SEATTLE—“You know, when I was looking forward to this, I just didn’t know what to expect. And it’s been really marvelous,” said Charlcia Fendell, an early education specialist from Yakima, Wash. “Almost brings you to tears at times.”

Shen Yun took the stage for the second night of its 2016 Seattle-run of performances at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall on April 9. Shen Yun specializes in classical Chinese dance, a live orchestra combining Western orchestration with Chinese instruments, and a state-of-the-art digital backdrop that supplements the performance’s portrayal of China’s 5,000 years of traditional culture through story-dances.

Shen Yun is a one-of-a-kind performance in every sense of the word. Moreover, it cannot be seen in China today.

In this way, Ms. Fendell said she was especially impressed by the “realistic picture” Shen Yun depicted of the oppression wrought upon China by the communist regime. “The depiction of the red guard and the communist China,” she said, was a point of great interest. “And so that was refreshing to see.”

Ms. Fendell said she was brought to tears by the stories representing the persecution of the spiritual practice Falun Gong. Falun Gong is guided by the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, and has helped millions of Chinese embrace the true essence of Chinese culture, thought, and spirituality.

“And yet,” according to the Shen Yun website, “the Chinese Communist Party, whose regime and ideology are in stark contrast with the traditional culture of China, has targeted Falun Gong for persecution.”

Ms. Fendell said she was touched by the practitioners’ perseverance amid “the persecution and how they were resilient through it.”

Reporting by Michael Green and Michael Fitzgerald

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.

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.