Sara said she enjoyed everything, “especially the flowers,” and Ted agreed.

Ted said that he and Sara rarely go to the theater, but “it was worth it.”

“Everything’s beautiful, just mesmerizing: the visuals, everything.”

The “Plum Blossoms in Spring” dance touched Ted deeply.

“Just seeing the colors and the way they maneuvered the flowers to make them bloom,” he said of the dancers.

“It’s good for the soul; it heals. During these times that we’re going through, we need something like this,” he said.

She said the performance reminded her why she needs to go to church. “Because we’re so blessed and very privileged that we can go,” she said. “Our freedom is just unbelievable. [In] China, some people really would give their lives not to be held back.”

She felt happy for the freedom she enjoys in America. “We tend to forget because we are very blessed to have that liberty here in the United States.”

Ted concurred: “I mean, we take for granted the freedom that we have to worship, however, we want to worship. And this reminds us how, not just China, but many countries around the world right now don’t have that freedom. It’s good to open our eyes and make us not take things for granted. Enjoy every day that we have here.”

Attorney Rene Decoss and nurse-midwife Laurie Bertolini attended Shen Yun Performing Arts for the second time on April 23.

“Everything is wonderful. We can’t wait for them to come back next year,” she said.

“I love it. Spirit is very, very, very strong with every culture, but in Chinese culture, it’s so traditional, and it’s carried from one family member to the next, and through the generations. It’s very impressive. I think it’s something that we all need to be in touch with.”

Laurie said her son especially liked the Monkey King dance story. “I think some interesting stories were told, and lessons learned,” she said.

Laurie said the story of the persecution faced by the peaceful Chinese spiritual practice Falun Gong should be told.

“It brings the spotlight [on] something that I think the whole world should be paying attention to because that is something that is still going on,” she said. “The attention span of people is very short, and with so many things happening around the world, we tend to overlook certain things that have not been corrected.

“And where people are suffering, it’s very important to bring awareness,” she said.