The couple, still buzzing with excitement after the performance on Dec. 27, couldn’t stop praising Shen Yun’s artistry.

“[The performers] were smiling a lot and that’s great, but you can also get their expression when they’re surprised. That’s how you [understand] the story—through their facial expressions. It’s just interesting, it’s just fun.”

“They don’t even look winded, but they’re going above and beyond. It’s beautiful.”

Shen Yun Performing Arts was founded in 2006 by New York-based artists who dreamt of reviving and sharing  China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture with the world. Its eight equally-sized companies are slated to visit over 200 cities this year.

“The one that really got me was when the [CCP] took [the main character] to prison because he had his own beliefs,” she said.

“That made me cry because he was fighting for something that he believed in, and he was not going to let anybody take that away from him.”

According to the company’s website, Shen Yun returns each year with an entirely new program to celebrate the beauty of “China before communism.”

For Mr. Jones, this spiritual aspect of China was “eye-opening” and “a new experience.”

Mrs. Jones chimed in that though it’s a new concept, she can definitely relate because “the history of it all—the heavens and [Chinese people’s] belief system is actually kind of the same as in our own culture.”

The couple also loved the way Shen Yun used its innovative 3D backdrop to enhance storytelling. It seamlessly blended on-screen visuals with the dancers’ performances.

“The story really immerses you in that scenery; it’s like you’re there. I love it. I absolutely would come again,” Mrs. Jones said.

“There was tons of energy. It’s electrifying; I can feel it in my heartbeat— that’s the only way to describe it,” she shared.

“I feel happy when I see [the artists]—the colors make me happy, and I can feel their emotions and everything they’re going through. I love it.”