John Valenzuela, a mathematician, said: “The performance was amazing. It's one of the best performances I've seen in my adult life. For sure, I've been to many ballets. I've been to many live performances. What sets it apart is it tells a story. It's not that ballets don't tell stories, but it's a very spiritual story, and it's rooted in the cultural heritage of China, which I had no idea was that rich and beautiful.”
Clifford Rosen, a physician, said: “The most impressive thing is how the stage actually becomes part of the background, how the background becomes part of the stage, that they can fade in and out of the background, which is some new effect, I've never seen that before.”
“The music was spectacular too,” said Bob Neumann, a former police department chief. “Just the uniqueness of the orchestra, combining Eastern instruments and Western orchestra instruments, and how that all ties together. And just just really a different and unique and memorable experience.”
“I loved the costumes. They were beautiful, absolutely beautiful. It just left me with a good feeling,” said Terri Llewellyn, who works in IT security.
Robert Church, a company owner, said: “I already knew that the Communist Party was not the way to go for China, and I would, I would wish for China that they could roll back time and go back to an era like this, where there's kindness and truth and good things that take place.”
“Older traditions keep you grounded into the root of where you came from. So if you forget that, then you kind of forget who you are, and it changes where you're going. So it's a good idea to revisit your past,” said Jason Lustyk, a business owner.
“It was just the wholesome stories of teaching, essentially, morals of just if you live a good life, you'll prosper from it,” said Tim Armstrong, an auditor.
“It was very rewarding to see something more activist. I was very pleased with that,” said William Kidder, a business owner. “Too many people are quiet. They're afraid to speak their mind, [fearing] retribution, and I'm not, so I appreciate when others are willing to speak up for themselves.”
Douglas Stacer, a veterinary hospital owner, said that he “would suggest this to anybody, and I was watching for them to make a mistake. And they are just flawless, they were so colorful and fluid. It was a beautiful thing.”
