WASHINGTON—Mary Kay, a retired federal government employee who worked for the U.S. Senate, and her cousins, braved the Washington snow blizzard to see Shen Yun Performing Arts’ opening performance at the Kennedy Center Opera House on Jan. 21.

“My cousins Bill and Marthy came all the way from Delaware just to see this performance,” said Ms. Kay.

She added, “I grew up in Washington. I’ve been to the Kennedy Center many times. But I wish I had come sooner to see this performance. I will come again and I will bring friends. it was just beautiful.”

According to Shen Yun’s website, the New York-based company “presents colorful and exhilarating performances of classical Chinese dance and music. A performance by Shen Yun is a presentation of traditional Chinese culture as it once was: a study in grace, wisdom, and the virtues distilled from the five millennia of Chinese civilization.”

“It was breathtaking. I just didn’t expect anything like that. It was the most graceful performance I have ever seen,” said Ms. Kay.

“This show was the most graceful, uplifting performance I’ve ever seen in my life. I completely forgot about the snowstorm here. It was just magical. It was better than any other dance performance I’ve seen.”

“Shen Yun enjoys the artistic freedom of New York, enabling it to now bring these ancient traditions to the stage. Shen Yun and its mission have drawn top talent from around the world; many artists are winners of international competitions in dance, choreography, and music,” according to an article on the Shen Yun website.

Ms. Kay was amazed and delighted to have been able to see Shen Yun. “It was beautiful. We learned so much just about Chinese culture and the tales and the stories I’ve never heard before.”

“One of the features that strike audience members most is Shen Yun’s colorful costumes. These hundreds of gorgeous, hand-made garments span China’s dynasties, regions, and ethnic groups,” the Shen Yun website states.

Just like many others from the audiences Ms. Kay said that “the costumes reminded [her] of looking through a kaleidoscope of different colors.”

Not forgetting the dancers, she said, “The dancers are most graceful. and the dancing was just suburb.”

She mused about how the performance made her feel. “It was a feeling of love and peacefulness—Like the lotus blossom. It was just a feeling of Zen. It was just peaceful, beautiful, and exciting at the same time.”

Reporting by Jenny Jing and Heide B. Malhotra

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.