SALT LAKE CITY—Multimedia is a double-edged sword. It brings us useful information and plenty of entertainment, but it also can be the culprit of hours of wasted time and poor social skills. In Shen Yun Performing Arts, the Becks said what they experienced was wholly positive.

“Compassion is one of the principles, and you see that in the performances,” said Mr. Beck.

“My heart aches for our friends in China that I think have lost the opportunity to understand who they really are. Exactly. Thank you. Such beautiful work,” she said.

“Even on your phone in China, you get texts from the government saying, ‘Remember, be good neighbors, be kind to each other.’ And everyone is taught this in school. Be nice, be nice, be good. But you don’t see it, you don’t feel it. Here you can see it, you can feel it in this performance of what it means to have the freedom to choose to be kind and good instead of being forced,” said Mrs. Beck.

“It’s wonderful. I think as an American, or from the United States, we don’t have a very deep culture,” Mr. Beck said. “Whereas this culture from China is so deep. And I think we long for that. We yearn for that. We want to feel a part of something bigger and grander.”