ROCKFORD, Ill.—Sitting in the audience of Shen Yun Performing Arts, Felipe Tilca felt transported through time and space as the artists brought to life 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.

“It’s like, ‘Welcome to this magic world,’ so to speak,” said Mr. Tilca, an analyst and manager in artificial intelligence, after seeing Shen Yun at the Coronado Theatre on March 25. “I feel like ... I’m living in the actual legend over there.”

Mr. Tilca said that seeing Shen Yun was amazing, and the artists had brought a “cultural touch” to life that he felt was missing in a lot of places.

“I’m going to tell you, because I’m working with computers and I’m in artificial intelligence, but this is a real thing,” he said.

“This is technology, of course, but it’s a real thing,” he said.

“I think this kind of shows represent that something is lost, but it’s bringing to life. Next generation needs to see this. We need to keep this alive,” Mr. Tilca said.

“The dynamic is fabulous,” he said. “It’s impressive.”