SAN FRANCISCO—Among the theatergoers at Shen Yun’s Sunday matinee at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House was Andre Haddad, CEO of Relay Rides.

“I like it a lot,” said Mr. Haddad following the performance.

Before joining Relay Rides in 2011 Mr. Haddad served as CEO of shopping.com, a company that eBay acquired for $600M in 2005, according to Relayrides.com. Mr. Haddad also served as Senior Vice President of products at eBay where he also served as GM for eBay’s Europe.

Mr. Haddad explains Relay Rides as, “We’re an internet company. We provide person-to-person car rental marketplace.”

Shen Yun’s 2014 San Francisco tour was Mr. Haddad’s first exposure to traditional Chinese culture as presented by Shen Yun onstage.

“It’s actually quite interesting. I liked it a lot, I enjoyed it,” Mr. Haddad said.

Shen Yun’s website explains the connection between Shen Yun and traditional Chinese culture.

“Sophisticated dance techniques, an orchestra joining instruments from both the East and West, beautiful costumes, and a stunning back drop—this is Shen Yun at first glance. But digging deeper, one discovers a sea of traditional Chinese culture. Mortals and divine beings merge on stage as one. Principles such as benevolence and justice, propriety and wisdom, respect for the heavens, and divine retribution, all come to life, washing over the audience,” states Shenyun.com.

The values and traditions of Chinese culture are not familiar, says Mr. Haddad, but he enjoyed them and felt it was very accessible for non-Chinese.

“For me, it’s an introduction to ancient Chinese culture. I’m not very familiar with Chinese culture, certainly not the ancient Chinese culture, and I think it’s a very accessible way for non-Chinese people to access that culture,” says Mr. Haddad.

With reporting by Alex Ma

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.