EVANSVILLE, Ind.—“We are really enjoying it,” said Steve Hayden, a retired Henderson Circuit Court judge from Kentucky, at intermission. “It’s been very enlightening.”

Mr. Hayden was referring to the opening night of Shen Yun Performing Arts in Evansville at the Aiken Theatre at The Centre on Jan. 28. Shen Yun will perform there again on Jan. 29.

Shen Yun’s mission is to revitalize 5,000 years of divinely inspired civilization through the story-telling allowed by classical Chinese dance, through folk dances, orchestral music, renown vocal soloists, and through high-technology stage backdrops.

The lyrics of the songs appear on the animated backdrop for the audience to follow. Mr. Hayden stated that this gave him a different perspective on China’s traditional culture: “I thought that the songs and the words, ... their thought pattern—what they thought about life and the enjoyment of life, ... it gave it a different perspective.”

He also felt that the Chinese “express their happiness even more” than Westerners do. But that similarities exist as well, in that “valuing human life is the main thing that we seem to share.”

Mr. Hayden recommends Shen Yun to others: “It was very outstanding, and I’m glad that we were able to make it.”

With reporting by Stacy Tang and Cat Rooney

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.