SEATTLE—Lee Cleve and Kathy Kunferman were among the Seattle theatergoers swept up in the beauty of Shen Yun Performing Arts, singing the praises of the performance during intermission.

“Wonderful, wonderful. Beautiful, beautiful,” Ms. Kunferman added.

The two were happy for the opportunity to see 5,000 years of Chinese civilization brought to life, a side of China many aren’t familiar with since the Chinese communist regime sought to destroy traditional Chinese culture after seizing power in 1949.

The two were particularly enthused by Shen Yun’s unique backdrop, which Ms. Kunferman said allowed the dancers to fly into the sky or disappear suddenly.

“It was incredible,” Mr. Cleve said. “I mean, it’s just so energetic ... it’s beautiful, just beautiful.”

“They’re just very studied, all of them. It’s very obvious that they really, really know what they’re doing and love what they’re doing as well,” Mr. Francisco said. The players had put all they had into their music, he added. “You can tell.”

Mainly a trumpeter, Mr. Francisco said he had paid attention to the trumpet player and discovered a very fine musician. The music brought him emotions from joy to sorrow going along with the story, and matched the dancers on stage perfectly.

“Their timing is unbelievable. They’re right in together, totally locked,” he said.

Making the experience all the more enjoyable was that he was always finding more surprises in the performance and music, Mr. Francisco said.

“They do new music for every one of the shows and it’s just amazing to get them together,” he said, referring to Shen Yun’s practice of creating an all-new production each year.

“It’s really amazing,” Mr. Francisco said.