SCHENECTADY, N.Y.—One of the first things Anna Ding said about Shen Yun Performing Arts after seeing it was “I will come and see it again next year.”

“The dancing is fabulous.” “Very professional.” “Very beautiful.” “I loved it all,” were her next words.

Shen Yun is a New York-based classical Chinese dance and music company. Performances are accompanied by a live orchestra combining Chinese and Western instruments, a state-of-the-art animated backdrop, and vivid colorful costumery. Its performances are acclaimed on five continents.

Mrs. Ding saw Shen Yun with her husband at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, New York, on April 27.

She used to be a ballet dancer—with the first Robert Joffrey Ballet Company in New York City. Having also performed on Broadway for four years, she was “very conscious of the training and pointed toes and beautiful extensions” of Shen Yun’s dancers.

“I was like on pins and needles,” she added. “It was stunning.” “There is just … such a pleasure to see all these beautiful faces and the coordination.”

Shen Yun’s mission is to restore China’s 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture. Mrs. Ding said she found the cultural element “very beautiful and very enticing.”

Her husband, Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Kennedy, also loved the performance and was very impressed.

“I loved the way they interacted with the film, and I thought that was very imaginative,” Mr. Kennedy said, noting that he wrote about something similar in one of his 12 books.

He said that for him there is nothing in the world like Chinese culture.

“It takes over my imagination very easily, very quickly, and it’s so beautiful, the dance,” Mr. Kennedy said.

He said he would take home from his night with Shen Yun the mythology, the history, and the ancient dynasties.

Mrs. Ding said she had talked her husband into taking her to Shen Yun, and she was thrilled that they both enjoyed it so much. “He came and he loved it. He really, really loved it.”

Reporting by Hannah Cai and Ananda West

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