GOLD COAST, Australia—Retired Army Lawyer Arun Lambert said he had been waiting 20 years to see Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Celebrating his retirement, he finally made it to experience Shen Yun at Home of the Arts (HOTA) on Feb. 26, just in time for the world’s premiere classical Chinese dance group to celebrate its 20th anniversary in sharing its love of traditional Chinese culture with an all-new 2026 world tour.

“It’s just been extraordinary,” Mr. Lambert said. “The culture, the costumes—it’s just beautiful.

“It’s just been brilliant to be able to feel the culture and the traditions of China.”

Professional dancer Courtney Damic praised Shen Yun’s New York-based dancers for their skill and technique.

“So much strength, so much lightness—like feathers. You can’t even hear them,” she said.

The dancers’ ability to express a wide range of emotions to the audience also impressed Ms. Damic.

“They told a story every time—their faces told the stories, their bodies told the stories—their heart is on their sleeve, and they just put every emotion into every movement they do.”

It’s “definitely worth coming,” she said.

Also in the audience were Greg Ryan, a property developer, and his partner Leanne Klein, a high school maths and physics teacher.

Mr. Ryan said he learned a lot about traditional Chinese values from the performance, calling it an “eye opener.”

“I like the tradition. I like the bit about … giving [to those in need], passing it on,” he said of one piece.

It was about a wise emperor who would secretly leave his palace to see how his people were living. Once, while giving food to villagers hit by a flood, he witnessed corrupt officials stealing from them. He did not stand idly by.

“It’s always nice to see good triumph over evil,” Mr. Ryan said.

He was unfazed by the threats. “If you let that stop you, then it’s when they win,” he said. “Yeah, you come. That’s the only way you beat [them] is you walk in here the next day and go, it didn’t work.”

Shen Yun is banned in China for daring to touch on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) censored topics of human rights and religious persecution, including its targeting of the peaceful Falun Gong spiritual group, which teaches truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Despite the CCP’s attacks, patrons around the world have continued to enjoy and support Shen Yun through its performances.

Ms. Klein said she appreciated Shen Yun’s “beautiful” presentation of traditional Chinese culture.

“Just a visual feast,” Mr. Ryan added.

Carolyn Heward, a psychology lecturer, said, “It’s been so entertaining. It’s a fabulous and beautiful show.”

Mr. Lambert added that the performance provides the audience with some insight into the issues happening in China. “It’s good to get a feeling of what it’s like to be in China at the moment,” he said.

He encouraged Australians to “definitely come and see this show.”

“It’s honestly one of the best shows that I have ever seen,” he said.