CLEVELAND, Ohio—On Jan. 27, Shen Yun Performing Arts opened the second of its three consecutive performances at the State Theatre at Playhouse Square.

In attendance for the evening were John Paganini, the CEO of Crew Tracker Software, and his wife Joanne. Having lived in Asia for a year, Mr. Paganini thought Shen Yun was a beautiful representation of traditional Chinese culture.

“This is my first time seeing the show,” he said. “I’ve been to Beijing, and I appreciate the culture. But to see traditional dance and the different stories representing Chinese culture—it’s very educational and interesting.”

Mr. Paganini especially enjoyed Shen Yun’s short story-based dances that recount legends from ancient times to the modern day.

“It’s almost Buddhist-influenced—the spiritual aspect of the story.”

For thousands of years, their values and day-to-day actions were strictly governed by the teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism.

Despite receiving worldwide acclaim since its inception in 2006, Shen Yun is prohibited by the communist regime from performing in China. This ban is due to Shen Yun’s mission to revive traditional culture and raise awareness for ongoing human rights issues in present-day China.

Referring to this, Mr. Paganini said, “I’m excited that they could show it here [in the U.S.] and we get to see it—that Chinese culture gets to express itself in a free society.”