FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Kristen Connell, the owner of a neuroplasticity-related business, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 18.

“It was stunning. It was more than I even imagined or expected. It took us through a journey, and it represented so many different aspects of China that I didn’t have any familiarity with,” Ms. Connell said.

“I really feel like I’m more in tune with the history and what China has gone through. The message is to stay true and compassionate and kind, and that is the right path,” Ms. Connell said.

“If the communist party has changed the culture, I think that to stay true and to stay authentic and to share the message is important. I think here in our society, we have the wrong messaging about China. I think we are told things that are not what Chinese people would want us to hear or know or believe.”

“I actually had some tears in my eyes at first, and I really wasn’t understanding the big picture. But even in the beginning, as I was just tuning in to what was going on, I had a few tears in my eyes, and I just felt really a lot of tenderness and compassion,” she described.

“I love the peacock. I thought that was really stunning. It felt very energetic and positive. I really think that one stood out for me. It was a lot of color. I love the movement of the fabrics. It feels very ethereal, like they’re floating,” Ms. Connell said.

Audience members often comment that Shen Yun’s dancers exhibit great skill in gymnastics or acrobatics, but Shen Yun’s website tells us that the techniques seen in the performance actually originate from classical Chinese dance.

“I think the acrobatics, the flips—those are like nothing I’ve ever seen. It looked effortless. There was a huge range of techniques. They made it look so easy and elegant and just magical,” Ms. Connell said.