CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—Graphic artist Daphnelys Olivera was intrigued and excited by a 30-second clip she saw of Shen Yun Performing Arts, but it was nothing compared to the experience of seeing 5,000 years of Chinese civilization unfold before her.

“It was wonderful,” said Daphnelys, attending the performance with her sister Naydibet Olivera at the Tivoli Theater on Jan. 14. “And the costumes are just incredible, and they’re absolutely beautiful.”

New York-based Shen Yun puts on an all-new performance each year, and every season includes hundreds of costume pieces. From phoenix coronets to Manchurian “flower pot” shoes, the brilliant costumes work to give the audience a sense of traditional Chinese attire, which is said to be inspired by the heavens.

Daphnelys said that from the music to the dance, everything was so wonderful that she could not pinpoint her favorite aspect.

“I just love so much about it,” she said. “It was just a real treat.”

Watching Shen Yun was an educational experience for Ms. Daphnelys as well, who was surprised to learn how spiritual traditional Chinese culture is.

“I am really intrigued now,” she said, adding that the connection between heaven, earth, and humankind as seen in the program had piqued her interest.

Naydibet, a personnel supervisor, had not known what to expect coming to the performance but said that she was glad her sister gifted her with the opportunity.

“It was amazing. I was blown away,” Naydibet said. “Amazing.”

“It was beautiful. The colors, the costumes are spectacular,” Naydibet said. “It was just so perfect to the point. ... Everything was great.”

With reporting by Guo Fei 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.