HOUSTON—Mr.Stephen Sewell had been looking forward to his first performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts in New Orleans so much that when he happened to see the opportunity arise during his stay in Houston, he immediately bought tickets for opening night.

“It’s fascinating,” Mr. Sewell said at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston, Dec. 23.

Though familiar with China, Mr. Sewell said he'd never seen anything as culturally significant as that presented by Shen Yun even during his trips abroad to China.

For eight years, the New York-based Shen Yun has been working to revive the once, almost lost divine culture of 5,000 years.

“I love the costumes, the stories, and the history that goes with it,” Mr. Sewell said. “It’s well worth the trip.”

Mr. Sewell said he also enjoyed being able to watch dynasty after dynasty, as well as the take in the myriad emotions and themes so poignantly expressed through music and dance. Classical Chinese dance, of which comprises much of the performance, has helped preserve much of China’s traditional culture.

“Built on traditional aesthetics, it was once passed down among the people, in imperial courts, and through ancient plays,” the website reads. It has its own set of training methods, skills, specific postures, making it a vast and independent system of dance.

Through the dance and stories, Mr. Sewell found the vast range of emotions, including comedy, to be a pleasant surprise.

“There’s some very amusing parts, and it’s enjoyable,” he said.

And ready to see the performance again, he added, “I’ve already tickets to see it in New Orleans.”

Reporting by NTD Television and Catherine Yang

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.

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.