ESCONDIDO, Calif.—On the evening of Jan. 28, Shen Yun Performing Arts opened the second of its three-show run at the California Center for the Arts.

“I’m very honored to represent County Supervisor Jim Desmond,” Ms. Cisneros-Selekman said.

“We’re so grateful that [Shen Yun] came to North County and Escondido. We’re really grateful for the performers that travel and tell a beautiful story with their music and dance.”

This marked Ms. Cisneros-Selekman’s second time attending the performance, and she thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“The show was fantastic,” she said, adding that she really liked how Shen Yun tells “the story of [China] before communism—the beautiful grace and culture that was there before.

“Luckily, some people have brought it to the United States, so we really, really appreciate learning about that. It’s very educational. The dancing, and the singing, and the instruments are just wonderful. Very gracefully done.”

“I know [Shen Yun] have eight groups touring, which is wonderful because people need to be educated,” she said.

“The more people get educated and share their culture and customs, [the more people] will appreciate what China was before communism. We can never erase history.”

“I’m hoping more people will come to [the] beautiful shows and get educated on what China was before communism.”

“We appreciate all the courage of all those who have tried to change the situation [in China,]” she said. “We greatly respect and admire the culture and the traditions, and sharing your story. So, thank you very much on behalf of supervisor Jim Desmond, and welcome. We hope to see you back next year.”

Also in attendance was Britney Hazzard, the deputy city clerk of La Mesa, who presented Shen Yun with a proclamation commending the artists’ work.

“We loved [the performance] so much. It was fantastic. It was absolutely beautiful,” Ms. Hazzard said.

She especially loved the piece in which the dancers’ long sleeves billowed and flowed like the gentle movement of water on stage. According to the company’s website, these sleeves were a part of ancient Chinese feminine attire representing humility and grace.

“The colors and the movements overall were just incredible,” she said. “I just loved that. That was very moving. It seems so challenging, and they make it look so easy.”

Having brought her young daughter to the performance, Ms. Hazzard was pleased to find that Shen Yun is both educational and rich in traditional values conveyed through its story-based dances.

“It was really great to learn more of the history of China and the culture and some of the parts that we don’t get to see in modern day,” she said.

“The message of power behind kindness—I think if all of us can have more kindness, then we can certainly heal a broken society. It’s very, very challenging times right now. So, I think a little kindness goes a long way.”

“To know that [Shen Yun] started out as one company and now it has grown and it is worldwide and able to share the beauty of the dance and the culture around the world—I think it’s really impressive.”

The evening “was beautiful, transformative. It was educational and overall a really great experience.”