ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Shen Yun Performing Arts performed at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts-Mahaffey Theater on May 4. Larry and Maribel Pennington found much to enjoy during the performance.

Mr. Pennington said: “The performance is wonderful. It’s a great expressive and artistic show to watch and to understand more about the Chinese culture, so we’ve enjoyed it.”

She also learned of the persecution that is occurring today in modern China. “It was explained to us that that continued there in China. It’s like some kind of persecution. So I didn’t know about that,” she said.

“So that’s good to see this kind of performance because you know more about other cultures, and there’s some kind of things that you see there that they continue being like that,” she said. “So far, I’ve really enjoyed the performance. It’s a learning process because you learn more about what’s going on the other side of the world.”

How the dancers performed was more than he expected, too. “The performers are excellent. I mean, they’re some of the best I’ve ever watched. I give great accolades to their intense ability to perform.”

To the performers, Mr. Pennington gave a hearty, “Thank you.”

Ms. Ramalho said, “It’s amazing, I love it. I’m enjoying seeing all the dances and everything. It’s really good.”

He liked learning about China’s past and its rich traditional culture that goes back centuries. “So I know a little bit about the history of China. It’s great to see some of the traditional stories that I didn’t know about. It’s really interesting to see more about the history of China,” he said.

Ms. Ramalho said how much she appreciated coming to Shen Yun. “We are amazed to be here and get the opportunity to see this performance.”