NAGOYA, Japan—From the moment the Shen Yun Performing Arts took the stage at the Aichi Prefectural Art Theater in Nagoya, Japan, for the first performance of the season, the audience was captivated.

“As soon as the curtain opened, people’s eyes lit up,” said Sugimoto Toshiro, director of a judicial scrivener office, who saw Shen Yun for the first time on Dec. 23.

“The background of Shen Yun’s performance is very beautiful, giving people the feeling that the divine have descended from heaven to earth,“ said Mr. Sugimoto. ”The connection is incredible and really impressive.”

Mr. Sugimoto said the beauty of the dance, stage design, and overall aesthetics contributed to that captivating experience. Shen Yun’s unique digital backdrop made the performance very exciting, he said, and the dancers performed synchronous, difficult feats.

The beauty of classical Chinese dance, which Shen Yun has been credited for revitalizing, was also what impressed construction company director Fumihiro Kato the most.

He described the performance as “intoxicating,” blown away by the beauty of the performance and the energy of the performance.

“I am very moved,” Mr. Kato said. “The whole atmosphere is great, and I was deeply moved.”

Mr. Kato said the long history of Chinese civilization, as presented by Shen Yun through two hours of music and dance, gave him much to think about.

“I think about the past and the future, as well as the history of the world, which makes me feel the depth of Chinese culture,” he said.

Yoshiharu Morikawa, the president of a gaming company, was another audience member who shared that the performance inspired profound thought.

From the moment the curtains opened, he was left with a strong and deep impression unlike what he had ever experienced from any performance, he said.

“Shen Yun’s performance is very meaningful,” he said.

It wasn’t lost on him that Shen Yun’s performance showcasing China before communism was not something that could be seen in China today under communist rule.

“To this day, the Chinese communist regime still persecutes people in various ways. This kind of meaningless persecution and coercion is not a good thing for mankind. Everyone should have the right to freedom,” he said.

Today, the company breaks records every year and now has eight equally sized groups that tour the world simultaneously. In its revival of the arts, it has also enabled the creation of an affiliated arts school and college most notable for training Shen Yun dancers in the millennia-old art form of classical Chinese dance.

Tamura Naruhisa, Chairman of the Japan Drone Safety Flight Promotion Association, said the performance was “exquisite” and deeply moved him.

“I feel the beautiful soul of the dancers,” Mr. Tamura said.

Traditional culture is not something that can be taken for granted, which is also relevant to Japan, he added.

“The existence of traditional culture is the cornerstone of today’s society. Without traditional culture, nothing today would be possible,” he said.