MESA, Ariz.—Lawyer Valerie Tingey and her husband, John Lavery, a business owner, had wanted to see Shen Yun Performing Arts for years. Ever since they first noticed an advertisement, they had tried to find a time and location that worked, but it never quite lined up.

Finally, on Feb. 4, the couple attended one of the company’s evening performances at the Ikeda Theater.

“Phenomenal, phenomenal,” Mr. Lavery praised as he exited the theatre. “It’s a non-stop spectacle of color, of expression, and of dance. It’s wonderful. I love it.”

“The blend of both classical and the Chinese [was] phenomenal,” Mr. Lavery shared. “You don’t hear that very much, so it was very good.”

The performance is a series of short pieces that takes its audience on a journey through the dynasties of the Middle Kingdom’s 5,000-year history and across the vast regions of China. Using classical Chinese, folk, and ethnic dances, as well as solo musical performances, Shen Yun tells tales from ancient times to the modern day.

“It’s fantastic,” she said. “I liked his story [with the concept that] goodness wins all.”

Reflecting the artists’ mission to bring back China’s 5,000 years of divine-inspired culture, Ms. Tingey said she could clearly see traditional values such as “kindness, goodness, faith, and love” throughout the performance.

“It definitely opens up cultural channels and [shows us] the things that we don’t know about China. It provides us with some backstory. It’s very good.”

Mr. Lavery said he is eager to share the experience with friends and family.

“I would [tell them] it’s worth every penny. It’s worth your moment in time, it’s extremely educational,” he said. “Go see it for sure.”