Dawn and Lee West attend Shen Yun at the Detroit Opera House, on Jan. 26. (Charlie Lu/The Epoch Times)

DETROIT—Dubbed as the leading classical Chinese dance and music company by audiences world-wide, Shen Yun Performing Arts staged the first of five shows at the Detroit Opera House, Jan. 26.

Lee West, supervisor at Ford Motor Company and his wife Dawn were amidst the many theatergoers at the Thursday evening’s presentation.

“I thought it was very entertaining,” Mr. West said. “I liked all the colors and the dancing. It was very relaxing—very nice.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun captures the essence of 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture in story-based dance, supported by hi-tech digital backdrops and a full orchestral ensemble playing a blend of ancient Chinese and modern Western instrumentals in all-original composition.

Mr. West enjoyed the dances, choreographed to move in synchronized patterns, especially in the dance Lotus Leaves that use fans as stage props.

“I liked that one a lot. I liked the pattern, the color and the dancing. It just looked really elegant,” he said.

Continuing, Mr. West added How the Monkey King Came In and Joyful Little Monks to his list.

“The monkey king was good and so were the monks … the little monks were pretty cool. That was fun.”

Shen Yun is unique. Unlike other shows, there are emcees who interact with the audience introducing each segment.

“I think the presenters that are out there speaking about it beforehand, they do a pretty good job of explaining what to expect and it makes it easier to comprehend and understand the message the [Shen Yun artists] are trying to convey in their dances,” Mr. West said.

Also, he said the digital backdrops were “pretty neat, where people come down from the video and pop up on stage. I thought was pretty slick.”

Mr. West said he was “definitely” going to pass on his experience of Shen Yun to family members and co-workers.

“It’s very entertaining … ,” he said.

Reporting by Charlie Lu and Andrew R. Darin .

Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture and stages performances of mainly classical Chinese dance. The International Company, one of Shen Yun’s three equally large companies, will perform in the Detroit Opera House, Detroit, through Jan. 29.

For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts.