HOUSTON—Mesmerized by Shen Yun Performing Arts last year, Kenny McCormick, a business development manager for the oil and gas company Phoenix QC, decided to celebrate his ex-wife’s birthday as well as the beginning of 2016 by buying the two of them tickets to see Shen Yun together this year at Houston’s Jones Hall for the Performing Arts on Jan. 1.

As a textile designer, Martha McCormick found Shen Yun visually stunning. “It was amazing—the colors, the beauty, the dance, the movement. Everything was so in place, so pretty.”

The New York-based company showcases China’s 5,000 years of history as well as authentic Chinese culture with a combination of classical Chinese dancing and a unique orchestra combining Eastern and Western instruments.

In our hectic everyday lives, Mrs. McCormick said, people are always rushing to and fro with little time to appreciate the beauty of life. But seeing Shen Yun was a breath of fresh air. “It’s like a gift for the spirit,” Mrs. McCormick said.

Within Shen Yun, Ms. McCormick saw immense beauty: “the beauty of the human body, the beauty of the designs, the beauty of the color, the beauty of the music, the beauty of the ocean, of the heaven, of nature—the beauty in every aspect,” she said.

Mr. McCormick particularly appreciated the spirituality and faith conveyed by Shen Yun. He felt it was universal, something anyone can relate to and understand, and noted how this aspect of the performance made him feel very emotional, he said.

Ms. McCormick also appreciated the spirituality and profound veneration for the divine embedded throughout the performance. “It’s something really pure,” she commented, and the performance made her feel a wonderful sense of peace.

The Chinese traditionally believed that Chinese culture was given to humans by the gods, and the performers use their art to celebrate the divine, depicting scenes of heavenly deities and drawing on their spiritual faith in many parts of the program.

Also fundamental to Shen Yun is a moral fiber that goes hand in hand with the artists’ veneration of the divine, according to the program. In all aspects of their performance, the artists strive to convey traditional Chinese moral values like compassion, forbearance, loyalty, and piety.

Mr. McCormick loved the underlying theme of Shen Yun about human righteousness, especially in the face of corrupt governments like the Chinese regime, which has oppressed and persecuted traditional Chinese culture and beliefs for the past several decades.

“Being a good person, taking care of others—you get that out of this show,” he said.

Walking out of the theater, Mr. McCormick felt Shen Yun instilled within him a sense of hope for mankind.

“I have my doubts because I know what is going on around the world but when you see something of this, it does give you hope,” he said.

Reporting by Sherry Dong, Stacy Chen, and Irene Luo

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.