COSTA MESA, Calif.—Realtor Tricia Toissonnien and Kristy Ollendorff, a chief credit officer, enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts on March 1.

Ms. Toissonnien said she liked the performance and it made her think. “I like it. It’s colorful and it’s beautiful. It’s bringing up things that are making us curious, though, as far as the meaning behind things about some of the different spiritual practices that are referenced.”

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, and has a mission to show the world, through music and dance, “China before communism.”

“Sometimes I’m not sure where to look on stage, there so much movement and so much color that it’s really beautiful,” said Ms. Toissonnien.

She resonated with the traditional values presented. “I think it’s relevant in a lot of cultures: the courage to stand behind whatever one believes is true.”

The expressive power of classical Chinese dance based on story telling impressed her.

“It’s just very captivating, and the way the movements, the power of the movements synchronized with the power of the music. It’s so exact, and I think that contributes a lot to the power of it.”

Ms. Toissonnien found the experience watching Shen Yun “inspiring and uplifting.”

Ms. Ollendorff described her experience watching Shen Yun:

“It’s beautiful, it’s powerful. I love how the history of the dance between ballet and acrobatics are drawn from the old Chinese dance rather than the other way around. And I’m just learning some things about the ancient Chinese culture.”

The dancing impressed her. “Definitely the powerful dancing, of both the females and the males. The energy, absolutely, the energy, the expression, their technical prowess. They are incredible dancers.”

Ms. Ollendorff said she would recommend it to friends and tell them: “You’ll really enjoy it. [It’s] powerful, seeking, and informative.”

Business Owner Touched by a Beautiful Culture

David Haycraft, a software salesman and business owner, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts with family at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts on March 1. He said, “It was a beautiful story of the history of China before communism, how communism affected China, and how God saves everyone in the end.”

Mr. Haycraft said the beauty of the performance affected him. “I couldn’t stop crying the entire time. I was very moved, a beautiful culture that I didn’t know a lot about so I was really touched.”

“The divinely inspired message that the Chinese came from a different galaxy to come to earth to save earth from itself, and that’s a beautiful message too,” he commented.

Mr. Haycraft said he would recommend Shen Yun. “It’s beautiful. Everything about it. The simplicity. The simplicity of living that is portrayed through dance, song, and costume and music. So great. It touched us deeply! God wins!”