EDMONTON, Alberta—Seeing a performance on stage is enjoying the culmination of months of preparation, and Krystal Johnson, a theater stage manager, understands this process better than most.

With eight companies touring the world simultaneously, Shen Yun Performing Arts puts on an all-new production every year, and Ms. Johnson, knowing the amount of work that goes into such a production, was amazed.

“Well done. It was beautiful, gorgeous. I can’t believe that they create a brand new show with brand new music and choreography every year. It’s a big production,” she said.

Shen Yun is based in New York, and its artists are trained in classical Chinese dance, one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.

“It was beautiful. I loved the movement and the dance. ... The athleticism was very top-notch,” Ms. Johnson said.

Although there is nothing spoken in each dance, classical Chinese dance allows the dancers to convey the stories from past and present-day China.

“The choreography was beautiful. I loved that it conveyed the stories that were being told really well, even though there was no speech. But through the dance, it was easy to tell what was happening,” Ms. Johnson said.

Shen Yun takes pieces of Chinese history, literature, myth, and legend and brings them back to life. Ms. Johnson noticed how different storylines elicited different emotions from her.

“It depends on the story that’s being told. There’s definitely different emotions that you go through throughout the show,” she said. She added that “Dance of the Golden Phoenix” was beautiful, “The Story of the Village Boy and the Fairy” was a sad love story, and “A Restaurant Tale” was fun to see.

Being a stage manager, Ms. Johnson has seen a plethora of stage setups. But Shen Yun’s stage uses an animated projection, making the performance stand out from the rest.

“The projections—that was beautiful. The colors and the scenery were amazing ... [Shen Yun] was different than ones I’ve seen. The quality of it was really good,” she said.

Shen Yun’s live orchestra is a unique combination of traditional Chinese instruments and a classic Western ensemble.

“The music was gorgeous—very peaceful and lovely. Very relaxing,” Ms. Johnson said.