INDIANAPOLIS—New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts continued its Midwest tour with a stop at the Murat this week. Originally a Shriner's Temple, the facility's Arabic features give it a sense of the exotic—a perfect setting for Shen Yun with its flavor of ancient China.

The premier classical Chinese dance and music company, Shen Yun Performing Arts brings together leading dancers, choreographers, and musicians from around the world. Its productions are noted to be educational, enriching, and uplifting, according to its Web site.

Each year the company produces an entirely new program, but always focuses on the authentic cultural heritage of classical China.

The ancient Chinese believed that true art springs from inner beauty, and Shen Yun seems to embody that belief as the performers bring an unusual depth to their work.

Lloyd Wright, the president of WFYI, a public television and radio station, attended the performance with acquaintance Maureen McCrae.

"It strikes me as being quite peaceful and very colorful," Mr. Wright said during the intermission.

He noted the two bilingual announcers, who at the beginning of each piece, explain the nuances of the dance. "Certainly with not speaking the language, it was helpful to have the English interpretation by the couple that came out front."

The performance features the fusion of a Western orchestra with Chinese instruments—“a nice dimension,” Mr. Wright said.

Ms. McCrae echoed Mr. Wright's statements about experiencing a feeling of peace while watching the performance.

"I felt there was a real peaceful atmosphere … a contrast between the persecution and the divine and the spiritual nature coming out in the peaceful movement," she said, referring to the dance piece Nothing Can Block the Divine Path. The piece tells the story of a mother and daughter who practice Falun Gong, a form of meditation currently being persecuted in China.

"And the backdrop I thought enhanced that as well," she added. "I came away with a very calming feeling from the show."

Ms. McCrae said she could relate her work as a therapist to themes in the performance.

"I think of myself and my own work as a therapist and being a calming presence for people and I felt that spiritual feeling throughout the show," she said. "It gave me a calm feeling and a presence of the divine throughout.”

Shen Yun Performing Arts will stage one more show at the Murat on Wednesday night before moving to Kansas City March 13 to 14.

With reporting by Valerie Avore.

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/31046/