Mr. Valencia was pleasantly surprised by the vivid beauty of traditional Chinese culture.

“It was pretty good. I was not expecting this, it was the first time, and it was amazing—all the colors and all the choreography and everything—it was mesmerizing,” he said. “It was a first-class show. Everything was on point.”

Its production comprises a series of short pieces that takes its audience on a ride through the dynasties and across the vast regions of China. Using classical Chinese, folk, and ethnic dances, as well as solo musical performances, Shen Yun tells tales from ancient times to the modern day.

“That was amazing,” he said. “I felt relaxed; it was hypnotic. Peaceful.”

“Everything was spectacular, even the stories that they tell,” he stated, adding that the characters’ emotions, beliefs, and values were all so perfectly conveyed through the dancers’ body language and facial expressions.

“I felt very emotional. Even the time—the performance was over two hours—I didn’t feel it. It felt like I was there for just 15 minutes. Time flies.”

The most memorable message he would take home from Shen Yun is that “we are all God’s creation. We are all brothers and sisters, a part of the same [universe].”