THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.—On April 2, cancer researcher Linda Malkas, Ph.D., attended Shen Yun’s evening performance at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza with her husband, Robert Hickey, Ph.D.

The couple decided to purchase tickets after hearing great things about the performance.

“It was very beautiful. Very, very beautiful. I very much enjoyed the dancing and learning about the culture. The singing was lovely. I was amazed,” Dr. Malkas exclaimed.

“Somebody told me I should come see it, and I’m very glad I did.”

Met with wide acclaim since its founding in 2006, the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has grown to include eight equally sized companies that tour simultaneously.

“The dancers were just exceptional. They’re very inspiring. I want to learn some of that, though I think I’m a little old for that now,” Dr. Malkas added.

The couple had no idea what to expect stepping into the theater and so felt “very, very surprised by just how lovely” the show was.

“I [enjoyed] all of it, actually. I highly recommend everyone to come see it,” Dr. Malkas said.

However, after the communist takeover and its spread of atheism, this belief was systematically erased.  Shen Yun artists are now dedicated to reviving and sharing this lost beauty with the world.

A devout Christian, she thought her faith “overlapped very beautifully with some of the themes [the show] discussed.”

“I love the idea of cleaning up our thinking,” she said.