The new show delivers a stadium full of new effects and orchestral music to dramatize what one reviewer has called “a killer whale ballet.” But the biggest difference from old Shamu shows may be that Believe is as much about the trainers as the whales.

The 30-minute show mixes a tale about a young boy who dreams of killer whales, with the real, first-person stories told by SeaWorld’s trainers.

To do so, the trainers increase their roles in the show, adding higher jumps, deeper plunges, longer swims and acrobatic diving. Then they climb out and tell the crowd their personal stories — giving what they call their testimonies.

‘Believe’ debuts at SeaWorld