ATLANTA—The world's premier Chinese dance and music company, New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts was lauded with multiple standing ovations, whistles, calls and waves of applause at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre matinee on Jan. 17.

Among the onlookers were two friends, who admitted being “hooked” on the show.

A family of four, Ms. Sampson is a life coach, her husband Tom, a director, were there too with their two children.

Mrs. Sampson was enthused.

“The performance is fantastic, it really is. It's very impressive,” she said. “It's amazing to see all the different parts of different traditional elements being brought together in a different, lively [way] … and it's great to have some narration as well, because it explains what's going on. So it's good and it's great for them [referring to the children]. It was excellent.”

Her husband agreed.

“It's great. I thought the colors were fantastic and the dancers were great and to get insight into all the different Chinese cultural traditions was fantastic,” he said.

The couple brought their two children as an introduction to Chinese culture, hoping they will grow up to understand different traditions and dances from different parts of the world.

Mr. and Mrs. Sampson hail from Britain, their five-and-a-half-year-old daughter was born in Atlanta and their son, in Abu Dhabi.

Mr. Sampson worked in China for a little while, a long time ago, he said, excited by the performance on stage.

Brilliantly costumed dancers choreographed to move in synchronized patterns that matched the 3-D animated backdrop scenes and orchestral music of Western and Chinese composition impressed them both.

“The coordination, getting everybody to do everything all at the same time. It's great. It really is spectacular,” Mrs. Sampson concluded.

'We got hooked, so we have to come every year'

The two friends gave their names only as Jocelyn, who works in customer service, and Christiana, a dancer.

“It's very beautiful, very gracious. Beautiful colors ...,” said Jocelyn. “Great coordination and everything. Surprises in the performance. It's very, very beautiful.”

Christiana and Jocelyn have not missed a Shen Yun show since its inauguration in 2006.

“We got hooked, so we have to come every year, so we hope you [Shen Yun] will be here every year,” Christiana said.

She is a ballerina, though is currently doing aerial dance.

“Well, I do several kinds of dance ... like trapeze and fabric,” she said. “I love all kinds of dance and especially if it's a beautiful—a beautiful group like this.

“We will always come over and always see it and support it. They are great, they are fantastic, each one of them, the characters … everything is great. The costuming, the choreography, everything is wonderful. So we want to come back again.”

The friends agreed that the way the dancers used facial expressions in the performance was “perfect.”

Christiana said: “Oh, they're great ... the characters and how they express themselves, costuming wise and where they are in the story, and all of this is beautiful. The colors are stunning. It's wonderful. It's wonderful to be here.”

With reporting by Sally Sun.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

Original article: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/28173/