CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Retired publishing company president Ray Hargreaves and his wife Anne, a retired manager, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time on Feb. 20, at the Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

When the couple saw an advertisement for Shen Yun, they knew it was a performance they had to see. True to their expectations, the Hargreaves were full of praise for the artists at the end of the evening.

“I enjoyed it immensely,” Mr. Hargreaves said. “Very professional. Well done. Unbelievable. The timing was just superb.”

“I just kept thinking how often they must rehearse. I couldn’t believe it—not only the [dancing] but the actual physical aspects of it. At the end of it, everybody wants to do [a flip] because it looks so easy. They were just fantastic.”

Mrs. Hargreaves, too, praised the performers’ “wonderful dedication.”

“They should be in the Olympics,” she said. “It was good fun, very different. I also looked it up online and the school in New York and the training that they go through, it’s phenomenal.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun artists are highly trained in classical Chinese dance—an art form with a history spanning thousands of years, celebrated for its athleticism and expressive power. What many may not realize is that numerous tumbling techniques often associated with gymnastics and acrobatics actually originate from classical Chinese dance.

According to the company’s website, the classical Chinese dance seen in China today is heavily mixed with military and modern styles. Only at Shen Yun can the audience experience it in its purest form, preserved as it was passed down through generations.

The couple was also very impressed by the artists’ use of a 3D digital backdrop, which collaborated seamlessly with the performers on stage to create magical illusions that enhanced the story-based pieces. Shen Yun holds a patent on the technology.

“When [the performance] started, I thought the dancing is phenomenal,” Mr. Hargreaves said. “But when the screen came on ... the timing was unbelievable with the dancers.”

“A game changer,” Mrs. Hargreaves chimed in. “The screen was spectacular—that was very unexpected.”

They also enjoyed the musical performances woven between the series of classical Chinese, ethnic, and folk dances.

“The lady’s voice is very, very good,” Mr. Hargreaves said. “The lyrics were very nice. It’s nice to have the [English] subtitles to see what they were singing.”

Ms. Hargreaves, for her part, loved the two-stringed erhu solo—a 4,000-year-old Chinese instrument capable of expressing profound emotions.

“I loved the music, the two-stringed [instrument] was beautiful,” she said. “I loved it.”

Since its establishment in 2006, Shen Yun has earned widespread acclaim. Each year, the artists present a brand-new set of choreography and musical compositions, ensuring that both new and returning audience members are always in for a surprise.