HOUSTON—On the evening of Jan. 30, Shen Yun New World Company opened its Houston-area run with a sold-out performance at the CFISD Visual and Performing Arts Center in Cypress, Texas.

An enthusiastic audience marked the company’s seventh performance of the season in the greater Houston area, following six nearly sold-out shows earlier in Downtown Houston.

Among the audience were retired oil engineer John Kmetz and his wife, Cindy Kmetz. Mr. Kmetz was a senior corporate executive before his retirement. After the performance, the couple said they were impressed by the spiritual themes conveyed on stage, as well as the performers’ remarkable athleticism and artistry.

“The choreography is wonderful,” he said. “It is amazing to me that they are able to, with such precision, dance and then jump in and out of the screen. We’ve seen lots of shows with big screens, but we’ve never seen anybody interact so much with the screen. The backgrounds are beautiful. Very creative—extremely.”

Mrs. Kmetz agreed, adding that the artists’ physical abilities stood out to her as well.

“They’re very talented,” she said. “Very acrobatic.”

Mr. Kmetz also expressed admiration for the dancers’ strength and skill.

“I really enjoyed the strength of the dancers, the way they’re incredibly talented—very acrobatic. So they’re between gymnasts and dancers, really,” he said.

Through classical Chinese, folk, and story-based dances, the artists showcase China’s diverse ethnic groups and bring its rich history and culture to life.

Both husband and wife described the overall feeling of the performance as calm and uplifting. Mrs. Kmetz said the peaceful quality of the dance left a strong impression on her.

“It’s very peaceful,” she said. “I like that. I like how it’s creative and learning about how it’s tied to the divine, it’s very nice.”

“I like the spirituality too,” Mr. Kmetz said. Mrs. Kmetz added that she appreciated the historical context presented on stage, particularly the depiction of how traditional culture has been suppressed under communism in China.

Mr. Kmetz praised Shen Yun’s commitment to preserving and sharing China’s ancient culture. He noted that this effort carries special meaning in today’s world.

“It’s interesting seeing the culture, the old Chinese dance—very old Chinese dance,” he said. “There’s not much new Chinese information coming out with the Communist Party being what it is. It’s more military, more strict. And it’s nice to see the beautiful thousand-year-old dances that they used to do.”