“I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot about Chinese culture,” she said. “The history, the divine, the discipline of the dance—it was just amazing.”

With a civilization spanning 5,000 years, China was once known as the “Land of the Divine.” For millennia, its people believed that by keeping their hearts pure and adhering to strict moral standards, they would be blessed by the divine.

Ms. Snedden was especially moved by the positive moral values conveyed through the company’s story-based dances that recounted legends from ancient times to the present day.

She loved the idea that “we all come from the [heavens,]” and felt the experience was very educational for her young daughter.

“The values—where it’s placed in kindness and helping other people—I think no matter who you are or what your beliefs are, that’s really important as part of humanity: to be kind,” she shared.

“That’s what we try to teach our children as well. I brought my daughter; she’s eight. That value, I think, is the biggest takeaway from it all.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun has met with overwhelming success since its founding in 2006. To satisfy popular demand, it now has eight equally-sized companies that tour around the world simultaneously.

“It’s really interesting to learn about their culture, their faith, and their belief system,” she said.

“It’s different to my own, but I certainly [have] some respect for them. [It’s] all placed in kindness. [The performance spoke about] being human and what that all means, that was really important.”

Reflecting on this, Ms. Snedden did not hesitate to express her feelings.

“I find that outrageous, I really do,” she said. “I didn’t know that they weren’t able to do it in China, but despite all of that, [the artists] still want to show the world their beliefs and where they come from. It is courageous.”

“It’s a reminder that we all need to be kind, and that in this world, that’s important,” she summed up. “More people need to think of that, and how they impact others and what their actions do.”