WASHINGTON, D.C.—The gorgeous colors of the costumes reminded him of the Chinese paintings he once studied. The way the lighting produced beautiful effects on the clothes completely entranced him.

Karl Hille was at the Feb. 17 performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C. He said that the performance allowed him to become acquainted with Chinese culture once again. Hille, now retired from a career in waste water management, had taken East Asian history courses when he was in college.

“I really like the Southern Song dynasty paintings. And the Sui Dynasty, they had some beautiful art too,” he said. “5,000 years of history is astounding.”

Shen Yun’s mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture through music and dance. Mr. Hille, who viewed the show with his wife, Barbara, not only found the messages of spirituality throughout the performance inspiring, but he felt the same about the breathtaking visual effects.

Mr. Hille was enthralled by the display of colors seen in the dancers’ costumes, which transformed according to their choreographed movements. Because he has taken on a hobby of making sandglass lamps, he was especially appreciative of the visual dynamics.

Mr. Hille’s favorite number was ‘Fairies of the Sea,’ where Shen Yun performers depicted rippling waves through their silk fans and blue skirts.

Mrs. Hille was similarly impressed. “It looked like water was flowing, the blue cloth. They had undulating-like water. It was beautiful,” she said.

Reporting by Sherry Dong and Annie Wu

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.

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.