SAN FRANCISCO—Portrait painter and court interpreter Mehram Sheikholeslami found the beauty of Shen Yun Performing Arts “nourishing” when he attended the performance at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, Jan. 4.

“It will be the fuel of my inspiration for many months and perhaps years to come,” Mr. Sheikholeslami said.

New York-based Shen Yun aims to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture through the universal language of dance and music. Mr. Sheikholeslami was impressed and inspired by the talent of Shen Yun’s classical Chinese dancers.

“This performance of the Chinese musicians and the dancers and the choreographers is an expression of very high energy, representing of the Chinese culture,” Mr. Sheikholeslami said. “All the balance one needs to maintain in life was expressed on the stage.”

Mr. Sheikholeslami commented on the uniqueness of Shen Yun’s vivid animated backdrops, which complement the colorful costumes and dances to portray different regions and dynasties from China’s rich history.

“It is very colorful. It is very energetic. It is very inspiring. The culture shows love, cooperation, kindness, ingenuity, creativity, and just the human gifts that we have that we could share with one another,” he said.

Also in attendance was attorney Niloufar Mazhari, who received her Shen Yun ticket as a gift from a friend and enjoyed the performance very much.

“The show is very colorful and very happy,” Mazhari said. “The dancers were very talented.”

Mazhari was interested to learn about Chinese culture from the performance, which includes many dances that tell stories and legends.

“The whole thing was very well done,” she said.

Reporting by Lily Yu and Sally Appert

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.