RALEIGH, N.C.— John and Jenna Kennedy were in attendance for Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Raleigh’s Duke Energy Center on Jan. 11.

“We’re enjoying it. It’s great,” said Mrs. Kennedy, who works as a nurse at the Duke University Medical Center, taking special note of the performance’s use of vibrant colors.

“It’s lively,” added Mr. Kennedy, a sales representative for IPREL, a financial services company.

“I like how it’s a mix between some of the more upbeat dancing and as well as some of the traditional songs,” he said.

Shen Yun seeks to revive 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture, a culture nearly ruined by the communist regime.

‘Spectacular’

“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,” reads the Shen Yun website.

“The backdrops were really pretty. I think it’s cool how they jump down and then they go into the screen. It’s really cool!” said Mrs. Kennedy, referring to the innovative way the dancers interact with Shen Yun’s state-of-the-art digital backdrop.

According to the Shen Yun website, the backdrop, “serves as an extension of the stage, transporting audiences to a world where heaven and earth are one.”

“What’s great about the backdrop is that it’s not distracting,” Mr. Kennedy agreed. “It’s there when you need to be focusing on it, but it definitely draws the attention back to the performers when you’re not.”

Mr. Kennedy expressed his disappointment that Shen Yun cannot be seen in China today, where traditional culture has been suppressed.

He added that the performance was a chance to see, “a culture that we’ve never experienced, really up close and personal.”

Reporting by Roland Ree and Michael Fitzgerald

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.