LONDON, UK—Mark Stephens was intrigued by Shen Yun Performing Arts, which he saw at Eventim Apollo on Jan. 18.

A financial advisor, Mr. Stephens said, “It’s really colorful and an interesting experience to see the culture of China in dance. I enjoyed it.”

Mr. Stephens was impressed. “I just think the athleticism of the individual people was really quite inspiring,” he said. “And to see them enjoying and embracing what their culture is lovely. It’s something I’ve not seen before.”

Many audience members comment on Shen Yun’s patented stage effect with an animated backdrop. The effect allows the performers to magically jump in and out of the screen.

Mr. Stephens said that it was “really good fun, actually. It’s a nice spirit to see the dancers going from stage and then into animation. It’s clever. It’s quite well done, really.”

“I know a little bit about it because I’ve read some of the Chinese dynastic history,” he said. ”It’s interesting to see it portrayed in an art form. It brought it to life for me.”

The colors and how the dancers move in beautiful costumes impressed Mr. Stephens. He said the costumes were “beautiful, especially the ones with the long sleeves and the Mongolian [ethnic dance].”

“The colors are really nice, really beautiful. It just gave me a beautiful feeling,” he said.

A live orchestra plays at every Shen Yun performance. Eastern and Western instruments perform harmoniously to play Shen Yun’s original music. Mr. Stephens could see them performing and liked what he saw and heard.

Mr. Stephens said he was very appreciative of Shen Yun’s vision. “In a world of great change and the power of a country like China, it’s important to see how things have moved forward through history and how it shaped today.”

After seeing the vibrant performance of the performers, Mr. Stephens said, “It’s lovely to think that they will continue to display the history and the culture of their country so we can all learn from it and experience it.”