AMNÉVILLE, France—With its captivating presentation of classical Chinese dance and live orchestral music, Shen Yun Performing Arts opened its new season in the northern French town of Amnéville on Dec. 18.

For Jean-Louis Janin Daviet, art curator at the Musée de l'Hôtel Abbatial in the nearby town of Lunéville, seeing Shen Yun was an experience of “real immersion.”

“It’s a journey we dreamed of taking, and it’s a successful journey. A journey made successful by color,” said Mr. Daviet.

Throughout his career, Mr. Daviet has served as a director for a number of artistic and cultural organizations, and is a recipient of France’s Order of Arts and Letters, a prestigious award managed by the French Ministry of culture that honors those who make significant contributions to arts, literature, and culture.

Elaborating on the immersive experience he had seeing Shen Yun, Mr. Daviet said he felt as though he was part of the show, able to sense and absorb each scene.

“You almost feel like you can smell the lotus flowers when they are carried by the [female dancers],” he said.

Mr. Daviet praised the artistry and beauty in Shen Yun, saying all the different elements in the show were in harmony, and the dances had “flawless choreography.”

“What’s very strange is that, between the use of digital imagery, the characters coming out of the screen, disappearing, and the absolutely flawless choreography, you don’t really know if it’s reality or if it’s images. It’s truly extraordinary,” he said, referring to Shen Yun’s state-of-the-art animated backdrops that interact with the dances on stage.

When it comes to the vibrant colors, Mr. Daviet said Shen Yun provides a “magical” experience with the many costumes and images shown on the stage.

“The costumes are extraordinary,” he said. “These young women fly across the floor, and these sleeves are like ribbons; it’s as if their bodies become supple, light, silky, just like they are.”

“The [orchestra] fascinates me—so it’s the music, it’s the smell, it’s the colors, it’s the scents—all my senses, I think, are alert, and you feel carried away. You feel light.”

Mr. Daviet also resonated with the theme of China’s divinely inspired culture as presented in the performance, referring to the opening scene that shows divine beings descend to earth.

“What I liked about the plurality of characters that follow this image is all the possibilities of characters—I would almost say of all nationalities, all ethnicities, all gods—who can watch over us,” he said.

“It’s incredible to watch all of this,” said Ms. Hoellermann, who serves as a manager for the company. “I’m very fascinated, to be honest, what they are doing, how they are doing [the performance], what kind of body language they have.”

Ms. Hoellermann said she learned a lot about classical Chinese dance through Shen Yun, and commended the artists for their “bravery” in the face of pressure from the Chinese regime.

“They cannot really return to China … that is very interesting and very brave of them,” she said.

Jens Hoellermann, who serves as the director of their company, said Shen Yun’s performance is very artistic and elegant.

“Seeing these artists performing gives a sense of elegance, a sense of harmony, and all that, and it’s a pleasure watching it,” he said.