HOUSTON—Norwegian model Hege Jessen bought Shen Yun Performing Arts tickets as a Christmas gift for her mother Helga visiting from Norway.

“I love the performance—we both did, my mom and I,” Ms. Jessen said at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston, Dec. 28. “Very very beautiful performance. Loved it—never seen anything like it before—especially in Norway!”

Ms. Jessen, a lover of classical ballet, said she absolutely loved the dancers performing classical Chinese dance on stage, which she'd never seen before.

New York-based Shen Yun revives 5,000 years of Chinese civilization through the arts, like classical Chinese dance and ethnic and folk dances. According to Shen Yun’s website, classical Chinese dance has been passed down through thousands of years, soaking up every dynasty. The deep cultural traditions of China allow the form to be richly expressive.

“I thought the principal dancers were incredible,” Ms. Jessen added.

The ‘Heart and Soul’ of China

Also in attendance was Ms. Debbie Dietrich, vice president of marking at SKC. As a ballroom dancer, as well as familiar with the Chinese culture, Ms. Dietrich said she appreciated the performance in a special way.

“It is incredible,” Ms. Dietrich said of the dancers. She had watched the precision of the specific postures and movements unique to classical Chinese dance and had been impressed. “The choreography is spectacular.”

The music stuck out for Ms. Dietrich as well. “I love it,” she said of Shen Yun Orchestra. “Very, very relaxing. A beautiful, beautiful symphony.”

“It’s just really impressive and overwhelming to consider the long history of the country,” Ms. Dietrich said. 

The long history was a marvel for Mr. Jared Nielsen, a software developer in private jet fuel aviation, as well. Mr. Nielsen also attended the matinee Saturday, and said, “the traditional dance and the culture is something that I think has been hidden for too long.”

“I’ve discovered China has many dimensions that I’ve never seen, and a much richer history than I think is being portrayed [in current media],” Mr. Nielsen said. 

Benevolence, wisdom, and propriety, respect for the heavens are some of the core traditional Chinese values, yet the current Chinese regime has worked to destroy these values. 

Mr. Nielsen said he was most struck by the traditional values so much at the surface of the performance, and said the performers had “a deep sense of soul ... that’s a big benefit to the whole world.”

“There’s a deep heart and soul to China,” Mr. Nielsen said. 

“It’s beautiful and multicultural, and there’s a lot of dimensions to it, that I don’t think, at least, people in America have seen before,” Mr. Nielsen said of China. “This is a very beautiful performance.

John Paul Jourard, sales manager for Crowne Plaza hotels, had tried to see Shen Yun every year the company toured in Houston, but was finally able to make it Saturday afternoon.

“I can summarize it in five words,” Mr. Jourard said. “Magical, mystical, musical, martial, and magnificent.”

Reporting by NTD Television and Catherine Yang

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.