MELBOURNE, Australia—The lights dimmed, and the audience quieted at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Plenary Theatre on March 14 as the curtain rose for Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Mel Gerber, Anthony Garrett, and their children were prepared to be amazed.

She said this was her first time seeing Shen Yun, and her children, Riley and Keernan, also wanted to come. “It was absolutely beautiful. I said I wanted to come, and the rest [of the family] went, ‘okay, we'll come, too.’”

Mr. Garrett, also a community manager, said, “It was fabulous, absolutely fabulous. I love the scenery. I love dancing. It was just magic.”

“You’ve got the kindness coming through—to treat people with kindness and that’s just—that’s just us.”

They were aware of the persecution of Falun Gong believers by the communist regime in China. “The Steadfast Heart,” according to the show’s program, tells a story of people who practice Falun Dafa (or Falun Gong), the meditation discipline guided by the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.

Mr. Garrett said, “I find it interesting because it shows us what the old China was like, and the fight they have nowadays to be able to continue the old culture, which is very important. It’s very, very important.”

“It’s important for us to see that now and for us as audience to support them with that,” Ms. Gerber said.

Ms. Gerber said the show was educational for her children. “We’ve actually traveled Australia for the last eight years. We try to educate them with anything and everything we can.”

Mr. Garrett also found Shen Yun educational. “I said I’m going home to go on the internet and find out about old China, and why there’s such a political fight between the old culture and communist China today,” he said.

In recommending Shen Yun, Ms. Gerber said, “It’s mesmerizing. Just go and see it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing that you could do.”

“I'd recommend it to anybody to come and see. It was absolutely fabulous,” Mr. Garret said.