ATLANTA—Philanthropists Philip and Pualani Carroll said they felt “very blessed” after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts, something that has become a yearly event for the couple.

“I’ve seen it multiple times,” said Mr. Carroll at Atlanta Symphony Hall on opening night, Dec. 23, Shen Yun’s first performance of the season in North America. The Carrolls are the producers of the annual Roswell Motoring Festival, the Atlanta Motoring Festival, and the Concours d'Elegance, a high-end car show.

“It’s become a holiday tradition, and it’s inspiring,” Mr. Carroll said.

The beauty of the performance most impressed Mr. Carroll, who said the costumes and music working in concert with the dance was “the most visceral thing for me.”

He said they were also moved by a solo bel canto virtuoso singer, and the performance had him thinking about not just about what Shen Yun could do—but what Shen Yun couldn’t do in China today.

“We’re very blessed, and we take things for granted here in America,” Mr. Carroll said, referring to the fact that freedoms enjoyed in America are not rights in China today under the communist regime.

For his wife, Mrs. Carroll, the stories were what moved her to the point of tears.

“When they believe in their God and their religion, and they love, and they fall to the floor, and they long for each other,” Mrs. Carroll said.

“The performance is beautiful,” she said.