“It’s wonderful. It’s fantastic. It’s been a great night to get dressed up and spend time getting a little culture. As part of the military, I’ve traveled all over the world, and this has been a wonderful chance to see the beauty, the culture, the song, and the dance [of traditional Chinese culture].”

“I like the athletic performance — the muscle control, the discipline, the strength, and the power — that goes into each individual dance move, jump and leap. The whole athletic piece, to me, is fantastic.” 
 

“I like the symbology [in the storytelling]. It’s not just a straight forward Western tale with linear thinking. It’s very complex and symbolic in a lot of ways.” 
 

“It was surprising [to see so much spirituality]. I don’t think that that message gets out in popular culture, that there is spirituality in China, or if there is, it’s suppressed, obviously. 
 

“That’s what leads to the story (“A Child’s Choice” dance). That’s what makes it so much more beautiful to me is that people, naturally across all cultures, seek out something that’s bigger and higher than themselves. For me, it adds to the beauty.” 
 

“That is the elephant in the room. There’s this beauty and history and spirituality that all come from China, [but it] can’t be performed in China because of that oppression. That’s counter to our American values, for sure, and probably a large part of the world.” 
 

“It’s funny how the anti-communist revolution that happened in the 1980s and 1990s, when 27 countries turned their backs on communism, but it seems like it is … still out there. Our support for these types of events, and the culture, and the people – our support goes to them.” 
 

“This is wonderful for families of all ages for everybody to see the beauty, and the pageantry, and the colors. It’s engaging, and I’m enjoying it.” 
 

(To Shen Yun performers:) “Keep doing what you’re doing. The rest of the country is enjoying it. I was just in Los Angeles last week for business, and I saw [Shen Yun] posters in restaurants, at least two of them, [and I said] ‘Hey, I’m going there when I get back home [to San Luis Obispo]. 
 

“So, the word is getting out, and we’re grateful and thankful for [Shen Yun] to share their culture and history with us. It’s beautiful. We encourage them to keep doing what they’re doing. We appreciate, and thanks for sharing.”