“Technically extraordinary, with beautiful colors, and musicians who are clearly in a league of their own.”

This former managing director, who used to distribute newspapers in Africa and is now retired, was particularly impressed by the technical skill of both the dancers and the musicians in Shen Yun.

“Excellent, technically excellent. A lot of technique, a lot of color,” he said.

According to Shen Yun’s official website, traditional Chinese culture—rooted in spiritual values and harmony between heaven, earth, and humanity—is at the heart of its mission to revive and share this millennia-old heritage through the performing arts.

“There’s a celestial aspect to it that’s quite well illustrated by the technology behind it—something that isn’t necessarily common among us Europeans, at least, and that we’re not really used to,” Mr. Calvy said.

This technology has enabled Alain Calvy to gain a deeper understanding of the spiritual aspect of traditional Chinese culture.

“It’s subtle, yet it’s also a very accessible introduction to the subject,” he said.

Mr. Calvy will undoubtedly recommend the show to everyone he knows, summing up Shen Yun by saying, “Full of color, full of music, and beautiful technique.”

“You can really tell that dance is their passion. It’s not just a job—it’s a passion. You can tell they love it,” he adds.

Thanks to a patented process, the artists appear to interact in real time with the virtual setting, appearing and disappearing on screen seamlessly, as if they were moving from one world to another.

“It’s really fascinating—the interaction with the screen, the dancers moving in perfect time with the music,” remarks Mr. Leroux.

“It’s nice to have a real orchestra playing in front of us. Often, it’s just a recorded soundtrack playing in the background, which doesn’t add much,” admits the university professor.

Mr. Leroux particularly enjoyed the variety of scenes in the show.

“What’s also wonderful is the variety of the paintings, Chinese history, and Chinese legends,” he explains. “You can really feel that this enriches our cultural understanding.”

“I also really enjoyed the baritone who performed. It’s true that the singer really showcases the diversity of Chinese culture. We’re really getting a sense of China’s deep-rooted culture—it’s fascinating.”

“Otherwise, we’d just be watching a colorful show with dancing without really knowing what’s going on. So we need to understand what’s happening,” says Patrick Leroux.

“There are political messages, and then there are also messages that are somewhat spiritual—both persecution and spirituality. It’s true that it’s good not to overemphasize the political messages either. The message gets across without being forced upon us, because we’re somewhat aware of what’s happening right now [in China],” says Mr. Leroux.

“This message is dropped here and there throughout the show without really telling us, ‘Look, be careful, there’s a problem in China.’ We’re led to understand that there’s persecution,” he acknowledges.

To sum up the show, Patrick Leroux would like to use “magical adjectives.”

“The first word that comes to mind is ‘professional,’ and that’s also the dream,” he sums up.