TORONTO—Businesswoman, musician, and former MP Lois Brown described Shen Yun Performing Arts as “amazing to watch” after taking in the performance on opening night at the Sony Centre.

The former Conservative Member of Parliament for Newmarket-Aurora is a graduate of the Royal Conservatory and said she appreciated the work the dancers put into their performance.

“It was delightful to be here. The performance was magnificent,” she said.

“The costuming and the choreography are absolutely spectacular.”

Shen Yun was founded on a mission to revive China’s divinely inspired traditional culture—one that has been nearly lost after decades of communist rule.

The New York-based non-profit performing arts group is completely independent of the Chinese regime. Some of Shen Yun’s story-dances portray events from antiquity, others from the modern day, including the more recent repression of traditional Chinese beliefs at the hands of the current communist regime.

Ms. Brown was aware of that situation and noted her efforts during her time in office to address some of those issues.

“I was very honoured to be part of a government that spoke out very publicly about the issues of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,” she said.

Chinese culture was rooted in virtues and the values of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism, the spiritual traditions of China before the revolution in 1949. Shen Yun’s dances draw on this rich history and put virtues like honour, kindness, and reverence for the divine at the heart of the performance. Ms. Brown praised that effort.

“We saw tonight the discussion about tolerance and about compassion and about charity, and I believe that those are values that we share with people all around the world and so we’re going to continue to talk about these issues, particularly the issue of freedom and human rights,” she said.

The pieces are brought to life onstage mainly through classical Chinese dance, but also folk and ethnic dances, accompanied by a unique symphony orchestra that features traditional Chinese instruments leading the melodies.

Shen Yun is the premier classical Chinese dance company in the world. Many of Shen Yun’s artists are winners of international dance and music competitions.

“They are obviously people who have dedicated a great deal of time and energy to that particular form of art, and they are to be commended and to be applauded for the amazing show that they put on for people this evening,” Ms. Brown said.

Ms. Brown thanked the performers for “an amazing, spectacular event.”

Reporting by NTD and Rahul Vaidyanath

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun’s International Company is currently touring Eastern Canada. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reaction since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.