HUNTSVILLE, Ala.—Nancy Lykins felt that Shen Yun’s themes were ones she could relate to; “although their culture is much older historically than ours, they have a lot of the same similar belief systems,” she said.

With 5,000 years of history as its launchpad, Shen Yun features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops—together creating one spectacular performance.

Ms. Lykins and her husband, Craig Lykins, felt fortunate to take part in Shen Yun’s matinee performance at Von Braun Center Concert Hall on Jan. 26.

“Oh, I think it’s beautiful,” said Mrs. Lykins, an environmental engineer with the Redstone Arsenal, who bought tickets as a Christmas gift for her husband.

“I thought the costumes and the choreography were just wonderful,” said Mr. Lykins, a principal solutions consultant at Open Text.

“Through the universal language of music and dance, Shen Yun weaves a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends, and modern heroic tales, taking you on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese culture,” reads Shen Yun’s website. “Its stunning beauty and tremendous energy leave audiences uplifted and inspired.”

Another aspect of Shen Yun that caught the couple’s eye was the performance’s state-of-the-art digital backdrop, which serves as an extension of the stage, transporting the audience to a world where heaven and earth are one.

“The visual effects are absolutely stunning and just so inspiring,” Mrs. Lykins said.

Mr. Lykins compared the beautiful images from the backdrop to what he witnessed personally while visiting China. “All lot of the backdrops really do look like some of the scenery that I saw when I was over there; it’s truly majestic,” he said.

“You know they really did a good job of kind of balancing the beauty and the dance with some humor, some historical, and some contemporary ... with what has gone on there and what is going on now,” added Mrs. Lykins.

Mr. Lykins noted his surprise at the fact that Shen Yun cannot be seen today in China, and he compared the basic freedoms most taken for granted in America to those decimated in China.

“It’s just the freedom of expression I suppose ... you know, they’re so governed by the control of the communist party—that is kind of sad,” Mrs. Lykins added, noting that it is only a matter of time before the communist party self destructs.

She concluded that for Shen Yun’s performers to “express themselves, and be able to travel, and perform, and ... express love of their culture, especially their dance,” is of vital importance.

Reporting by Mary Silver and Michael Fitzgerald

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.