HOUSTON—Mallory Gillette, a high school teacher, watched Shen Yun for the second time at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston on Dec. 26.

Coming from a musical family, she expressed deep admiration for Shen Yun’s music, dance, and cultural depth. She said the performance not only demonstrated a high level of artistic excellence but was also deeply inspiring, giving her a new understanding of traditional Chinese culture as well as the realities of present-day China.

She said she especially loved Shen Yun’s costumes, colors, and impressive dances with their high level of technical difficulty.

“The costumes are so pretty. We loved them—the flowy [feeling], the glitter, and the colors,” she said.

Ms. Gillette added that she enjoyed seeing the cultural aspects highlighted in Shen Yun’s performance.

Ms. Gillette noted that different ethnic groups have their own styles of music and dance, and that the hand gestures and movements of Shen Yun dancers were very distinctive. She was particularly impressed by how the choreography portrayed different roles—male and female characters, as well as people of different ages.

She was impressed by the dynamic backdrop and how seamlessly it interacted with the live performers on stage.

“We thought it was magic—it was like, ‘What just happened?’” she said.

Speaking about the messages conveyed by Shen Yun, Ms. Gillette said it was a valuable experience to learn about the spiritual side of Chinese culture, which was entirely new for her family.

“The cultural aspect—the way people dressed, lived, and acted, and how that [contrasts] with communism—was really interesting for us,” she said.

Referring to dance pieces depicting the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Ms. Gillette said it’s very important that Shen Yun raises awareness about what’s happening in China.

Unable to tolerate any group with influence beyond its control, the CCP launched a brutal nationwide campaign in 1999 to eradicate the practice—a persecution that continues to this day.

“It’s very eye-opening for people who are kind of closed-minded to what happens in communist China,” Ms. Gillette said. “This is a great thing that [Shen Yun is doing] to help, especially Americans, understand what our freedom is here compared to what’s happening over there.”