ROSEMONT, Ill.—Shen Yun Performing Arts delighted and awed the audience at the Rosemont Theatre in Illinois on April 27. Tim and Mary Uthe loved the colors and choreography.

Mr. Uthe, a senior business analyst with MetLife, said, “The colors are wonderful, the choreography, the story. It’s really well done.”

Mrs. Uthe, a language, arts, and history teacher, said, “The stories, the costumes, the choreography—everything is brilliantly intertwined. Absolutely stunning.”

As seen in Shen Yun’s opening scene, the Creator brings culture to humanity in a wondrous light-filled scene. China’s rich civilization goes back 5,000 years, and Shen Yun showcases this rich culture from “China before communism.”

“That’s all within what you see, and I think it’s a very fair representation of what we see here.

“This is beautiful. I love that they’re bringing in the history, the culture, but also the realism of what people in China face today in terms of having to hide their religious beliefs and everything else,” Mrs. Uthe added.

Shen Yun’s presentation of Chinese culture’s deep spiritual roots and the religious persecution happening there today has seen it banned from performing in China.

“I didn’t necessarily come in with an idea of what [Shen Yun’s] going to be like, but to actually see the spiritual side of China as well, I think that it’s uplifting, actually, for me just to know that different parts of the world share a similar view of spirituality, you know, just to believe in a God,” Mr. Uthe said.

“And to believe that the God is good and takes care of humankind,” Mrs. Uthe said. “That makes us grateful that we can openly practice our faith.”