WASHINGTON—Shen Yun Performing Arts opened its eighth of ten shows this year at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2015.

In the audience was John Michael, a former government official, diplomat and international radio broadcaster at Voice of America.

Shen Yun “was fantastic … divine … and it transports us to ancient times. It is an achievement of arts and culture, which always is an inalienable part of life of human beings,” he said.

“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,” said Shen Yun website.

Watching Shen Yun “gave us a hope, that one day, things will be better in China, for the people,” Mr. Michael continued.

“And of course, such unique performance, such unique representation of the classical China’s opera and music, are very real, very wonderful for us. I am very grateful that we bought tickets for Shen Yun,” he said.

Prophetic

Shen Yun “is giving hope to people, a hope that is higher than regular theories, ... And probably in the future, all of mankind will return to spirituality as depicted by Shen Yun ... Foremost, it is because these performers bring to us what we should all understand, the protection of human rights,” said Mr. Michael.

For Mr. Michael, Shen Yun was “prophetic.” It heralds “the beginning of a new era, which is not the end of the world, which is only symbolic of things yet to come.”

“The show opens a tiny little page for us to read, to think about, and to meditate on. It wants us to see the grandeur of this magic thing, which we don’t see. It is not a thing like money that you feel, it is something in our heart,” he said.

“Shen Yun dances recount ancient myths, bygone heroes, or celestial paradises. Whether set in the past or in contemporary China, every dance embodies traditional Chinese values. Ideals of loyalty, filial piety, and veneration for the divine are cherished and celebrated. Heroes are extolled for their compassion and tolerance as much as their courage or determination when facing adversity,” said Shen Yun website.

Impressive

Lutz Baehr, retired director of the Center of Science and Technology for Development at the United Nations, and his wife Bichaien Baehr, a former French teacher in Vietnam, were among Shen Yun’s audience.

“Shen Yun brings culture to the world,” said Mr. Baehr.

Shen Yun was a unique show because it “links the audience to the history of China and is also excellent entertainment,” he said.

Ms. Baehr said that the dance performances were very “impressive.” And “the music was excellent and the choreography was outstanding.”

According to Shen Yun website, “A Shen Yun performance features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops—together creating one spectacular performance.”

Uplifting and Joyful

Art Wojtowicz, a technical writer at Capital One, Elisa Park, a Reverend and social work consultant, and Vance Brown, a Pastor and administrator at Providence Hospital, enjoyed Shen Yun during the matinée performance at the Kennedy Center on April 25.

“I would describe the show as heavenly. It is full of light and color, depicting difficult and dark times sometimes, but always in a way that is uplifting and joyful,” he said.

He continued, “The face off between evil and truth in some of the scenes were well done. And when truth wins and defeats evil, then truth is uplifted. I thought that was really a beautiful message and it was portrayed more than once.”

According to Shen Yun, the performances “stunning beauty and tremendous energy leave audiences uplifted and inspired.”

Ms. Brown agrees with Mr. Wojtowicz and said, “you overcome evil with good … I saw that illustrated in a very powerful way … and it resonated with me.”

On a deeper level, Ms. Brown thought that “sometimes, some art forms fail to be an expression of beauty and sometimes I feel like our culture is decaying. However, this show just showed a very vibrant culture with the emphasis on joy.”

Reporting by NTD Television, Sherry Dong and Heide Malhotra

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

Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reaction since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006