NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---With elegant classical Chinese dance, mesmerizing music, exquisite costuming, and profoundly enlightening stories from China’s 5,000 years of civilization, Shen Yun Performing Arts dazzled the hearts and minds of the full house audience at the Valley Performing Arts Center, on the afternoon of April 20.

“Magnificent, beautiful, graceful! I loved it!” said Lilly Fallah Lawrence, a philanthropist and international socialite. “Who could resist the Monkey King and the girls, especially the announcer herself, and the gentlemen? All of it is flawless. Don’t you think?”

She turned to ask her fiancé, Douglas Banker. He agreed.

“Today’s performance, it’s beautiful. The costumes are beautiful, the movement---very delightful,” he said.

Mr. Banker is a performer himself---an actor specializing in military-related productions. He most recently appeared in the Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper.”

The couple was very excited to have finally gotten the tickets to Shen Yun. In fact, they had been waiting for five years.

“It’s not that I’m so busy. The show is constantly sold out!” Mr. Banker said.

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has been touring the world since its establishment in 2006. With the mission to revive traditional Chinese culture, Shen Yun has become a cultural phenomenon attracting full-house sold-out audience members in over 100 cities around the world.

Ms. Lawrence enjoyed the classical Chinese dance and said it was “like a fairy. It was angelic.”

“The movement was very delightful and the discipline was very impressive. To have such a group work together as a well-organized unit, it’s very impressive.” Mr. Banker added, “And the coordination between the dancers and the orchestra is extremely well done.”

Through heartrending dramatic dance pieces and deeply philosophical lyrics of the bel canto vocalists, audience members have said Shen Yun gives hope, and a reconnecting to their spiritual roots.

“I loved all the stories,” said Ms. Lawrence, while Mr. Banker felt very much connected to the lyrics. He said, “The English translations [of the lyrics] very, very beautiful and enlightening to say the least.”

Both felt very special to be able to watch Shen Yun.

“I would definitely say the biggest thing is I’m just happy to be able to get THE show. It’s a real honor seeing the show here.” Mr. Banker said.

He mentioned that Shen Yun is currently not allowed to perform in China. “So being able to enjoy the culture and the history here is the most important thing to me. It’s a blessing to share these cultures here in the United States.”

Reporting by Jana Li and Sophia Fang

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.

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.