NEW YORK—Francis Alessandro has been coming to see performances by Shen Yun Performing Arts in the New York area for years, and said he finds them entertaining and energizing every year.

Speaking after seeing Shen Yun’s New York company at Lincoln Center Jan. 15, Mr. Alessandro said, “It made me vibrant, and it’s exciting and it’s something different and it keeps your interest.”

“Sometimes you can fall asleep with a show, but this doesn’t make me fall asleep, this keeps you going all the time,” he said.

Shen Yun features classical Chinese and ethnic dances performed with a live orchestra that combines a full gamut of Western instruments with select traditional Eastern instruments.

Performances always include mini-dramas from Chinese legends and or literature, and a few pieces that highlight contemporary China.

“I think the stories are beautiful, it shows the whole the Chinese culture and it’s well done,” Mr. Alessandro said.

Alessandro does volunteer immigration work for Chinese, which he said gives him a greater understanding of the significance of the injustices portrayed on stage. “It’s true, they arrest them for doing that exercise,” he said referring to Falun Gong, a traditional spiritual practice that was banned by China’s communist leaders in 1999.

Mr. Alessandro attended this year’s Shen Yun performance by himself because his wife, who “used to love this” recently passed away.

“It’s unique, it’s colorful, and it’s different every year, it’s not the same thing repeated,” he said, adding that he plans to come again.

“I’ll be here next year,” he said.

Reporting by NTD Television and June Fakkert

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.