“It’s so meaningful and deep, it’s not shallow at all,” said Ken DiFiore, consultant at an AI software company. “It’s almost like looking at nature in itself. The beauty that the dancers portray, their movements are all just perfect and choreographed so well.”

Gladys Riddle-Watson, the former chair of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, said, “You could tell there were many hours of practice going into that because it was all done so perfectly. It’s just wonderful, it’s just beautiful.”

Shen Yun’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of traditional culture from “China before communism.” Audience members appreciated Shen Yun’s efforts and commented on the importance of tradition.

“This program demonstrated what it was like before in China, and you got the feeling that all those things we’ve talked about—family, people, looking out for each other and so forth—was very important,” former real estate developer Russell Freed said. “The message of going back to tradition and going back to religion and all those, and we need that here in this country also.”

Mr. DiFiore said, “I love the connection with tradition and the connection with divinity. We’re blessed by a God or other Divine being that has given us all these wonderful blessings; our own self, this wonderful world, nature, the interactions that we have with each other. We’re all blessed by that, and I think that that came through in the performance today.”

Kimberly Hardy, a political consultant, said, “This is incredible, and I love that it’s right here in Montgomery, Alabama, and the impact that it'll have on Alabamians and everyone across the United States. We need to see this. We need to see not just the performance, but the way we all think and the way we all blend together.”

Stephen Thiele, a former public address announcer, said, “I like the way they have done the history of China and brought it up to modern times. The costuming is really great. I can’t say enough about it. It’s awesome.”