COLUMBIA, S.C.—Kathleen Hayes and Jules Riley watched the performance of the world-renowned Shen Yun Performing Arts, on March 15, at the Columbia’s Kroger Performing Arts Center.

The two were not short of words to describe how they felt watching Shen Yun’s portrayal of 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture.

“It was beautiful; it was breathtaking; it was unique. I loved every minute of it,” said Ms. Hayes, director of the Institute for Families in Society at the University of South Carolina.

“I thought it was absolutely delightful,” Mr. Riley, a musician and poet, added. “The musical score was grand. The costuming was wonderful. I'd see it again.”

At the heart of Shen Yun is classical Chinese dance, an ancient art form with a history going back to thousand of years. The New York-based company also features folk dances from different regions of China, an a unique orchestra that combines traditional Chinese instruments with classical Western instruments.

“I loved the music … I thought that was so well done, so well scored,” said Mr. Riley.

“I loved the mixture of instruments, and it just went so well with the production itself.”

The hundreds of colorful costumes also added to the grandeur of the presentation for Mr. Riley.

“The costumes are grand; I loved the sleeves,” he said.

Ms. Hayes pointed to the animated digital backdrops, which interact with the dancers on stage.

“I liked the interaction with the set; I mean, it was just very different from anything I’ve ever seen before,” she said.

The two were also impressed with the dancers.

“We both talked about how graceful everybody was, how they moved so smoothly, and that’s something that’s new to us. It’s very pretty, very nice.”

With reporting by Denise Darcel

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