HOUSTON—Shen Yun Performing Arts was a magical experience filled with heart and symbolism for Norm Spalding, vice president of GE Commercial Finance.

Mr. Spalding attended the performance with his friend Tiina Johnson, who is in sales, after Ms. Johnson’s daughter saw posters for New York-based Shen Yun and brought the two to the performance at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston, Dec. 26.

“Wonderful, wonderful. It’s beautiful, it’s interesting, we love the culture,” Ms. Johnson said. She added that the performance was just magical.

Shen Yun’s revival of the divinely inspired culture takes the audience on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. From celestial beings to Manchurian princesses, Shen Yun’s performers portray a wide range of characters through the expressive classical Chinese dance. 

According to Shen Yun’s website, traditional Chinese culture is believed to be inspired by the heavens, and one special heavenly connection lies in Chinese attire. “It is this special connection that made the historical Han clothing so multifaceted and rich in design,” the website states. The Han people are the majority ethnic group of China.

Shen Yun’s costumes, in brilliant color, give the audience a window into that divinely inspired traditional culture.

“It is beauty added to the dark winter day,” Ms. Johnson said.

Mr. Spalding said what he liked best was that the beauty of Shen Yun held deeper meanings and he saw symbolism in the music of the performance.

“There’s symbolism ... what the meaning of the song is,” Mr. Spalding said. Along with dance, Shen Yun’s performances include solo vocalists singing original Chinese compositions in the bel canto style. The lyrics and their translation are projected onto the digital backdrop, and are “brimming with philosophical reflection about human life and containing deep layers of meaning,” the website states.

Mr. Spalding said he saw that same symbolism in the rest of the performance as well. “That’s what I got out of it,” he 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.