LONG BEACH, Calif.—Piers Ward said Shen Yun was amazing after being recommended by his mother.

“It was fantastic—the skill, outfits, and the poise. Everybody was really impressive,” he said after watching the March 22 Saturday evening performance at Terrace Theater in Long Beach, California.

Mr. Ward, who is a golf coach, said he was inspired by the dancers, commending their athleticism.

“It shows dedication,” he said. “They must put so much work in.”

Mr. Ward also appreciated the music, which struck him as spiritual.

“We live in the modern world, and suddenly sitting back and getting involved with your mind as opposed to just watching it—that’s really cool,” he said, noting the production made him think deeply about what he had seen.

“I just love learning so when I see something like that and see the struggles, but also the history of the Chinese people, it’s really cool to understand and know more about it because we probably didn’t have that much of an awareness of it.”

Ward would certainly see the performance again.

“I recommend it to anybody,” he said. “The scale, the timing, the flowing—everything about it was just phenomenal.”