SAN JOSE, Calif.—Shen Yun’s second Bay Area performance saw an enthusiastic packed house at San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts.

Among the theatergoers were Mr. and Mrs. Patton, who traveled from Danville to experience Shen Yun Performing Arts.

“I think it’s beautiful,” said Thor Patton, who works as a financial executive at Levi Strauss.

Dee Patton also found the performance to be beautiful.

“The show is fantastic, the costumes are amazing,” she said. “The storyline that they’re sharing with you is phenomenal. The coloring of costumes is beautiful. You need to come see it.”

Mr. and Mrs. Patton both enjoyed the traditional Chinese cultural storylines that Shen Yun presents through dance and music.

“It’s just the way they are approaching dance with the history, and you’re learning things you may not have known beforehand,” said Mrs. Patton.

Shen Yun’s program book states, “China was once known as the Celestial empire, its glorious culture said to have been brought down from the heavens. But under the last 60 years of communist rule, this ancient culture has been almost completely destroyed. In 2006, leading Chinese artists from around the world came together with a mission to revive authentic Chinese culture. ”

“I enjoy the fact that we’re seeing something that you couldn’t see in China. … So I enjoy that history aspect of it,” Mr. Patton said.

One of Shen Yun’s ethnic dances, titled In a Village of the Hmong, stood out for Mr. Patton. The Shen Yun program book states, “Clad in long white skirts, they are members of the Hmong ethnicity. Their elaborate silver jewelry accompanies them, swinging and tinkling as the ladies step to cheerful drumbeats.”

“The dance where they were wearing the silver jewelry, you could hear the tinkling of the jewelry, which I thought was really kind of neat,” he said.

“I actually like watching their movements, they’re graceful,” Mrs. Patton added. “I like watching how their hands are accenting a lot of the costuming as well. The jewelry sound of the silver costume was beautiful. It’s just a beautiful show. And the men’s [dances] are tough … but they are still very elegant in their dance. I think they’re beautiful, it’s amazing.”

Reporting by Abraham Thompson and Laurie Gorham

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

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.