Two Polish cities Łódź and Gdynia—welcomed Shen Yun Performing Arts to the stage this March, for a revival of 5,000 years of Chinese culture and history. The New York-based dance company performed for seven sold-out shows, leaving theatergoers in awe.

“I am delighted with the costumes, I am delighted with the acrobatics, all the choreography. The dancers’ performance is so light—they perform in a way that makes it all look effortless to the audience,” said Agata Andrzejewska, senior instructor at the Municipal Cultural Center in Opoczno.

“This is 5,000 [years] of history that we can see on the stage. And I think this is marvelous and this is so important to me and this is really amazing, the music [and] the dances [are] so delicate. So peaceful, so synchronized as Mateusz said. I would really recommend that everyone see it, [it’s] once in a lifetime.” said Karolina Jóźwiak-Mrowińska, strategy shared services manager at MAN Shared Services Center.

“We are all looking for our roots. Each nation needs to be anchored in history, connected to its source. The now-global way of the world shows us that to feel secure and safe, we need to have our place on Earth. It’s important to show the younger generation the importance of connection to one’s culture,” said Lilla Jaroń, a government official.

“It delights me that they combine tradition with reality and attach great importance to tradition. They preserve the traditional dances they pass on,” said Ryszard Luftmann, business owner of an insurance brokerage.

The belief in spirituality is embedded in traditional Chinese culture. And Shen Yun’s performances present these foundational themes in its telling of ancient myths and legends.

“I felt how important it is to strive for divinity and to transmit that freely to people. It made a very, very big impression on me ... That’s what we’re striving for. We aspire that good will save evil and that we will flourish in this divinity,” said Alina Chepik, an agile coach at a Polish bank.

“They are the same elements of understanding transcendence in many cultures. And this came out in this show. It was very interesting for me,” said Andrzej Murawski, manager of an international trading company.

Audience members also took note of the differences between traditional Chinese moral values and modern China’s communist rule.

Mr. Murawski added: “Truth, goodness, or perseverance. And this message is incorporated in many other religions but not in the communist ideas.”

“Definitely positive thinking and kindness which you definitely want to convey. To be good to people, to be kind to people,” said Dorota Szewczyk-Jermalonek, dental clinic owner of Gabinet Stomatologiczny.