“I think the expression of the culture is really quite different. It’s homogeneous. I’ve been to Beijing, I’ve been to China, and it’s not as colorful, it’s not as dynamic, and I think the ethnicity is missing,” Mr. Minor said.

“It’s sad that the people are training here in the United States and not in China. Culturally, they’re Chinese, and there should be an opportunity to express their artistry. I don’t think [this] happens today, everything is repressed.”

“The physical attributes of these people are really amazing! They’re really quite athletic. The choreography is great and their gymnastics and balance of dance is just really tremendous,” commented Mr. Minor.

Although gymnastics is seen as an independent sport, it actually originates from classical Chinese dance.

Philip Ferrone, an ophthalmologist, and his wife Jeanine, a physical therapist, were also in the audience on March 19.

“We visited China once in 2000 and once in 2010, but some of the subtleties that we just saw in the previous scene we didn’t pick up when we were visiting there as tourists. It’s good to see some of these realities we read in the news and [this] just makes it all clearer. How wonderful free society is to let people express themselves without restrictions,” Mr. Ferrone said.

Mrs. Ferrone added that she was glad that Shen Yun could enjoy the freedom of expression outside of China and share their mission with the world.

“I think that freedom of expression and being able to be free and dance and express yourself is a wonderful thing, and it’s expressed in colors and music and [the] happiness of the dancers.”

The elegance of the dance and the beauty of the costumes and movement really resonated with Mr. Ferrone.

“It was almost water-like—beautiful,” he said.