TORONTO—Film writer and director Robert King said Shen Yun Performing Arts was an “inspiring” experience following two years of pandemic lockdowns.

“I was very glad to see something so beautiful, especially after the last two years of all of us being locked up because of COVID, so I took some energy from it. It was inspiring,” he said after seeing Shen Yun at the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto on April 2.

“It’s great to be in a room full of people who are all being sort of taken away and inspired by the performances and the colors and everything that was happening on the stage, and to do it as a collective group.”

Shen Yun, a New York-based performing arts company, presents classical Chinese dance and music to audiences worldwide. The company, which displays the line “China Before Communism” in its literature, has taken it as its mission to revive the traditional culture of China.

Mr. King said the Chinese society was a “more beautiful place” before communism, one where people could enjoy their cultural traditions “without fear of reprisal.”

“I think it’s [Shen Yun is] inspiring. But it’s sad that this sort of thing isn’t really allowed in China,” he said.

Each of Shen Yun’s many dance pieces carries storylines from China’s legends and history, portraying virtues and values from the Middle Kingdom’s ancient cultural heritage.

“Mini-dramas vividly depict cherished stories of the past. Their heroes embody the most exalted virtues of Chinese civilization, and convey morals still relevant in our day,” says Shen Yun’s website.

Mr. King cited some of the virtues that he interpreted from the performances.

“It’s always great when something is promoting being kind, and promoting peace and tolerance, those sorts of values, which I think Shen Yun is doing. I think it’s extremely important to have those kinds of messages in the world today. Also, I know that the cultivation process—the arts play a very important part in humans cultivating themselves into being better, kinder, wiser people,” he said.

“I think it’s a message of retaining traditional values, and celebrating traditional culture in a way that all people can appreciate, and be inspired by and share.”

Commenting on the artistic aspects of Shen Yun, Mr. King said he found the performance to be amazing.

“I thought it was beautiful. The artistry, the costumes, the interplay between the screen and the characters on the stage—I’ve never seen that before,” he said. “I was really impressed by the precision of the dancers.”

Valentina Enikeeva, a ballerina and ballet instructor who now runs her own ballet school, said she was really excited to see Shen Yun.

“It was something really new for me, and at the same time very graceful and beautiful,” Ms. Enikeeva said. “If you want to see something really professional, beautiful production … I would suggest to come and watch this show.”

Ms. Enikeeva said very often in the performance there was something new that made her go “wow,” and noted even her children were captivated for the entire performance.

“I think this is the peak compliment for the show, because even the little kids can watch and enjoy the show, not just adults,” she said.

She added that she appreciated learning more about China through the performance.

Chad Messier, a vice president with Canadian Tire, said he found Shen Yun to be a “fabulous” performance.

“I loved the color, loved the gracefulness of the dance, loved the cohesion of the team,” he said. “I thought it was captivating. It was mesmerizing.”

Watching the performance, Mr. Messier said he wondered how the world would be a different place “if everything was just like you saw [in Shen Yun].”

“It was happy, and everybody was together, and everybody wants peace and harmony, and enjoy the earth while you’re here,” he said.

Negin Mastouri, a family doctor, said she enjoyed both the cultural and artistic aspects of the performance.

“I loved the dance. I loved seeing the culture. I loved seeing the colorful dresses, … the music was excellent, … the [tenor’s performance] was like a dream. It was wonderful,” she said.

Dr. Mastouri said she particularly enjoyed the performance of the tenor and the meaning of the lyrics he sang.

Shen Yun’s vocalists sing Chinese lyrics using the bel canto style. During their performance, translations of the lyrics are projected on the backdrop.

“It really captured my soul. I was just really thinking about what he was singing, and I was absolutely absorbing word-by-word what he was trying to express,” Dr. Mastouri said.

“You come to this world, you’re alive to find your way and be saved,” she said, reflecting on the meaning that she saw in the lyrics of Shen Yun’s songs.

Elaborating more broadly, Dr. Mastouri said she saw good values in the Shen Yun performance, including “kindness, forgiveness, generosity, happiness, being helpful.”

“I watched all of that in the show, so it gave me all that positive meaning,” she said.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.