SYRACUSE, N.Y.—Dr. A. Najah Salaam, president of a nonprofit that helps at-risk youth, had gotten interested in Shen Yun Performing Arts years ago as a performance that she thought could benefit the teens she worked with.

Ms. Salaam had a career in education before becoming president and CEO of Street Addiction and has published papers and a book about helping at-risk youth and what they face. In her nonprofit, she mainly works with high school teens and felt it valuable to give them the opportunity to see the traditional Chinese culture, and the beauty of a Shen Yun production.

“There are a lot of children that do not have the opportunity to to see a show as beautiful as this,” she said.

Ms. Salaam said the program was filled with stories about subjects from war to love, with a touch of spirituality, with “powerful” messages if one picked up on them.