CHICAGO—Professor Eileen Marutzky was surprised by the Shen Yun performance in Chicago’s Civic Opera House Wednesday night.

“It’s not what I expected,” Mrs. Marutzky said. “I thought it would be more Las Vegas like, but it’s very, very divine. There’s a lot of precision, it’s dreamy, the special effects are phenomenal, the dancing is phenomenal.”

A Professor of Law and Accounting at DePaul University, Mrs. Marutzky attended with son Billy Marutzky, who raises money for political campaigns.

“We were just saying we are glad we came,” Mrs.  Marutzky said.

“It’s very traditional,” added Mr. Marutzky. “Very extravagant, we love it, it’s very good!”

Mrs. Marutzky wanted to see Shen Yun so that she could connect better with her Chinese students. She feels Shen Yun has helped in her understanding of Chinese culture.

“Well, I have a lot of international students,” continued Mrs. Marutzky. “I have many Chinese students so I am starting to learn a lot more about the culture because I’ve never visited there. And, yes, I would say I learned a lot about the culture, and this has helped. It’s a very sophisticated production. I guess that would be the word I'd use. It’s quiet and dreamy.”

Two of the dances depict the persecution of practitioners of the meditation discipline Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) in today’s China, and Mrs. Marutzky found those particularly striking.

“I was touched,” added the professor. “I was very touched. It was emotional.”

Reporting by Theresa You and Paul Darin

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