MELBOURNE, Australia—Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company held a matinee performance at the Melbourne State Theatre Arts Centre on March 29. Among the audience enjoying the performance were Shriram Iyer, professional multi-lingual singer, signed with Warner, and his wife Dr. Iyer.

Mr. Iyer has performed in over 2,000 shows in India and across the world, including the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He was enthralled with the Shen Yun performance.

“Very professionally presented. The dances were great. And the graphics behind the screen were very good as well. So we are very happy it was a good experience.”

He was captivated by the resounding voices of bel canto soloists sopranos Rachael Yuning Bastick and Min Jiang, and tenor Zhen Bei were an integral part of the Shen Yun experience.

“It was very good, very impressive, very nice. Obviously the words were displayed, but the performances were very professional.”

The animated digital backdrop and brilliantly colored costumes were very appealing to Mrs. Iyer. “Beautiful, really beautiful,” she said.

“It was very well coordinated. Everyone was very colorful and it was visually attractive, very rich,” Mr. Iyer said.

The divine theme that ran through the Shen Yun production was familiar to Mr. Iyer.

“We subscribe to that theme and so it resonated well with us. We were happy to see it being shown on a different platform.”

Mr. Iyer acknowledged the connection between his own culture and that of ancient China as portrayed by Shen Yun.

“We were talking about it, very similar. Very, very similar. It shows that you can be a different race, but in the end it is all the same philosophy.”

The impact of Shen Yun on society in these troubled times was good, he said.

“Everyone needs to have that universal message. I think in our culture we have a message that says the whole world is one family. I think that is what came through with this as well. I think it is very important that we get exposed to these themes and messages. Yes, more love, more compassion, more tolerance.”

“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,” the Shen Yun website says. “Its stunning beauty and tremendous energy leave audiences uplifted and inspired.”

“I think the message, as I said, is universal. If you talk about love, compassion, brotherhood, I think everyone understands that language, regardless of where they come from. I think it is very universal,” Mr. Iyer said.

“We live in multi-cultural Melbourne in Australia and so it is important to know about other cultures as well. I think children can benefit from that a lot.”

Being a professional artist himself, Mr. Iyer admired the performers’ ethics.

“Very good and it is good to see that they are based from New York and they have put in a lot of hard work. I am very impressed. It is our first time. We will come again next year maybe, hopefully, if you are here.”

So would the couple recommend the Shen Yun performance to their friends?

“We will. We will be putting it on Facebook and we will tell them. My band is called Saffron Groove, we have a lot of fans and so we will tell them,” Mr. Iyer said.

Reporting by Mary Chen and Christine Ford

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