INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—Jim Bradley had a wonderful birthday, celebrating it with an evening watching Shen Yun Performing Arts, a classical Chinese dance and music company. “I learned so much about the Chinese history,” he said.

Mr. Bradley and his wife, Bobbie, attended Shen Yun, on April 19, at Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University.

“Very unique,” said Mr. Bradley, a sales rep for an audio-visual integration company, Shoemaker Motion Picture Company. “We do technology integration, primarily audio-visual pathway referencing, classroom technology, K-12 and higher university. We do work with universities,” he explained in more detail.

“I liked the way they told the story and provided the pictures to it,” he said.

Interestingly, despite its focus on ancient Chinese culture, New York-based Shen Yun uses the latest digitally animated techniques to make its projected backdrops interact with the live performers.

“Oh, it was beautiful,” he said of the backdrops. “I enjoyed the way it helped tell the story,” he repeated. According to the company’s website, “with state-of-the-art graphics technology, Shen Yun’s digital-backdrop team creates vividly animated settings, extending the stage and transporting the audience to a world where heaven and earth are one.”

Thus, Shen Yun’s mission is to restore China’s semi-divine culture and present it through the arts.

Mrs. Bradley felt the performance was fabulous. She and her husband both commented on the intricacies achieved by the dancers with their handling of props.

“The ribbons—it’s very hard to do what they were doing with that. I appreciated the talents that they have and how unique it was—the intricacies of it,” Mr. Bradley said.

Of the tales that the dances told, Mrs. Bradley referred to a particular dance telling a story of modern times: the persecution of people of faith by the Chinese communist regime.

“It’s always tragic when a society has to change and come under communist rule, and that was very moving,” she said.

“And freedom is so important. We take it for granted in this country. They don’t. Those performers don’t,” Mr. Bradley said.

“No, no they don’t,” Mrs. Bradley agreed.

Reporting by Wan Ying and Sharon Kilarski

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.