SACRAMENTO, Calif.—“It’s beautiful, visually stunning,” said Mr. Howard Shintaku, retired editorial art director of the Sacramento Bee after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sacramento Community Center Theater, Jan. 15.

Based in New York, Shen Yun revives 5,000 years of Chinese civilization through the performing arts, a mission Mr. Shintaku admired while watching the performance.

“It was very brave, for this to happen,” Mr. Shintaku said. “To show the audience the repression and you could still have expression in dance to protest that, so I appreciate that.”

Traditional Chinese values are based on principles like benevolence, wisdom, and propriety, and respect for the heavens, and the values come through in the art forms like classical Chinese dance. However, in China today under the current regime, the traditional culture is suppressed and was once almost lost.

“It’s terrific because it’s so ancient and goes back before Western values,” Mr. Shintaku said. “Everything derives from China’s civilization, I was very impressed with it.”

Mr. Shintaku had enjoyed the animated backdrop used by Shen Yun as well, showing scenes from celestial palaces to the Manchurian court of the 17th century.

“It was good because it’s universal,” Mr. Shintaku said of the heavenly scenes.

The animated backdrop also allows the performers to move seamlessly from stage to screen.

“The way it comes in and becomes real life, the transition is beautiful; it’s well staged, you know; it goes from that to real life and it makes it so realistic,” Mr. Shintaku said. “It comes down and becomes a person—very stunning.”

Reporting by Gary Wang and Catherine Yang

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.