FRESNO, Calif. —“It was absolutely exquisite—so beautiful!” said veteran costume designer Maribel Sorensen after attending Shen Yun. “I love the costumes; the pageantry and the color schemes are drawn from nature. You can almost see the work of God. The dancers are so skilled, and as they move across the stage, you can truly feel the beauty of the piece—it’s just gorgeous.”

Ms. Sorensen is an experienced creative professional specializing in stage costume design, with work that also extends into set and visual design, as well as running her own design company. On the afternoon of March 21, she attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ opening performance in Fresno with her husband, Dr. Roderick Sorensen, a chiropractor, at the William Saroyan Theatre.

Ms. Sorensen further emphasized how seamlessly the visual and performing elements come together. “They work beautifully with the music, the dancers, and the color schemes that come from nature,” she said. “I believe God is our creator, and from the beginning of time, he made us beautifully and wonderfully. Just as these dancers display their art and skill, the same is true for the art of costume. It is all a gift from God that allows us to experience His beauty and wonder in creation.”

Dr. Sorensen also shared his impressions of the performance, describing it as both visually stunning and artistically rich. “It’s just gorgeous,” he said. “The creativity, the costumes, and the delicate, buoyant movement of the dance are amazing.”

He was particularly impressed by how the performance presents China’s long history through dance. “It shows the different eras of the Chinese dynasties, all kinds of wrapped into one,” he said. “You can see the dance moving from one era to the next. It’s very creative.”

For Ms. Sorensen, the experience was not only artistic but also deeply uplifting. “I feel happy,” she said. “It feels like a presentation to the Lord God in the heavens—as if the performance is being offered to Him.”