SAN FRANCISCO—Deborah and Craig Johnson, co-owners of the regional sales company Clipper Controls, are frequent patrons of the theater and were looking for a new experience—which they found in Shen Yun Performing Arts at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, Jan. 9.

“Just the freshness—it’s very different from anything I’ve seen before,” Mrs. Johnson said at intermission. “We’ve been to so many plays and musicals, operas, everything.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun artists came from around the globe in 2006 to revive the divinely inspired culture through the universal languages of music and dance.

Mrs. Johnson said, watching the performance, she felt a sense of pride for the culture and learning about it through the performance.

“I’m really, really impressed,” Mrs. Johnson. “The costumes—perfect. Very, very nicely done.”

Every performance includes hundreds of costume pieces, and each costume is a spectacle, Shen Yun’s website explains. Shen Yun’s brilliant costumes give the audience a sense of authentic traditional Chinese attire, which is said to be inspired by the heavens.

“Outstanding dances,” Mr. Johnson said. “Very beautiful, very majestic.”

The couple said watching Shen Yun was a joyful experience and fun for the both of them. They recalled the female dancers in one piece as Manchurian princesses, wearing high-heeled shoes—with no heel at all. The dancers had portrayed graceful but playful princesses of the 17th century, which Mrs. Johnson would like to emulate.

“It’s very joyful; it’s very joyful,” Mrs. Johnson said.

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.