ATLANTA—Mark Livingston, a retired U.S. Army principal, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts on Jan. 28 at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

“It’s a really beautiful performance. All the performers were great,” Mr. Livingston said.

Shen Yun, based in New York, is on a mission to present “China before communism,” and revive people’s connection with 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and culture.

“Just to see that this was a culture from 5,000 years ago, a lot of Americans have no idea about China, but [Shen Yun] gave me a real sense of feeling for China,” Mr. Livingston said. “America’s 250 years old. That’s like a brief pause in China, right?”

Shen Yun’s use of its digital backdrop is patented. The versatility of the technology allows the set to change scenes in the blink of an eye, giving the stage endless possibilities.

“I tell you I think it was ‘How the Monkey King Came to Be,’ and when the monkey came through the CGI and then the guy came out, I just said, ‘Wow. That was just fantastic,’” Mr. Livingston said.

“I used to play trumpet and trombone. And the lady that did the solo with the two strings, that was unbelievable. I'd never heard sounds like that,” Mr. Livingston said.

Shen Yun’s singers are trained in bel canto technique and the digital backdrop provides a translation of the Chinese text being sung.

“The singing, the soprano was haunting and the baritone was deep,” Mr. Livingston said.

Andrew Huston, a vice president of sales, was also in the audience. He was surprised to learn that Shen Yun is unable to perform in China.

“Chinese culture is something that I have never immersed myself in. I’m horrified that you cannot see a performance like that in China at this point in time,” Mr. Huston said.

Many of Shen Yun’s dance stories share morals from Chinese history that are still relevant today. The dance, “Salvation,” reminded Mr. Huston of the importance of living in the present and not letting technology rule our lives.

“Today everyone is doing this and not paying enough attention to what’s happening here. I think that we need to all put our devices down and think about the decisions and the steps that we’re taking day to day,” he said.