LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Wisconsin resident Zina Toman had seen Shen Yun Performing Arts two years ago. She was supposed to see it again this year in Wisconsin, but unfortunately her husband was in the hospital at the time of the performance, and so she missed it.

“I was crying, like, ‘I miss the show.’”

But she wasn’t about to give up. Her son called to find where the next performance was going to be, and the two of them drove 480 miles to Louisville to watch Shen Yun on April 28.

“I love it. It’s something different; it’s unique, unusual,” Ms. Toman said.

“history and new pieces of Chinese history, it’s really interesting. I love the performances. It’s all different every time; you’re not bored. It’s enjoyable in music and the singing, every second.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. It was formed by a group of leading classical Chinese artists with a mission to revive China’s divinely inspired culture.

“It’s like meditation for me. Really good … I enjoy it so much. I drove six hours, and here I relax. I can go another six hours.”

‘A Lot of Compassion’ in Chinese Culture

Lora and Scott Mindel, who also saw Shen Yun on April 28, said they’ve never seen a performance like Shen Yun.

“I enjoyed the dance and the costumes and the background [digital backdrops] were so beautiful,” said Ms. Mindel.

“But beyond that, just the expressions in the stories. There was so much to learn from it. There’s a lot of compassion in the culture and love.”

According to Shen Yun’s website, “Sophisticated dance techniques, an orchestra joining instruments from both the East and West, beautiful costumes, and a stunning back drop—this is Shen Yun at first glance.

“But digging deeper, one discovers a sea of traditional Chinese culture. Mortals and divine beings merge on stage as one. Principles such as benevolence and justice, propriety and wisdom, respect for the heavens, and divine retribution, all come to life, washing over the audience.”

Mr. Mindel expressed hope that the love and compassion that they saw in Shen Yun could be shared with more people.

“It was amazing, just the love and compassion of the story. I was telling Lora here that I wish a lot of love and compassion would carry over from this show to America because there’s a lot of crazy going on in this day and age, and I just wish a lot of it would get into people’s hearts, I really do,” Mr. Mindel said.

“It was a great show.”

Reporting by Sherry Dong and NTD Television

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.