BOISE, Idaho—In modern times, seeing a performance like Shen Yun Performing Arts is like a breath of fresh air.

“I think it’s wonderful to bring something like this back. You don’t see shows like this anymore in the modern times. I think I was telling [my mother-in-law] the last show that I ever saw that was anything like this was maybe over 10 years ago,” said Lizzy Moore, a sign language interpreter.

“Oh, that is gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful. The dancers, they’re so skilled. [It was impressive] how they’re just jumping up in the air and how in sync they are,” Mrs. Moore said.

“I’m a big fan of romance and so the village boy and the fairy was [great]. And the Himalayan piece was very fun. I found myself dancing to it too,” Mrs. Moore said.

For Ben Moore, an insurance agent associate, the dance that struck a chord with him told the story of modern-day Falun Dafa practitioners being persecuted for their faith.

“The one where the young man was taken captive and injured, hurt. That was definitely touching. Just that people have dealt with that and deal with that based on their beliefs,” Mr. Moore said.

“The screen in the back, how they’re interacting with it, it’s absolutely amazing. The colors were beautiful, too,” Mrs. Moore said.

Shen Yun’s singers are trained in bel canto technique and the digital backdrop provides a translation of the Chinese text being sung.

“I like the message about they come from heaven and they’re going to heaven. That was a beautiful message. This is where we came from, and atheism and evolution are silly,” said Alice, Mr. Moore’s mother.