ESCONDIDO, Calif.—Dentist David Cutts and his wife had been hoping to see Shen Yun Performing Arts for six years before finally getting the chance on Jan. 28, when the New York-based company performed at the California Center for the Arts. The evening’s show lived up to every expectation.

“We need more of that in America,” Mr. Cutts said, adding that some people are working to “eliminate traditional values.”

Founded by elite Chinese artists who fled persecution from the Chinese Communist Party, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company.

Endowed with 5,000 years of history, China was once known as the “Land of the Divine.” For millennia, its people believed that by keeping their hearts pure and adhering to strict moral standards, they will be blessed by the divine.

Indeed, for 5,000 years the country prospered. However, after the communist takeover and its spread of atheism, all this traditional culture was systematically destroyed. Today, Shen Yun’s goal is to bring back the beauty and goodness of China before communism.

Mr. Cutts was deeply moved by the artists’ commitment to revive this divine-inspired culture and traditional values. He thought the “message is very clear.”

“The performance [talked about how] we came from divine. We are spiritual beings and our society will rise or fall based on whether we get that message out to everyone. I so admire what [Shen Yun] is doing,” he said.

“We were divine at one time. You can use different semantics and words for that, but I think everyone knows that. To say it and to see it being put out there so honestly and forthrightly and decently and wonderfully is inspiring.”

The production is composed of a series of short pieces that take the audience on a journey through the dynasties and across the vast regions of China. Using classical Chinese, folk, and ethnic dances, as well as solo musical performances, Shen Yun tells tales from ancient times to the present day.

Mr. Cutts believes what sets Shen Yun artists apart is their dedication to raising awareness about the ongoing human rights issues in present-day China under communist rule.

“Very few people have a chance to be a part of a mission, a purpose as big as yours,” he said. “So, thank you. I see who you are, and I see what you’re doing, and I feel like we’re all in the same team as you.”