LAS VEGAS—Alan Ware, a retired professional musician, came to see Shen Yun Performing Arts at Reynolds Hall in The Smith Center on February 22 with his friends.

Mr. Ware played trumpet in Chase, a band that received a Best New Artist Grammy nomination for its song in 1971.

For eight years, the nonprofit, New York-based Shen Yun has been touring globally, bringing 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and culture to life through music and dance.

“I love the orchestra. Excellent! Excellent!” said Mr. Ware. “The sound is excellent, the orchestra is excellent!”

The Shen Yun Orchestra blends ancient Chinese instruments, such as the erhu, pipa, and suona, with a full Western symphony orchestra.

According to the Shen Yun website, “The sound produced is uniquely pleasing to the ear. The ensemble at once expresses both the grandeur of a Western orchestra and the distinct senses of China’s 5,000-year-old civilization.”

Mr. Ware said he really enjoyed the Shen Yun performance, and appreciated the two emcees who introduced each dance with short and insightful stories.

“The dancers have been really, really precise. No mistakes, beautiful!” he said.

Shen Yun uses Chinese dance—which has been refined over thousands of years—to portray stories spanning the millennia of China’s culture. “Chinese dance is at the heart of what Shen Yun does,” explains the Shen Yun website. “Known for its incredible flips and spins, and its gentle elegance, it is one of the most rigorous and expressive art forms in the world.”

Setting each dance is an animated digital backdrop, which at times interacts with the dancers.

“I love the back drop, when they transcend from the active dancing to the film,” said Mr. Ware.

“They do an excellent job, it is very well done!”

Reporting by Zheng Qu and Thanh Le

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.