STAMFORD, Conn.—Arnold Anderson, a painter and business owner, watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at The Palace Theatre on May 11.

“It’s very beautiful, very lovely,” Mr. Anderson said. “Love the dancing, love the music, love the artistry of it. Appreciate it very much.”

Founded in 2006, New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Its performers come from all around the world, united in a shared mission to revive the beauty and goodness of “China before communism” through traditional Chinese dance and music.

There were many elements of Shen Yun’s performance Mr. Anderson found praise-worthy, such as the hand-made costumes, patented animated backdrop, dancing, and music performed by a live orchestra that combined traditional Chinese and Western instruments.

“The costumes are beautiful,” he said. “The scenery behind and the background is beautiful. The imagery behind, how it transforms from the screen back to the stage, is very beautiful; very well done. The dancing is very well coordinated. It’s just done so very well.”

According to Shen Yun’s website, traditional Chinese culture is deeply rooted in the spiritual teachings of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Although the Chinese Communist Party abolished these spiritual beliefs and the culture they established when it seized power, Shen Yun’s performance preserves this spirituality.

Mr. Anderson said he felt that the “spiritual aspect is good, and I think it should continue.”

“[It is] very important that people know that they should be able to teach spirituality to one another, and learn from one another. That’s very important.”

Mr. Anderson also said that the messages he saw in Shen Yun were “of peace and the message of improving yourself as a person, and being good to others,” and added that he “would tell [others] to come and see this.”

Reporting by Weiyong Zhu and Wandi Zhu.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.