HOUSTON—Buzz Stewart had never seen classical Chinese dance until he saw the lavish Shen Yun Performing Arts production at Jones Hall on Dec. 28. And he was highly impressed with what he saw.

“We will tell all of our friends that they need to come see this. It’s a chance of a lifetime.”

Mr. Stewart, who is retired from the army and air force, came with five family members to see the performance.

Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 to revive China’s traditional culture through the performing arts.

Performances feature classical Chinese dance, an art form that has been passed down in royal courts and street theaters throughout China’s 5000 years of civilization, and has been enriched by the distinctive traits of different dynasties.

Mr. Stewart said he enjoyed the fluidity of the dance movements and the bright colors of costumes worn by the dancers. Each season, Shen Yun designers make hundreds of intricate costumes similar to the attire worn in different dynasties and by different ethnic groups in China.

Another standout of the evening for Mr. Stewart was a solo piece performed on the erhu, a traditional Chinese instrument with only two strings, but the capability to convey a wide array of emotions.

“It was amazing ... brought tears to our eyes,” he said.

Mr. Stewart said the performance left him feeling inspired and that he wanted to see it again. When asked to elaborate he said:

“Joy. I feel joy over it.”

Reporting by Sophia Zheng and June Kellum Fakkert

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.