SAN FRANCISCO—Ken Schwarz, the chief financial officer of a solar company, loved the experience of traditional Chinese culture brought to him by Shen Yun at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco on Jan. 11.

“It’s wonderful to experience cultures and things I have not necessarily been exposed to before,” he said after watching Shen Yun with his wife, Jeanie Schwarz.

With its world-class performances of classical Chinese dance and music, New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts aims to revitalize 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.

“I’m very entranced by [Chinese culture],” Mr. Schwarz said. “The combination of the mysticism, the religion, the ancient nature of it ... it’s just very exciting to me.”

Shen Yun presents stories and legends from Chinese history as well as dances from different ethnic regions in China.

“I love the Mongolian dancers and the chopsticks and the acrobatics—it’s absolutely beautiful,” Mr. Schwarz said.

He was referring to the dance Mongolian Chopsticks, a lively traditional dance in which “dancers use chopsticks to create a crisp staccato beat,” according to Shen Yun’s program.

Mr. Schwarz also loved the way the performance combined different elements, such as the music and the high-tech digital backdrop that changes with each dance. “They’ve done it very well, and so it’s very unique in that regard,” he said.

He was impressed by the live orchestra that accompanies the dancers, which combines both Eastern and Western musical traditions and instruments.

“I love live orchestras,” Mr. Schwarz said. “Having a real orchestra there just makes so much of a difference.”

Mr. Schwarz said he had been to many performances before, but “we’ve not done anything quite like this.”

“I’ve been wanting to do this for several years,” he added. “It’s just a wonderful experience and I would love to have my children and my friends to see it.”

Reporting by Qian Zhang and Sally Appert

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.