ESCONDIDO, Calif.—With much applause and fanfare, Shen Yun Performing Arts kicked off the San Diego leg of their tour on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

Eager to attend on opening night were Chard Gonzalez and his grandmother. Chard is a dancer and artistic director at Chard Gonzalez Dance Theatre.

His theater group is based in New Orleans and is a non-profit organization dedicated “to amplify the talents of dance theatre artists and to enhance the public’s appreciation of dance theatre through performance, education and advocacy.” Dance Theater is a combination of dance and drama.

Mr. Gonzalez previously worked in New York in Taiwanese dance, a nation greatly influenced by China’s traditional culture. This enriched his appreciation for Shen Yun.

He described the performance as “beautiful, stunning. The dancers are amazing, and all very consistent. You can look at each individual and they have their own expression still, but move in perfect unison.”

Classical Chinese dance is known for the broad range of meaning and content it can communicate. According to the Shen Yun website, “China’s deep cultural traditions are contained in classical Chinese dance, allowing its movements to be richly expressive, such that the personalities and feelings of characters can be portrayed with unparalleled clarity.”

One aspect of modern dance that the website for Chard Gonzalez Dance Theatre touches on is how “dancers need to be savvy with new technology which is being used more often all over the dance world.”

It is no doubt that Mr. Gonzalez had his eye on Shen Yun’s stunning animated backdrops.

According to the Shen Yun website, “These digital backdrop designs complement and synchronize all aspects of the performance: the characters, color of the costumes, specific dance movements, props, lighting, the story being told, particular notes played by the orchestra, and special audio effects.”

When asked her thoughts on the Shen Yun performance, Mr. Gonzalez’s grandmother said, “I love it. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen anything like it, and I loved it. Every bit of it—I loved it. ”

Reporting by Sophia Fang and Miles Segni

Shen Yun will continue their performances in San Diego from Thursday, Feb. 27 until Sunday, March 2.

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.