BALTIMORE—The 2014 performance of Shen Yun graced the stage of the Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric during the Jan. 18 matinee, when Karen Kauffman, Ph.D., saw Shen Yun for the first time.

Dr. Kauffman is an associate professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Nursing, specializing in gerontology.

Dr. Kauffman said that she got a view of Chinese culture through the history depicted by Shen Yun. “It’s all very beautiful,” she said.

Shen Yun revives 5,000 years of ancient culture and tradition through world-class dance, instrumentation, and vocal performances, all enhanced by a state-of-the-art digital backdrop that transports audience members to another place and time. Shen Yun takes the audience through China’s dynasties, bringing to life the ancient stories that have survived the test of time.

“These stories have been passed through generation to generation that describe living in China, and the history, and the spirituality, and the beliefs, and the way of life of people of China,” she said. “They’re stories that help people make sense out of their lives.”

Dr. Kauffman said that she was especially moved by the performance of a contemporary story, titled The Steadfast Lotus, about a mother and daughter who practice the spiritual meditation discipline of Falun Gong. The two are enjoying a peaceful moment together, and the mother gives her daughter a beautiful banner decorated with a lotus flower. But the moment “is shattered when Communist Party police arrive to take the mother away,” according to the program.

“The torture and the cruelty, and the inability to live peaceful lives—that touched my heart,” Dr. Kauffman said, moved by way this story was performed. “But the beauty of it all, and the sincerity and the serenity—very difficult movements are really impressive.”

Reporting by NTD Television and Gary Feuerberg

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.