HOUSTON—For Michael Smith, a lifelong musician well versed in vibraphone, piano, and percussion, the performance by Shen Yun Performing Arts was very impressive.

Mr. Smith had never seen Chinese dance, and Shen Yun’s live orchestra combined with the dance choreography and animated backdrop was powerful.

“When they were all combined together it was outstanding. I don’t know how to put it into words.” he said after the performance at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, Dec. 28.

Shen Yun is a classical Chinese dance company founded in New York in 2006. Every year its four companies tour the globe staging performances of traditional Chinese culture that include ethnic and folk dances from among China’s numerous distinctive ethnic groups.

Mr. Smith said the performance introduced him to ethnicities, instruments, and music of China that he was not aware of.

“I learnt about the different regions and the types of folk dances and ethnic dances,” he said.

Shen Yun has an orchestra which combines both Western and Eastern instruments for a very unique sound.

Together with animated backdrop, depicting scenes from different regions and eras and the bilingual emcees the audience members were able to understand the many different elements of the performance, which Mr. Smith said he appreciated.

Mr. Smith works in the automotive industry and splits his time between Michigan and Tennessee. He was in Texas visiting friends and thought it would be a great idea to “take in the performing arts.”

His companion said she also enjoyed the performance very much.

“It was very enlightening about the Chinese art, and the performers are all wonderful,” she said.

Reporting by Sophia Zheng and Arshdeep Sarao

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.