SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Dr. Kit Joos gifted his wife Lauren tickets to Shen Yun Performing Arts for her birthday.

“My wife has wanted to come for a long time,” Dr. Joos, a physician, said.

“It was beautiful. It was totally stunning. It was worth coming. I’m very glad we did. It was a great gift,” said Mrs. Joos, who works as a physician assistant.

Although Shen Yun’s production is about Chinese culture, many audiences have found the themes and stories it presents on stage very relatable.

“The thing I like the most is seeing the similarities between our cultures and the things that unite human beings, such as love, courage, and perseverance through adversity,” Dr. Joos said.

“I really appreciated the beauty of it, and I think that is something that translates to everybody. Everyone can relate to beauty, and I think there’s hope through that, too,” Mrs. Joos said.

She added that she really appreciated the “Dance of the Golden Phoenix,” in which Shen Yun’s female dancers portray mythical golden phoenixes who transform into fairies soaring gracefully through the sky.

“I think I just appreciate the various dances where they’re standing up against state oppression, I guess, to appeal to the divinity that’s written in us,” Dr. Joos said.

Communist China is a country where the state is above all else. Mr. Joos shared that Shen Yun did a great job of presenting what communism looks like for those who are oppressed.

“I think they did a tremendous job, actually. Under communism, there’s obviously a lot of oppression, and there’s no freedom of religion. If you don’t acknowledge a Creator, if there’s no God above the state, then the state becomes God. And then whatever the state enforces and effectively becomes a pseudo-God’s edict,” Mr. Joos said.

“I think just standing in perseverance and against tyrannical governments that try to control your thinking is noble,” he said.