Her first time watching Shen Yun, Ms. Capatina brought her daughter and granddaughter to the performance and she said her overall impression was that it was “beautiful. We love the music. We love that reviving of that beautiful culture.”

She said her 5-year-old grandaughter wants to start ballet after seeing the performance. “I mean, wonderful skills and a wonderful orchestra. The music and dancers are fantastic. I am very impressed.”

Ms. Capatina is from Romania. “To me, coming from communist country myself, it touched [me] ... because it’s so true. It’s not right what’s happening, and that’s why we were here. I hope to preserve the liberty in this country.”

Ms. Capatina saw what was behind the beauty of the performance. “It’s discipline, it’s resourcefulness, it’s leadership, and to me, it’s really, really hard work: good work ethics. So definitely, all combined, it is really what life is all about.”

“I’m a firm believer,”Ms. Capatina added, relating her faith to the divine aspects of traditional Chinese culture. “And I’m a Christian so, to me, it is the Divine, the God who created such a wonderful world in Eden, the garden of Eden. And man’s sin actually what corrupted this. The atheism and all the evolution: it’s false. It’s not the truth. ”

She was moved by key values in the performance. “Absolutely compassion, truth, and the love that was meant for humanity. But it was perverted. That persecution seemed to speak a lot to me just because we experienced it in Romania. I’m from Romania originally. It’s really resonated again, bringing back a lot of memories.

“I know lots of Christians still suffer. We are praying that God will continue to make miracles, and then bright that light into this world.

“The truth is the God loves this world and created so much beauty for all of us to enjoy. I hope the message will get revived and brought back what He originally intended.”

Shen Yun Shares Universal Values of Goodness, Truth

Glenda Totten, faculty and clinical instructor at the UCLA School of Nursing, enjoyed Shen Yun and said, “It was like a dream. Very, very lovely, artistic. It just tugs at the heart and gives you a lot of hope for the future.

Her friend, Lynn Covarrubias, a receptionist at a dermatology office, said, “Overall, it’s very artistic. I found myself going through a range of emotions throughout, which I didn’t expect. I got goosebumps. I didn’t think that dancing and music could make me feel like that, which was really really nice.”

Ms. Totten was impressed with the traditional culture and the values presented on stage. “I think the values are very universal. They transcend race, nationalities, ethnicities, and religions. It’s a value of goodness, truth, compassion, and love.”

She appreciated the beauty of the performance. “I cannot express [it]. It’s just so ethereal, and just lovely beyond imagination, just gorgeous. I’m telling Lynn I’m going to be dreaming about all the movements. It just shows you the beauty of the human body and the human soul and the human spirit, all in one.

Ms. Covarrubias’s favorite performance was the dance “Water Sleeves.” She could feel the energy of the dancers. “They’re very talented,” she said.

“The biggest thing was compassion. No matter what, no matter the history or bad blood, at the end, compassion will get you a long way, and we’re all the same. So, that’s what matters.”

The performance was a birthday gift from her friend. Ms. Covarrubias said, “It’s like a dream come true to be here. ... I’m actually going to come back again with my husband.”