EVANSVILLE, Ind.—It would be hard to say whether Adel Bastawros was more excited or relaxed after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts. When asked how he felt after the performance, the research scientist and inventor said that he was relaxed.

However, his curiosity about the Chinese culture he had witnessed seemed to be getting the best of him.

The performance left him “wanting to learn more about the history” of China, he said. “Every time you hear there is background to these dances and movements, you get more curious about them.”

Mr. Bastawros, with SABIC innovative Plastics in Mount Vernon, attended Shen Yun on Jan. 29 at the Aiken Theatre at The Centre with his wife, Samira.

Neither had seen anything like Shen Yun before, “and it’s amazing,” Mr. Bastawros said. “The synchronization, the dancers and the stories they were telling were very good. Excellent.”

Of the company whose mission it is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization through music and dance, Mrs. Bastawros said she loved it.

Mr. Bastawros especially praised “the choreography, the synchronization between the dancers—amazing [down] to the part of a second, and also the outfits and … and colors.”

Shen Yun is not only known for its hundreds of elaborate, stunning costumes, but also for the way each piece complements the animated backdrop.

“There was a little bit of technology, all the background scenes and how they mixed with the dancers. That was something neat to see live—almost like movie tricks in front of your eyes,” Mr. Bastawros added.

The digital backdrops Mr. Bastawros referred to are synchronized with the dancers so that the action on the screen seems to come alive on stage.

Coming from the Middle East, the couple found the experience very new. “This is totally different from what we are used to and grew up in,“ Mr. Bastawros said. ”The link between the messages that each dance is trying to tell, and the movements, and how the dancers were trying to portray, is totally different. It’s not just entertainment—there is a lot of culture built into it.”

He invited others to join in the “new experience. If they haven’t seen anything of that cultural part of the world, this is a good opportunity to get an impression of what other cultures are about,” he said.

With reporting by Cat Rooney and Sharon Kilarski

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.