Audience members enjoy the Shen Yun Perfroming Arts show at the Bell Theater in Augusta, Ga. on Dec. 19, 2009. (Renee Luo/The Epoch Times)

AUGUSTA, Ga.—For the second year in a row, Georgia’s second largest city, Augusta, hosted Shen Yun Performing Arts. Augusta was settled during Colonial times, and was a center of trade and civilization for Native Americans thousands of years ago. This was the location of the Shen Yun 2010 world tour debut. The company has produced new songs, music, dances, and bilingual banter for this season. Stormy weather yielded to cold, clear weather by the time of the matinee. Last year Augusta had one performance, and this year it had two.

Bell Theater resounded with applause again and again during the show. During Hong Ming’s tenor aria, a voice cried, “Bravo,” and when the Master of Ceremonies suggested an encore, some audience members screamed their approval. Each show garnered a standing ovation.

As happened across the world last year, people burst into applause during spectacular moments. Gasps were heard.

Many in the audience spoke of the beauty of the backdrops and costumes, the quality of the music, and the perfection of the dancers.

Businesspeople and artists, soldiers and doctors, children, teenagers and elders came to the show. People of all ethnicities filled the seats.

A former dancer with the Atlanta Ballet made a 300 mile round trip to see what he described as “Gorgeous. Beautiful… It was a glorious show.” He attended dance school in Beijing with Principal Dancer Yungchia Chen.

A retired admiral said he loved the show and felt an affinity with Chinese culture because he was originally from Asia. Another military man had bought more tickets as he decided to invite more people.

One couple planned to marry the next day, another couple was celebrating their anniversary, and two people gave tickets as gifts to their sweethearts.

An executive said, “This was the best thing I could have done this weekend—period!” She felt it made a perfect Christmas experience and planned to insist that her family in California attend.

Shen Yun lightened hearts and left them smiling. People who saw it last year returned. More than one planned to follow it to other cities.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org