THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.—Two best friends came to see Shen Yun Performing Arts together as a celebration of their friendship.

“I thought it was fantastic. [This] was our girls’ night out tonight. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I thought the dancers were great,” said Sandra Langford, a product manager.

Both friends were impressed with the footwork of the dancers called yuan chang, which is quick, small steps that give the impression of floating across the stage.

The costumes seen in Shen Yun are all expertly tailor-made and designed to match the fashion worn throughout the 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.

“The dresses were, especially the women’s, so graceful and just beautiful. And just the costumes, it’s amazing what costumes can do, the long sleeves and everything,” Ms. Langford said.

“Storytelling was kind of reminding me of what we’re going through right now in our country right now,” she said.

Shen Yun’s truthful depiction of modern day China has made it unable to perform in China. Ms. Langford shared that there is no room for hatred in the world.

“We need to take care of each other. There’s no room for hatred. Just because you think something different that makes you the enemy [of the state]? We need to have different opinions because if we don’t, that’s a bad thing,” Ms. Durham said.

“It was absolutely amazing. I love music. The orchestra was amazing,” Ms. Durham said.