CLAREMONT, Calif.—Five thousand years of history is a lot to keep up with, and Kimberly Hirst, a high school counselor, was glad that the two Masters of Ceremonies of Shen Yun Performing Arts could help everyone follow along.

Shen Yun’s two MCs provide brief introductions for each piece so that even those who are unfamiliar with Chinese culture can follow along.

“The emcees were so graceful and very good at explaining what we were watching so it was excellent,” said Steve Hirst, an administrative assistant at a law firm.

“I thought it was great. I think everything encompassed the history of the nation,” Ms. Hirst said.

“I actually really enjoyed it. It was lovely. The music is absolutely fantastic. I want an album. It was great. It was a great performance,” Ms. Hirst said.

Playing along with the strings, wind, and percussion instruments, the audience can also hear Chinese instruments such as the pipa and erhu.

“I really enjoyed the music and how they explained what the different instruments were. The Chinese instruments were great. The orchestra really stood out, especially when the fog would come. How are they supposed to see what they are doing? And they did not miss a beat. They were perfect,” Mr. Ruiz praised.

Shen Yun’s performance begins with the arrival of the Creator and Mr. Hirst noted that a belief in the Creator permeates through many cultures.

“When they mention the Creator, I think a lot of the different cultures can associate with that, right? Whatever you believe, whatever your beliefs are, there is a Creator, right? So that’s what I caught. And the last number, I think, put it all together from everything that we saw in the first act and then the second act, and then the culmination with the Creator. That was great,” he said.