The globally-acclaimed Chinese dance company Shen Yun arrives at San Diego’s Civic Theatre this month to kick off the California portion of its 2010 world tour. Since 2007, the multi-million dollar production has grown from a single dance group to three dance groups and three orchestras that will reach 130 cities this season. The 2½-hour performance, including one 15-minute intermission, is composed of about 20 scenes from traditional Chinese folklore spanning the nation’s 5,000 year history. Emcees’ introductions help audiences orient themselves within the great tapestry of China’s past, just as the plethora of painstaking and historically accurate details found in the grand backdrops and handmade costumes securely plant viewers in distant times and places. The rave reviews by world-renowned choreographers, performing artists and musicians (Shen Yun boasts the first orchestra to combine both Chinese and western instruments, which play different sets of scales) reflect not only the technical prowess exhibited in the aerial, acrobatic dances, but also the sense of the divine the show imparts to viewers. Dr. Vivian Wang, event manager for the show in San Diego, explained that Shen Yun, literally Divine Performing Arts, aspires to a higher purpose. “It attempts to show how the world can be: harmonious and peaceful,” she said. It is effective: in previous years, audiences have often been moved to tears. Ironically, while Shen Yun has visited 20 countries, China is not among them. China’s communist government has called the show “controversial,” and refused to grant the company permission to perform within its borders. Most people involved with the show believe the rebuff is due to the performers’ adherence to a belief system banned in China, Falun Gong. The dancers use the practice, which emphasizes truthfulness, compassion and tolerance, to achieve the purity of mind and body they deem necessary to portray their characters honestly. Every year, Shen Yun creates an entirely new production – from stories to musical scores to costumes. After the tour concludes in May, the artists will almost immediately transition to learning their new routines for the 2011 season. Tickets for the seven shows, taking place from Dec. 26 to 31, are available now at the box office or Ticketmaster. Prices range from $39 to $200 for a VIP package.