PERTH, Australia—“It was beyond my expectations. Absolutely delightful,” said Wendy Hawley, director of Clockwork Print after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts, at the Perth Regal Centre, on May 1.

“The music was delightful, the orchestra was brilliant, the dancers and the whole performance, the choreography was tremendous,” she said.

“With state-of-the-art graphics technology, Shen Yun’s digital-backdrop team creates vividly animated settings, extending the stage and transporting the audience to a world where heaven and earth are one,” says the Shen Yun website.

“The backdrop was effective and I thought the timing where you’ve got the backdrop and the graphics of the gods and then obviously the dancers disappear in split timing so they could take on the role,” she said. “It was fun, it really was.”

Shen Yun is based in up-state New York and has classical Chinese dance at its heart. The website explains, “Classical Chinese dance is composed of three main parts: bearing, form, and technical skill. Other than complete training in the fundamentals, it also entails systematic training in movements and postures, as well as very difficult jumping and tumbling techniques. And so, alongside ballet, classical Chinese dance is one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.”

“Very beautiful!” Ms. Hawley said. “Tremendous performers! I just think they’re so talented, and years and years of hard work I think, to reach the sorts of standards they have. It was delightful. Everything was just very graphic, very visual, it was wonderful. I really enjoyed it.”

She was struck by the colours, “Colours were tremendous. Absolutely wonderful! Dazzling colours! The balances and blends! I really enjoyed it enormously. It was lovely.”

Ms. Hawley felt it was a pity the people in China cannot see Shen Yun.

“Because the restrictions in China now, it’s not possible for the people there to celebrate their heritage, which outside China, through this dance and music company, they can actually show people, as they travel around the world with their performances, the history of China going back 5000 years and that it’s not possible to do that within China in the present day.”

The website explains, “Shen Yun cannot be seen in China today, where traditional culture has been nearly lost. Yet Shen Yun—a non-profit organization—has become an international phenomenon, bringing the wonders of ancient Chinese culture to millions across the globe.”

“It’s an enormous shame because it’s a restriction on liberty so it’s obviously not a good thing… if they can’t celebrate their heritage, they can’t celebrate their history or their religion or beliefs that an individual has,” said Ms. Hawley.

She thought Shen Yun was “Fantastic. Absolutely wonderful,” and wanted to share it with her friends and work colleagues.

“Tomorrow when I go to the office, I will be telling people that it was tremendous and they should try and get down here and see if there are any tickets available. I would certainly recommend that people come and have a look,” she said.

“So whether you’re into a colour spectacle or you enjoy the dance or the music, it’s really worth something; and it’s a different experience, it’s a different culture.”

Reporting by NTD Television and Christine Ford

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.