SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘A Story of Hope’: Ontario Cabinet Minister Says She Feels Empowered After Watching Shen Yun

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‘A Story of Hope’: Ontario Cabinet Minister Says She Feels Empowered After Watching Shen Yun
Charmaine Williams (2nd-R), Ontario's Associate Minister of Women's Social and Economic Opportunity, presents a letter of recognition to Shen Yun artists at the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto on March 31, 2023. Evan Ning/The Epoch Times

TORONTO, Canada—Charmaine Williams, Ontario’s Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity, says Shen Yun Performing Arts is full of joy and hope.

“It just filled me with so much joy,” Ms. Williams said after seeing Shen Yun’s opening performance at the Four Seasons Centre on March 31. “I just felt so empowered because it was a story of hope.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. According to the company’s website, Shen Yun is “a revival of the beauty and goodness of China before communism.”

“With stories and legends, vibrant costumes and backdrops, original music, and a few fun surprises—it’s an experience that will delight your senses, inspire your heart, and just leave you feeling great,” the website says.

Ms. Williams noted that our society has gone through turbulent times, especially coming out of a pandemic, so it’s crucial to be reminded that there is hope, as she saw in Shen Yun.

“We are climbing out of the post-pandemic ripple effects, and we’re building our economy, and we have to hold on to hope. And that’s what Shen Yun reminded me [of]: Holding on to hope,” she said.

“When politics wants to get involved, we need to remember our core values and the love and the peace that we all strive for.”

Ms. Williams, who before becoming an MPP was a city councillor in Brampton, Ont., also presented a letter of appreciation to Shen Yun performers on March 31 for coming to her home province.

‘So Much Brightness’

Ms. Williams noted that she is of the Christian faith, and said Shen Yun helped her get more connected to the upcoming Easter season.

“As we approach the Holy Week, Palm Sunday, we have something positive to look forward to. So I’m just overjoyed, and I’m very thankful that Shen Yun is in Toronto and is here for everybody to benefit from.”

Shen Yun’s website notes the importance of spirituality in all cultures and how almost all cultures “looked toward the divine for inspiration.”
“Art was meant to uplift, bringing joy to both the people who created and experienced it. It is this principle that drives Shen Yun performers and their art,” says the website.

Ms. Williams said she saw light in Shen Yun.

“I saw so much brightness, so much lightness,” she said. “I loved every minute of it.”

There was also a lot of beauty to praise in Shen Yun’s art for Ms. Williams. She noted, for example, the “Water Sleeves” performance, where female dancers perform with long, flowing sleeves, and how “absolutely beautiful” it was, as well as the live orchestra that accompanied the dances.

“It was wonderful.”

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