PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Diane Hunter and Manuel Irujo saw Shen Yun Performing Arts with friends on May 10, and found it full of moments and elements they described as magical.

Ms. Hunter, a healthcare specialist, described the many elements of the performance that came together to create magic, and Mr. Irujo, a senior vice president, said the artists had used their “incredible talent” to convey something peaceful and serene.

Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, and has a mission to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.

“It was very informative; that was the best part. And I loved the background, and the dancers were so talented, you were just mesmerized by it, really,” Ms. Hunter said. “The costumes were amazing, they’re beautiful. The way that they were done and the dancing with the costumes, it just was amazing. Amazing. That’s the best word.”

Then there were the backdrops, created with a digital projection technique of Shen Yun’s own design.

“I love the way they transitioned from being real on the stage to the backdrops,” she said. “It was magical. It really was magical.”

“You just kept watching it. Like, how did they do that? How did they do that? And it was, you know, you want to know the science behind how they did that,” she said. “The choreographers were just phenomenal. And they’re behind the scenes. You never get to hear about them. But the choreographers did a great job. Great job.”

“I love the language differences; we come from an international family, so it was really nice to have that cultural component. It was just amazing. It’s amazing,” Ms. Hunter said.

“I love the spiritual part of that,” Ms. Hunter added. “I like the fact that the commentators actually explained that. I think that was so helpful. And you could see the spiritual component to the whole show. You know, and that was very nice. Very nice. It wasn’t commercialized.”

Ms. Hunter said she felt the art was really “pure.”

“Pure heart, pure talent, pure magical. Pure magical,” she said.

The spirituality was also a highlight for Mr. Irujo.

“I think the spirituality is wonderful. I think that’s some very serene feelings. Peaceful,” he said.

“A calming show,” Ms. Hunter agreed, “yet thrilling to watch the way the dancers and the music and the choreographer and the background.”

“It was quite the show, really. I would recommend it to anybody just to come and see,” Ms. Hunter said.