DETROIT—Debbie Stefaniak, accountant and medium, was astounded by the beauty and purity of Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Detroit Opera House on Feb. 24.

“Best show I’ve seen, I wish there were more like it,” she said, “It was beautiful, absolutely breathtaking.”

“I was impressed that people would go and develop such an artistic piece of entertainment for people to make the public aware about the spiritual deficit in the world and how important it is to keep art, culture, and spirituality alive in the world today,” she said.

“I'd like to see more about divinity and goodness, morals … all that kind of stuff in our [modern] entertainment.”

The female emcee who helps to announce the vignettes, she said “emitted a … very pure … glow around her of light.”

“They’re giving out that energy to the audience, and the audience is accepting it,” she added. “That energy, that presence, can calm an audience down, make them more serene [and] stabilizes anybody that might be irritated—it brings peace to people when they see that or experience that energy for sure.”

China was once known as “The Land of the Divine” and Shen Yun presents this culture by drawing upon the Middle Kingdom’s Buddhist and Daoist philosophies. In the past, artists looked to the divine for inspiration and cultivated virtue in order to create uplifting art. Today, Shen Yun’s artists follow in this noble tradition, which is why audiences feel there is something different about Shen Yun, says the company’s website.

“[Shen Yun] speaks about unity and connection—having kindness towards one another—and I think we need more of that,” Mrs. Stefaniak said.

“Beautiful, absolutely beautiful … I think they did magnificently,” Mrs. Mazurek said. “The singers and the lyrics and the words really embody the dancing and … the feeling and the culture that they were trying to give to us today.”

One of Shen Yun’s unique features is its live orchestra. It’s the first in the world to permanently combine classical Western and Chinese instruments within a Western symphony orchestra. Shen Yun also boasts classical vocalists who are trained in the Italian bel canto style.

The Mazurek’s also said they could feel the energy of Shen Yun throughout the performance.

“It’s from the heart,” Mr. Mazurek said. “It was very emotional, I had a little tear … it was amazing.”

“It’s got to be so difficult with not being able to express oneself, one’s beliefs, as we are able to here,” Mrs. Mazurek said.

Mrs. Mazurek said the energy of the performance made her feel “hopeful, joyful, warm.”

“It fills me with hope and joy for our future,” she said. “It sort of brings you in that energy, and you are one with the peace and the message and the hope.”

“And with this type of message being told in a place where we have so much more [freedom], there’s that hope that … people take away that message and try to make a change,” she added. “You may be one small person; however, one small person can make a difference. And for me, that was the biggest message—how fortunate we are to have a voice.

“And we saw the voice of the Creator, and that voice should be able to be heard worldwide.”