TUCSON, Ariz.—Violinist Toni Glickman had long seen advertisements for Shen Yun Performing Arts in New York City, but it wasn’t until a trip to Tucson that she had the opportunity to attend a performance.

“It’s so beautiful, and the costumes are great and the dancing is very beautiful,” said Ms. Glickman, who attended the performance with Nick Peery at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall on Feb. 9.

“It’s beautiful. It sounds wonderful. Very tight,” she said of the music. “Because I’m a performer, I mean, I just get into it right away and it’s beautiful to see everyone working together.”

It also reminded Ms. Glickman of her mother, who is Korean and was a dancer, she said.

“So I was actually really emotional,” Ms. Glickman said. She said she had always watched her mother dance and had actually wanted to become a dancer herself.

Ms. Glickman agreed.

“They make it look so easy, but I know how hard they work,” she said.