Audience members expressed deep appreciation for the richness of 5,000 years of ancient Chinese culture and values, and praised the performers for their artistry.

Grazia D’alonzo, a lawyer, said “I think I may have seen perhaps the most beautiful thing of my life. I entered a state of mental serenity that I have been missing for a long time. They transmitted emotions and feelings, but also principles that I did not know regarding their culture.”

Donatella Mattei, a chartered accountant, said, “The show is very moving. It’s the first time I attended a show like this and I found it truly incredible, for the scenography, for the colors of the costumes, for the grace of the dancers as well. They are truly very moving.”

Michele Fina, a production supervisor, described New York-based Shen Yun as “serene.”

“It conveyed a sense of serenity because the combination of traditional and modern music and instruments was beautiful. It gave the dance a true sensation of serenity and happiness,” he said.

“It is really important that you have created this bridge between your traditions and how you still manage to maintain these traditions in this fast-paced world. Something that perhaps we, Western cultures, struggle a little to do,” Flora Sportelli, a physician, said.

Mr. Fina said, “I take away the beauty and importance of returning to, believing in traditions and, as shown in a certain part of the show, sometimes putting aside technology, cell phones, and therefore believing in and continuing to talk and live with people.”

Over the decades, the Chinese communist regime has severed the connection between today’s Chinese people and their authentic cultural and spiritual heritage. Because Shen Yun’s performances expose the communist regime’s persecution of faith and its human rights abuses, the regime has banned it from performing in China.

Ms. Mattei said, “I found it very realistic in depicting exactly how the persecution by communism took place in China, and also that scene of liberation and salvation, which indicates a rebirth, a possibility of freeing oneself from that oppression and finding a new dimension.”

Mr. D’alonzo said, “[Shen Yun] teaches us to believe in a God, a higher power that guides us each day. It also shows the effort humanity has made, and continues to make, expressing itself through art, culture, music, and dance, with commitment and strength, leaving signs to guide us into the future.”