FORT MYERS, Fla.—Almadora Williamson enjoyed the Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Feb. 9.

“It’s beautiful ... very classical,” she said.

Ms. Williamson, who is from the Philippines, is a retired professor of sociology at the University of Santo Tomas.

“China was once known as the land of the divine, with principles like justice, benevolence, and respect for the heavens making up the core of the culture,” according to the Shen Yun website. The artists’ mission is to revive the authentic, traditional, Chinese culture.

They succeed, according to Mrs. Williamson. “Oh, it’s very authentically so,” she said. “The range of movements that they had, the flow, the rhythm. It’s magnificently Chinese.”

“Classical Chinese dance has a long history of thousands of years, passed down continuously within the imperial palace and ancient Chinese theater and opera,” according to the website.

‘Absolutely Marvelous’

Rosa Martinez, an operations manager, said, “It’s been incredible. The dancers, the colors, the story that is behind it, is absolutely marvelous.”

The Steadfast Lotus pulled on her heartstrings. “The story about the girl and the mother and how they were mistreated … and that’s the one that touches me the most,” she said.

Generally speaking, she said, Shen Yun was “a demonstration or an expression of the Chinese culture. It’s a very, very old tradition, culture.” Chinese culture is so rich that there are still a lot of stories to be told, and “for us, there is still a lot of learning to do.”

To Mrs. Martinez, the more one knows about Chinese culture, the more depth it reveals. “The more you know, the more you are exposed to it, you can really find out how profound and deep [Chinese] culture is.”

Ms. Martinez had a message for the Shen Yun dancers and musicians. “You are awesome, you are great, keep on doing it and come back soon.”

Grace and Beauty

Richard and Susan Sissons attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Feb. 9. (Courtesy of NTD Television)

“Five thousand years of grace and beauty have been poured out here in Fort Myers and we appreciate it” said Richard Sissons.

Mr. Sissons, who works in telecommunications was accompanied to the Shen Yun show by his wife Susan, a nurse.

“It was wonderful. Beautiful, flowing. It’s like it floated on air,” Mr. Sissons said.

Mrs. Sissons agreed. “It was absolutely gorgeous. The costumes were just wonderful. The performance was great. Everyone was just so talented and very much in sync. Everyone just did such a wonderful job,” she said.

Mr. Sissons admired the strength of the male dancers, “how they could show such wonderful, beautiful movement and strength on the stage.” He also admired the women … the beauty and the grace that was there.”

“Absolutely,” his wife added.

“And the singer, oh! The beautiful soprano was great,” Mr. Sissons said. “Oh yes.”

Mrs. Sissons said Shen Yun was “a sight to behold.” She would tell their friends, “They really need to come ... They are incredibly talented people, incredibly talented.”

“They were wonderful,” Mr. Sissons said. “Their craft has been perfected and presented wonderfully.”

Reporting by NTD Television and Raiatea Tahana-Reese

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

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.