SALT LAKE CITY—Dan Gillespie is a fan of Shen Yun Performing Arts, having seen it three times.

“I think it’s beautiful. It’s wonderful ... I know it’s different each time and we just love the experience,” said Mr. Gillespie, an engineer, who attended the Saturday matinee with his daughter at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater.

“I love the music, I love the dancing and the costumes and everything. And I also want to support Chinese culture that’s not communist,” he said.

Traditional Chinese culture is divinely inspired culture, a great contrast to the atheist communist culture, which Mr. Gillespie thought important.

“I think that it goes beyond just the beauty of the dance and the music to how it makes you live your life, approach life,” he said.

Mr. Gillespie said that although the spirituality of traditional Chinese culture was not the same as his own religion, “I still think it’s wonderful and helps all of humanity.”

Mr. Gillespie added that he knew the Chinese communist regime had been trying to put pressure on venues and Shen Yun to block the performances, and this only gave him another reason to attend—to stand for freedom.

His daughter Serena agreed.

“I think it’s wonderful. I think the costumes are so unique and I also love the live music,” she said. “I also agree that it’s so important to have people who are brave enough and devoted to share a message that they really believe in despite pressures not to. So I think it’s really important.”