CHICAGO, Illinois—The Chicago Marathon had the city tied up on Oct. 10. But for Shen Yun fans, that was not the chief event of the day. Andrew Bransky, vice president of investments at Stifel Financial Corp., made sure he didn’t miss a minute of Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Auditorium Theatre. “I love the show. I thought it’s incredible,” he said. “The performers are amazing. It was mind-boggling.” Based in New York, Shen Yun is unique in that, in addition to presenting classical Chinese dance and music, much of the performance draws from China’s rich spiritual heritage of 5,000 years. Up until the communist takeover, Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism formed the basis of Chinese life. “I like the fact that they’re telling people to reject atheism and to connect with the real sense to the divine, and treat people well,” Bransky said. “And there’s a message of beauty and humility …