EUGENE, Ore. -- Business owner Katrina Rupp and Adriane Jimenez, software engineer and consultant, were captivated by the costuming and colors of 5,000 years of Chinese civilization as portrayed by Shen Yun Performing Arts.

"It's so colorful. It's really beautiful," said Ms. Rupp at the Hult Center after a performance on Jan. 25.

"The choreography is done, it just kind of draws you right in," added Mr. Jimenez. "The choreography and the colors are also very captivating."

"Very moving. Very moving," he added.

"I would recommend it," said Mr. Jimenez. "It's very entertaining and very enriching."

"The Chinese government is trying to suppress this, and I wanted to be able to support them [Shen Yun] and help them achieve what they want," Mr. Holm said after the Jan. 25 performance.

"Oh, it was emotional," he said.

He said the performance showed values like "love and trust, and compassion, tolerance," the opposite of what an oppressive regime like that of the Chinese Communist Party enforced.

"That's what it's all about. You see the beauty of [those values] coming from the artist. The compassion, the passion they have for the show," he said. "I really enjoyed it. Glad I came."