NEW YORK CITY—Rose Mody Petelin Ndiaye, a professional model from Italy who recently settled in New York, was thrilled to see Shen Yun Performing Arts at Lincoln Center on April 11.

“This is my first time at [Shen Yun.] It is very amazing. It’s very grounding. It is very internal,“ Ms. Ndiaye said that she was ”just in the moment and just absorbed everything and all the beauty and elegance.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company, with a mission to revive 5,000 years of China’s divinely inspired heritage and share with the world the beauty of China before communism.

As a fashion model, Ms. Ndiaye loved the Shen Yun costumes, which are usually handmade with flowy materials such as silk. “I like the delicateness of the movements and the fabrics,” she said, even pointing out the attire worn by the emcee. “Even the presenter, what she was wearing ... it was so great. She was radiant and very beautiful. So I love it,” she said.

Ms. Ndiaye enjoyed Shen Yun’s interpretation of China before communism, which was both thought-provoking and spiritual. “I am enjoying [what Shen Yun is presenting] very much. I saw the difference between the past and now, how things have changed. I liked the way it is expressed,” she said.

Commenting on the dancers, Ms. Ndiaye said, “They are all very light, like feathers. They take you in the moment for sure. It’s very hard not to be glued to it and just follow the movement.”

“It’s on a very different level from what I’ve seen.”

Among Shen Yun programs, one piece is about the courage of belief displayed by Falun Gong practitioners under persecution in China.