INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—“Powerful is an extraordinarily good way of putting it—the way that the emotion is conveyed through the dance. Anyone who enjoys performing arts ... would really like to come here and to see this because I’ve been very impressed” with Shen Yun Performing Arts, said David Oliphant.

New York-based Shen Yun features classical Chinese dance, “rich with expressive power. Through expression of bearing and form, beautiful dance movements bring out the inner meaning of intrinsic thoughts and feelings, reflecting the peculiarities of human nature,” according to the company’s website.

“It is top notch and I’m very happy to be here,” said Mr. Oliphant, a neurosurgical physician’s assistant at St. Francis Hospital in Indianapolis.

He and his wife, Samantha, an assistant professor in biology at Marian University, saw the performance at Butler University’s Clowes Memorial Hall on April 19.

Mrs. Oliphant also mentioned the idea of Shen Yun being emotionally powerful, saying, “The emotion—the dancers, they are very good at emotion.”

Two bilingual emcees introduce each dance, “even if they didn’t set up the premise of the story, you would pick up on the story without any extra help,” she said.

What was most powerful for her and almost brought the scientist to tears was a dance about the current persecution of people trying to practicing their faith in China.

“It was upsetting,” she said.

Enjoying the same story, Mr. Oliphant said, “The choreography is very, very dramatic.”

“It makes it a little bit more meaningful, I think,” he thought, to have a piece about the current situation.

“It is a daunting task when you try to put 5,000 years of Chinese history into two hours, but they have done a wonderful job thus far,” he said, speaking at intermission.

“A Shen Yun performance features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops—together creating one spectacular performance,” according to the company’s website.

Mrs. Oliphant would tell her friends “that it’s a very powerful show; it’s got wonderful costumes, wonderful choreography and its very enjoyable.”

“Very high quality—the use of the projection screen in the back. … They have done a very good job of incorporating that,” Mr. Oliphant said.

Shen Yun’s backdrops not only complement the dancers’ costumes, but also engage the audiences with their movement. Animated figures projected on the backdrops interact with the onstage performers.

“I would definitely come back,” he said.

Reporting by Valerie Avore 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.