RIVERSIDE, Calif.—Leticia Pastrana’s mother, Guadalupe Pastrana, has been wanting to see Shen Yun Performing Arts since before the COVID-19 pandemic. And now that mother and daughter have experienced Shen Yun, Ms. Guadalupe Pastrana is very happy.

“Amazing. No words for it. Just I told my daughter, now I can die,” Ms. Guadalupe Pastrana said.

Shen Yun is based in New York, and its mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.

“You do an amazing job. Thank you for your creativity and the passion that you bring, that you share with us. Because as an audience member, I can feel their passion and dedication,” said Ms. Leticia Pastrana, a professor.

Shen Yun’s artists are trained in classical Chinese dance, one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.

“I like the fluidity of the dancers. They’re so elegant and they communicate so much with their body,” Ms. Leticia Pastrana said.

Shen Yun’s performance draw inspiration from Chinese history, literature, myth, and legend. A few of the dances depict the truth about the Chinese Communist Party and the crimes that it has committed in recent years.

“I think it’s beautiful that art can communicate any message. We all are free. It’s beautiful to have this side of a story that maybe we don’t get from China about freedom of religion,” she said.

Shen Yun’s live orchestra is a unique combination of traditional Chinese instruments and a classic Western ensemble.

“The orchestra overall, it was interesting because every song had a different kind of vibration. Certain songs would have different instruments and so it would bring a different feeling to the dance,” she said.

Since 2006, Shen Yun has grown from one to eight companies touring the world simultaneously.

“Just keep up with the good work. I’m glad that they have different companies now. So you don’t have to be waiting a long time for them to come back and see them again,” Ms. Guadalupe Pastrana said.