ST. LOUIS, Mo.—Zachary Strouse had seen Shen Yun Performing Arts one time many years ago and always wanted to return.

“I’ve always remembered it, you know ... and I’m glad I did come back. It was beautiful, the music and the performance,” said Mr. Strouse, a bio-med technician engineer, after seeing Shen Yun again at the Stifel Theatre on March 16.

Mr. Strouse said the performance just exuded positive energy, and you could feel it in the audience.

“It really does. It comes off the stage and everyone’s better for it,” he said.

Mr. Strouse said he actually first discovered Shen Yun after joining a Chinese culture club to learn the language, and was “glad to have a chance to experience the heritage and everything [Shen Yun is] preserving.”

“I thank you very much for your efforts of keeping this alive and sharing it to everyone. I think you’re doing a wonderful thing,” he said.

Also appreciative of the opportunity to experience authentic Chinese culture was Charlotte Ottley, consultant for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

“I almost wish I had read about it before I came because the beauty and the magnificent performances and the precision is what has always caught my eye. And it didn’t fail. It was wonderful,” Ms. Ottley said.

“It really just graphically brought energy ... and appreciation of diversity, including the arts,” she said. “It also made you think about your own culture and see how more together we are than we’re different.”