SACRAMENTO, Calif.—“It was very beautiful and very entertaining and the music was beautiful,” said singer, vocal and music teacher Ms. Suzette Leger after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sacramento Community Center Theater, Jan. 15.

“I thought it was fascinating the way they incorporated technology with the dancing and gave it a feel of the history—very entertaining,” Ms. Leger said. “I loved it.”

New York-based Shen Yun revives 5,000 years of Chinese civilization through the performing arts, and all of it was new for Ms. Leger, who had never studied Chinese culture or history, but felt a new found sense of intrigue and appreciation seeing the performance.

“I thought it was beautiful. I love the colors, the dancing style,” Ms. Leger said.

Ms. Leger, who attended the performance with her mother, said she felt the message of “freedom and the traditions of Chinese culture and the history of Chinese culture” in the performance. “I just enjoyed it a lot. I thought it was beautiful to watch.”

With her interest in music, Ms. Leger went in with the idea that the music would be fully Chinese. To her surprise and delight, Shen Yun’s instrumentation was unique, blending traditional Chinese instruments into a full Western symphony.

Ms. Leger had been surprised hearing trumpets and Western instruments playing Chinese music. According to Shen Yun’s website, the philharmonic instruments play the foundation and the traditional Chinese instruments lead the melody.

“The sound is beautiful,” Ms. Leger said. “I loved the orchestra. The orchestra was amazing.”

Beauty and Purity

Also in the audience was Ms. Angela Pagtalonia, controller for SCI Consulting Group, who was moved to tears by the performance.

“Wonderful,” Ms. Pagtalonia said. “It’s beautiful, it’s just spectacular.”

In recalling her experience at the performance, Ms. Pagtalonia started to tear up again, at “just the ancient culture of it, and the purity.”

Ms. Pagtalonia said she was appreciative of Shen Yun being “so true to the art and to the culture.”

Knowing that Shen Yun could perform anywhere but China, where the culture and art performed originated, Ms. Pagtalonia was deeply touched that she could witness the performance and Shen Yun was free to perform in other places of the world.

Wednesday afternoon had been Ms. Pagtalonia’s first time seeing Shen Yun as well, but from the instant she saw a brochure for it, she knew right away she wanted to see it.

“I just automatically knew,” Ms. Pagtalonia said.

Reporting by Flora Qu and 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.