COSTA MESA, Calif.—Retired Federal Judge Mark Wallace walked out of Shen Yun feeling satisfied. “The whole thing was terrific,” he said after watching the performance at the Costa Mesa matinee show at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts on Saturday.

One thing Mr. Wallace appreciated the most was the variety of the performance.

“The whole thing was terrific. And what I really appreciated was that they avoided it being repetitive by having short dances, long stories, and solos.”

A Shen Yun performance features more than a dozen vignettes, including musical solos, classical Chinese dance, and ethnic and folk dances.

Mr. Wallace said he enjoyed all of the pieces, but what stood out for him, he said, was the creator piece at the end.

“It seemed like it was the most gripping story,” he said. ”And the music seemed to be the best. And the choreography seemed to be the best. It seemed like the climax of the show. I thought they saved the best for last,” he said.

He added that he really liked the piece’s message. “Wow, the creator has arrived.”

“Congratulations on doing a great job,”  Mr. Wallace said.