tickets to see Shen Yun.

“I’m quite excited to be watching this tonight, I didn’t realize my husband had bought me a ticket,” she said.

“I’m glad I came here … beautiful dancers … amazing.”

“Shen Yun’s mini-drama pieces draw upon stories and legends that span China’s history from the Yellow Emperor and through the Tang and Song dynasties and all the way to the modern day. A unique feature of Chinese civilization is that its history has been documented and passed down uninterrupted for 5,000 years, sometimes in vivid detail.”

“I think the most interesting aspects of the show is the history, and the untold history; the history that shows a diversity of China and some of the history that might of wanted to have been hidden by certain people,” she said.

“Being a Maori; it was quite riveting, because I could relate to it, in terms of the oppressive nature of; sometimes how our histories can make us forget by not telling the stories anymore about who we really are.”

She continued, “New Zealand is in such a place now where we’re quite diverse, and we’re very welcoming of other cultures, ethnicities, and people of the global world; I think what’s important, especially for indigenous Maori ... we must understand those relationships, and how similar they are, in terms of history, and that we have a very common purpose, and we also have a common history.”

“Funny enough, when I was watching some of the pieces in the show, I felt like I had been there before; a homely feeling, so very spiritual, very spiritual show, … the dance itself, brings a whole life, it’s amazing!”

Mr. Holland said, “It’s fabulous so far. It’s only half of it; can’t wait to see the second half.”

Reporting by Shelley Shao and Leigh Smith

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