THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.—Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company played to a spirited audience that sold out Fred Kavli Theatre mid-week on March 19.

Bruce Douglass, who has extensive executive experience in the automobile parts industry and is currently president and CEO of Fast Stowe, enjoyed the performance with friend Debra Jordan, a high school math teacher.

“I think it’s terrific,” Mr. Douglass said. “It’s very colorful.”

Ms. Jordan had similar sentiments. Before she even watched Shen Yun, she was recommending it to her friends.

“Before I came, I told everyone about this,” she said.

Both she and Mr. Douglass are arts enthusiasts.

“We both love all this,” she said, adding that she wished she could bring her students to the performance.

“I really believe my students would love something like this.”

Shen Yun is a non-profit, New York-based classical Chinese dance and music company that tours the world six months out of the year on its mission to revive traditional Chinese culture.

Shen Yun’s website describes the performance: “Through the universal language of music and dance, Shen Yun weaves a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends, and modern heroic tales, taking you on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese culture. Its stunning beauty and tremendous energy leave audiences uplifted and inspired.”

One aspect of Shen Yun’s stunning beauty that Mr. Douglass was referring to was the costumes.

Shen Yun’s costume artists use brilliant colors to create hundreds of handmade pieces each season.

“Their objective is an authentic presentation of the attire that comes from China’s divinely inspired traditional culture, and a consummate stage effect,” says the company website.

Another major feature of the performance is the Shen Yun Performing Arts Orchestra, which is unique in that it combines classical Western and traditional Chinese instruments, which impressed Mr. Douglass.

“The live orchestra is always a draw for me, because I like music. I love the sound of a violin,” he said. “The percussion was terrific.”

Ms. Jordan felt a particular connection to the dance Mongolian Chopsticks, where young male dancers engage in vibrant, synchronized movement using bunches of chopsticks to create a crisp, energizing staccato beat.

She said that her father is Russian and was born in Manchuria.

“I’m trying to figure out how I might get my dad here, to watch all this,” she said.

Throughout the entire performance, from the beginning piece to the last, there is a connection between heaven, earth, and mankind. China was once known as the Land of the Divine, where spirituality was imbued in the culture.

“Eastern cultures mean a lot to me,” said Mr. Douglass, who said he clearly can appreciate the universal beliefs of Chinese culture.

Both Mr. Douglass and Ms. Jordan said they would recommend Shen You to their friends.

Reporting by Albert Roman

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