LAS VEGAS—Lt. Col. David Sellen, operations officer at the 17th Sustainment Brigade and adjunct faculty at School of Public Safety of Kaplan University, came to see Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company at Reynolds Hall in The Smith Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 22 with his wife. 

“It’s awesome, it’s been wonderful,” said Lt. Col. Sellen about the performance. 

Shen Yun is an independent, nonprofit New York-based performing arts company. It was formed in 2006 with the mission of reviving 5,000 years of Chinese civilization through dance and music.

“A Shen Yun performance features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops—together creating one spectacular performance,” explains the Shen Yun website. 

“I like the wardrobe that they’re wearing. It’s very charismatic, it flows, it keeps your eyes going. It’s very nice,” said Lt. Col. Sellen. “And the long sleeves accentuate what they’re doing there. It really adds to it. So it’s very colorful.”

“Every costume in a Shen Yun performance is presented with brilliant colors, displaying a splendid spectacle,” states the website. “The designers stress harmonic balance and contrast. Their objective is an authentic presentation of the attire that comes from China’s divinely inspired traditional culture, and a consummate stage effect.” 

The Sellens said they liked all the dance pieces, especially “Lantern Joy,” in which dancers carry glowing lantern during the Lantern Festival in celebration of the Chinese New Year.

“Chinese dance is at the heart of what Shen Yun does. Known for its incredible flips and spins, and its gentle elegance, it is one of the most rigorous and expressive art forms in the world,” explains the website.

Lt. Col. Sellen also commented on the singing performance, “That was a surprise! I didn’t know that was going to happen until it happened. So, it was very nice.” He added that he liked that the English translation appeared on the backdrop. 

Music is an important component of Shen Yun, with each dance supported by the Shen Yun Orchestra. The orchestra is unique in that it combines Chinese instruments with a Western-style symphonic orchestra. 

“It’s great, it’s wonderful,” he said of the Shen Yun Orchestra. “We like that style and combination, the Western classical and Chinese. We like the Chinese style of the instruments. It’s very pleasing and very relaxing.”

The animated digital backdrops also caught his fancy. “It adds to it. It’s good! I think that technology helps present the story in a way they intend to,” said Lt. Col. Sellen.

“It’s wonderful!” he concluded. 

Reporting by Zheng Qu and Thanh Le

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.