MESA, Ariz.—On Feb. 4, Shen Yun Performing Arts captivated audience members at the Ikeda Theater, including company manager Erica Moss and her friend Indu Raghavan, a stem cell researcher. They thought the evening was phenomenal.

“I loved it. It was so moving,” Ms. Moss shared. “It was absolutely beautiful.”

Ms. Raghavan, too, thought the performance was “spectacular.” Reflecting on the spiritual element of the performance, she said, Shen Yun “reinstates my beliefs because I stand by Eastern principles.”

“We all believe in compassion and kindness,” she added. “It’s certainly inspiring.”

For 5,000 years, China’s civilization flourished under the shared belief that the divine will bless those who uphold traditional moral values. Tragically, within just a few decades of the communist party’s violent takeover, these beliefs were erased and replaced with atheism.

“I wasn’t aware that [the artists present] a different performance every year … I loved the costumes. I love the meanings behind it. It was just absolutely beautifully done.”

Responding to popular demand, Shen Yun has grown from one to eight equally sized touring companies since its establishment in 2006. Every year, the artists return with a brand-new set of musical compositions and choreography.

The message Ms. Raghavan will take home from the performance is that Shen Yun “encourages people to not be confined by just science or by their religion, and have the humility to believe that not everything is inside of our control—which is why we have to have the humility to believe that there’s a higher power.”

To sum up the evening, Ms. Moss would like to tell Shen Yun to “keep on spreading love and light” and that “they’re doing a beautiful job.”

“They are such beautiful performers and brilliant choreographers,” she said. “Keep the classical arts up. I support classical arts, and I wish [Shen Yun] continues expanding.”