ATLANTA, Ga.—International speaker and published author Nadine Collins watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Atlanta Symphony Hall on Jan. 7.

“I enjoyed it very much,” said Ms. Collins, who had been looking forward to seeing the performance for many years. “It was relieving, it was beautiful, soothing, almost like a massage—it was just a beautiful experience.”

“Even when we travel to the country, you don’t get that type of rich background of what it was like in terms of the different stories that are being depicted in the show itself. So for me, it’s beautiful just to be able to be exposed to that.”

“I think it’s a form of … freedom of expression, to be able to share your culture with the world,” she said. “I think everybody who attends the show will kind of get a deeper sense of meaning as to what China represents to the world.”

Brian and Lisa Picard, also in the audience, were impressed by the amount of effort put into Shen Yun’s performance.

“I loved the choreography,” said Mr. Picard, who works behind the scenes for television. “It was beautiful: the colors, the story, the way everything is presented, and just the amount of talent that it takes for all of the performers.”

“Everybody was in just perfect unison, and it flowed so well. It didn’t look real at some point—it was surreal.”

Mr. Picard described the performance as a learning experience and that the length of China’s 5,000 years of history stood out to him, especially when compared to the United States’ 500 years.

“I don’t think I ever realized or ever thought about that this culture goes back that long,” he said. “There’s just so much to it, and the impact that communism has on even the freedom of speech and freedom of expression over there today.”

“I loved the story,” Mrs. Picard said. “It touches my heart—it really does. It’s nice to hear it and know because I didn’t know. So this is a wonderful experience to see and hear and know what’s going on.”