ESCONDIDO, Calif.—Richard Nicolai, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts with his wife Diane at the California Center for the Arts, March 1.

The Saturday matinee performance, by Shen Yun’s New York Company, was met with high praise from the audience, including Mr. and Mrs. Nicolai.

“I thought it was excellent; it was very good, very good,” said Mr. Nicolai.

Established in 2006, New York-based Shen Yun is a non-profit organization with four companies touring simultaneously in up to 20 countries and over 100 cities. Dedicated to reviving 5,000 years of Chinese culture through music and dance, Shen Yun has quickly developed into an international phenomenon.

Mr. Nicolai particularly enjoyed the live orchestra accompanying each dance.

“It was very nice,” he said.

“A lot of fun. It’s very enlightening,” said Mrs. Nicolai. “I didn’t realize how beautifully they could go together,” she added, referring to the combination of Chinese and Western instruments.

According to the Shen Yun website, “A Western philharmonic orchestra plays the foundation, while traditional Chinese instruments lead the melodies. The sound produced is uniquely pleasing to the ear. The ensemble at once expresses both the grandeur of a Western orchestra and the distinct sensibilities of China’s 5,000-year-old civilization.”

Mr. Nicolai also enjoyed the show’s skillful dancing

“[The] rapid foot movement looked like they’re floating, just gliding right across the stage,” he said. “It was very, very impressive.”

Mr. and Mrs. Nicolai’s favorite dance was the night’s introductory number, which features heavenly scenes.

“That was just beautiful, mesmerizing,” Mr. Nicolai said.

As the website explains, “With state-of-the-art graphics technology, Shen Yun’s digital-backdrop team creates vividly animated settings, extending the stage and transporting the audience to a world where heaven and earth are one.”

“Very, very clever, the way it looked like people were jumping into the screen,” Mrs. Nicolai added. “And the timing was perfect, when they came back up, that was perfect.”

Reporting by Laura Gu and Morgan Bradley

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.