Mr. Garcia was referring to a dance that tells the true story of a brave group of believers in Falun Dafa who stood up for their faith despite facing persecution.

“The whole purpose of that was a good reminder of the history that is being censored and so it’s nice that the history isn’t being hidden,” said Mr. Garcia. “It’s a different angle, it’s very sad in a way, but it’s a beautiful and powerful mission to do what Shen Yun is doing here.”

Shen Yun is based in New York and it uses classical Chinese dance to tell stories of brilliant generals, wise sages, and the modern day bravery as in the story that so moved Mr. Garcia.

“There’s a lot of history and education that I was sort of familiar with, but not fully aware of,” said Mr. Garcia.

“There’s a group of people that won’t let the heritage just go away, that’s what I learned, and it’s a very beautiful culture,” Mr. Garcia said.

Shen Yun owns its very own patent on its digital backdrop that gives the impression of characters on stage suddenly flying in the sky or diving deep into the sea.

“Unbelievable. Amazing, breathtaking, eloquently executed, well-rehearsed, the show, the orchestra, the dancers, the designers of everything, and even the backdrop … I’m still trying to figure out how they coordinated it,” said Mr. Garcia.

Also in the audience was Karin Bootsma, a senior vice president of marketing.

“I think it’s really important to give people an appreciation of what the foundations of the cultures are and what’s built upon the current culture. It’s really great that you are raising awareness and bringing it to such a broad audience,” she said.

Ms. Bootsma also shared her appreciation for Shen Yun’s artists.

“I hope they know how much they are inspiring the viewers through dance and through the artistry and through the visuals that they are putting in front of us. So I really applaud them and hope they keep up such phenomenal performances.”

As a part of the Christmas celebration, seeing Shen Yun was a gift that Ms. Bootsma gave to her family from out of state.

“It’s our gift to them, because this is something that they’re not able to see anywhere else. So this is a very special part of the Christmas celebration to us.”