ORLANDO, Florida—On June 30, the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, located in the heart of Orlando, welcomed the Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company inside its doors for a magnificent performance including classical Chinese dance and music, Chinese folk and ethnic dance, and a live orchestra.

Mayor Scott Vandergrift of the City of Ocoee, Florida, came to see the show along with long-time city clerk Jean Grafton. From start to finish, the mayor was astonished by the high caliber of the performance that he witnessed on stage.

"Just took my breath away, to the opening act, through the whole thing, wonderful," he said.

Ocoee is one of the fastest growing cities in Orange County, and is the only community with its own TV station in Central Florida. Mayor Scott, as he is known in his native Ocoee, has been a long-time mayor of the city since 1992. Prior to that, he also served as the mayor from 1973-1975 and as the commissioner from 1967-1967.

He is a member of the Florida League of Cities, the Tri-Country League of Cities, the Orange County Civic Facilities Authority, the United Nations Association of the United States, and the Ocoee Lions Club.

Mayor Scott said after watching the show he had a better understanding of Chinese culture. He also praised the costumes used in the different dance performances, saying they were "fascinating."

He was touched by the dance scene depicting the persecution of a mother and her daughter in present-day China by the communist regime for their belief in Falun Gong, a peaceful meditation practice.

"I thought this is very moving. It almost brought tears," he said.

When the show returns to Florida, this time in Ft. Lauderdale, Mayor Scott said he "certainly would like to be there."

Mayor Scott's former clerk, Ms. Grafton, is a loyal patron of the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre. Coming to see performances at the theater in a span of 75 years since she was 5, she has seen many different performances at the venue throughout her life. After watching Shen Yun Performing Arts she remarked that the dance company's performance truly stood out for her.

"This is the most amazing thing, it’s a remarkable performance," Ms. Grafton said. Before retiring, Ms. Grafton worked for the City of Ocoee for 30 years.

Ms. Grafton said one of the aspects that made the show exceptional was the artists' energy and passion, and the sense of compassion they radiated.

"Oh, their passion and their enthusiasm, everything was just a complete picture and very satisfying."

The show was so beautiful, in fact, that she couldn't describe it in words.

"They were all just stupendous, they were just too beautiful for words."

Ms. Grafton said she will be coming back to see Shen Yun when it comes back to Florida, saying jokingly that if they sold season tickets for Shen Yun, she would be at the theater every time they opened the door.

"Let me in! Let me in! It was really just beautiful," she said, adding that she is really glad that Shen Yun came to Orlando.

Another standout quality of the Shen Yun is the large, unique 3-D backdrops that are incorporated into each scene. The Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre is an ideal venue to support the staging of this show.

As the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company, Shen Yun Performing Arts has offered the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre another special opportunity to share true beauty, culture and grace with Orlando residents.

With reporting by Jada Yeung.

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/38501/