LAS VEGAS—Retired musician Graziano Sanesi, accompanied by his wife, was very pleased with the orchestra at the Feb. 21 opening night of Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company at the Smith Center.

“I was impressed by the orchestra. I’ve been involved with a little bit of symphony many, many years ago, and I know what a symphony sounds like. This was great.”

Established in 2006, New York-based Shen Yun has quickly become a world-renowned phenomenon, bringing 5,000 years of Chinese history to life through music and dance.

According to the Shen Yun Preforming Arts website, “The Shen Yun Orchestra masterfully blends two of the world’s greatest classical music traditions. Ancient Chinese instruments such as the soul-stirring erhu and the delicate pipa lead the melody on top of a full orchestra of Western strings, percussion, woodwinds, and brass. The Western orchestra with its energy and grandeur, and the Chinese instruments with their distinct tones and styles, create a dramatic new sound.”

“I love it,” said Mr. Sanesi, referring to the combination of classical Chinese and Western music.

“I hear the music for what the music is. ... I can hear the texture, the instrumentation … how many parts. It was beautifully done.”

Mr. Sanesi also enjoyed the performance’s classically trained dancers.

“Chinese dance is at the heart of what Shen Yun does. Known for its incredible flips and spins, and its gentle elegance, it is one the most rigorous and expressive art forms in the world,” states the website.

“Those guys are great. I don’t know how they do it. It’s why we came to see them,” said Mr. Sanesi.

“Classical Chinese dance is grounded in 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture, and is a dance art form built upon a deep foundation of traditional aesthetics. Classical Chinese dance is rich with expressive power,” the website explains.

“[The] performance, the dancers, and the music, together is divine,” Mr. Sanesi went on to say.

To sum thins up, Mr. Sanesi added, “It’s an experience that is worth it … the Chinese culture, it comes to life in there.”

Reporting by Yaning Liu 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.