DES MOINES, Iowa—They arrived at the theater not quite knowing what to expect, but tonight, as Ralph and Linda BlueDorn watched the colorful and paradisiacal scenes of Shen Yun Performing Arts unfold before their eyes in amazement, they began to grasp the deeper reason for the dance company’s mission: to show “China before communism.”

As soon as the curtain rose, a scene from a Chinese mythological Heaven spilled forth in radiant hues. Mrs. BlueDorn, a retired nurse, couldn’t help but have her breath taken by the “gorgeous costumes.” “Pictures don’t do them justice,” she told The Epoch Times after the show.

Mr. BlueDorn, a retired manager, noticed the “athletic skill of the dancers” and how the special effects seamlessly merged foreground dancers with a digital projection backdrop, which serves as set props that help Shen Yun tell vivid stories.

But amid the many “gorgeous” and “beautiful” moments, New York-based Shen Yun depicted an unexpected scene from modern China, which displayed persecution by the communist regime on religious believers in the form of “organ harvesting.” Yet, on seeing this grittiness, life experience furnished the couple with a deeper understanding—and they were glad.

“I’m so glad that there is Shen Yun and that they do let us know their history and what’s going on now too,” Mrs. BlueDorn said. “I thought, ‘Oh, so that’s why [the Chinese Communist Party tries] to get everybody not to be able to see this.’ I know they don’t like anything bad said about communist China.”

She said her hometown family doctor had been a missionary in China when the communists took over in the 1940s, and he fled for his life.

“He was one of the last planes out. They had bullet holes in the plane when they left when the communists were taking over,” she said. “They were so sad to see that happen to the country.”

Watching the very same show tonight, Rob Mayhew, a retired U.S. Army First Sergeant, was no less appreciative for Shen Yun’s performance. “Having been in the military, I can appreciate the discipline, just the dedication and the devotion,” he said. “They demonstrate it. They perform it.”

“It was emotional,” added the seasoned soldier. “Don’t tell anybody, but there were a few parts in there where my eyes were getting moist.”

Nor did the organ harvesting scene escape his sober purview. He said the scene of the young man who suffered the tragedy at the hands of the communist doctors displayed redemption when the Creator gave him hope—and in turn gave hope to all mankind.

Mr. Mayhew said that to emulate the Creator’s demonstration of “kindness and the peace and the love” throughout the world is “our mission,” and this “is incumbent upon all of us.”

Then he added: “And you walk away [from Shen Yun] with that. It’s demonstrated in this performance, and it’s beautiful. It’s heart touching.”