TOULON, France—Hugo Skillington was a must for all those wishing to invest in and purchase luxury homes in and around Saint-Tropez. Described humorously as “the lively British Gulf estate agent” in Saint-Tropez, Mr. Skillington had made his agency a benchmark for luxury real estate in the Var.

Now retired, the entrepreneur enjoys the best the region has to offer. That’s why he and his wife came to see Shen Yun Performing Arts at Le Zénith on Friday, April 4.

“I think it’s extraordinarily professional,” he said. ”Really, not a crease, not a false move. And on the technical side, I think the sound and lighting were absolutely perfect, to the point where you don’t even think about it, which I think shows that it’s perfect. Then there’s the interaction between the screen and the stage, which is superbly well done. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s a very special atmosphere, and one that we really appreciated.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company.

The Shen Yun artists’ performance was, for Mr. Skillington, “superb in every way”, and he felt that “they are truly athletic dancers. I know that a lot of emphasis has been placed on the fact that some of the acrobatic movements came from this ancient Chinese dance and not the other way around... The fact remains that they are true athletes! It’s extraordinary, the movements and the synchronization ... Nothing to say!”

Mr. Skillington also said he was “impressed” by Shen Yun’s orchestra: “This mix of Chinese and Western instruments ... and the two-stringed instrument, the sounds, as the presenter said, the emotion that this woman manages to get out of a stringed instrument, it’s extraordinary!” added the real estate agent, referring to the erhu, a traditional Chinese two-stringed instrument that can produce an infinite number of sounds and emotions.

Shen Yun’s mission is to present 5,000 years of China’s rich traditional culture in dance and music, a culture that has been all but destroyed by the Chinese Communist Party.

Mr. Skillington is keen to pay tribute to “this very ancient civilization, the Chinese civilization.

“It’s a tragedy, what’s happened in China, in my opinion, since 1949. And that seems to be an idea that is conveyed by all the people who have contributed to this production. So, from that point of view, I was right at home,” he said.

The real estate agent recommends Shen Yun to everyone, adding, “What I really like is that ideas are thrown around without imposing conclusions, and I find that very enjoyable.”

The retired company director concludes by searching for a word to describe Shen Yun, but after stopping at “professional” and then “spiritual,” Mr. Skillington said he preferred “marvellous!”

On Saturday, April 5, Jean-Michel Morillon experienced a culture “different from what we’re used to seeing about Chinese culture.”

“Magnificent costumes, incredible dances that I hadn’t discovered yet!” Mr. Morillon, IT director of a marketing company in Marseille, said enthusiastically.

Mr. Morillon experienced a range of emotions, which he explained as follows: “The show is very well-paced, so at times it’s very energetic, at other times it makes you feel much greater emotions, especially during the scenes that are played out, the story is sometimes rather moving and indeed the feelings come up.”

The computer scientist was delighted to rediscover “all the aspects that are close to my heart, such as kindness, benevolence, everything that in fact emerges from everything Falun Gong stands for in terms of values.”

Indeed, Shen Yun artists practice this meditation discipline based on the principles of truth, benevolence, and tolerance. Shen Yun also exposes the ongoing persecution suffered by practitioners of this discipline, Falun Gong, since 1999. The Chinese Communist Party imprisons them, tortures them to death, and forced organ harvesting continues to this day.

For Mr. Morillon, the values of “kindness and benevolence” are essential, “especially now, with the political context we’re facing. It is of the utmost importance for all our civilizations, whatever they may be, to rediscover this benevolence in each of us, towards all men.”

In conclusion, the computer scientist was particularly moved by “the final scene, which is a representation, perhaps simple, but very understandable of what Falun Gong carries as very interesting values.”