ORLANDO, Fla.—Ron Lonoza, who works in sales and marketing, and his wife Theresa, a registered nurse, were thrilled to attend Shen Yun’s first show at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on May 8.

“It’s really great. I loved acrobatics and I never thought that it was a part of Chinese dance. That’s a good thing that we learned. The colors were beautiful, the music—everything about it,” he said at the end of the evening.

“The grand finale was really nice. I liked how they led up to the climax of it.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun artists undergo extensive training in classical Chinese dance.  This ancient art form, dating back thousands of years, is renowned for its athleticism and expressiveness. Its influence can be seen in various disciplines, from gymnastics to acrobatics, and other dance styles worldwide.

“It’s just interesting that they could make a dance and a performance using simple things like peaches. But there’s always a lesson to it, which is nice.”

“We thank [the artists] for their hard work and making everything so beautiful through song and dance. They’re persistent in the discipline to make art beautiful,” Mr. Lonoza praised.

“Such beauty—we know it’s a lot of hard work that they’ve put in there to make everything look so simple. It takes a lot of hard work.”

“It’s beautiful. The mention of God and creation, the Creator—that’s beautiful,” Mrs. Lonoza exclaimed.

“We’ve always thought that Chinese people are atheists, but [Shen Yun wasn’t like that.] In the song, it said atheism and evolutionism harm humankind. It gave me a different appreciation—a beautiful appreciation of the Chinese tradition.”

If given the chance, she would like to tell the performers that “they’re just so graciously beautiful. Just perfect, angelic, and graceful.”

“We appreciate them for the legacy that they’re going to leave behind generations after them. That’s beautiful.”