FORT MYERS, Fla.—Publishers Federick Jaeger and Daniela Jaeger were astounded by the portrayal of spirituality presented by Shen Yun Performing Arts, performing at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on Feb. 10.

“Absolutely wonderful. I hope that a lot of people here in southwest Florida will enjoy it, because it gives them an incredibly nice way of experiencing Chinese culture, obviously going back 5,000 years,” Mr. Jaeger said.

He started 18 years ago as a publisher and now publishes a series of five magazines. Another publication, Origins of Spirituality, that moves the soul, he said, is published by Ms. Jaeger. Mr. Jaegar was the publisher of Times of the Island, and is a member of the International Florida Magazine Association.

Mr. Jaeger observed many similarities between the Western and Chinese cultures.

“The fundamental belief, of course, is the creator, the same as in Western beliefs, and seeing that this comes from 5,000 years ago, it is incredible to see,” Mr. Jaeger said.

“Shen Yun is a New York-based performing arts group established in 2006 with the mission of reviving 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture—nearly lost under 60 years of communist rule,” the Shen Yun website says.

“Each Shen Yun performance presents the world’s foremost in classical Chinese dance and ethnic folk dance, award-winning soloists, a unique orchestra, and animated digital backdrops.”

Ms. Jaeger liked the performance as well: “It shows we should be more interested in this kind of culture and it’s great to have [Shen Yun] here so everyone can see live, a very well done performance,” she said.

The story-based dances portray universal themes of good versus evil, of people overcoming adversity with faith, courage, and forbearance, such as the Falun Dafa spiritual practice, and their peaceful resistance to the modern-day persecution by the Chinese regime.

Thus, for Mr. Jagaer, the Shen Yun production felt familiar because of his own beliefs.

“The origin, the creation, the fight with evil and good” were familiar.

He also mentioned “the dance piece that shows the movement of the communist environment to delimit the spiritual evolving of groups of Falun Dafa, it’s most certainly very touching.”

An important component of classical Chinese dance is its attention to a dancer’s inner spirit and his or her ability to convey deep emotional expressions.

Reporting by NTD Television and Raiatea Tahana-Reese

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.