VANCOUVER—Anna Kindy, member of the Legislative Assembly of North Island, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ matinee performance at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on April 12. Before the performance, Ms. Kindy gave a proclamation that “was an appreciation of them coming.”
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. China was once a country that flourished in art, culture, and spirituality, yet much of those elements were destroyed or abolished when the atheist Chinese Communist Party seized power in 1949.
Many of Shen Yun’s founders and performers experienced oppression and even persecution for their beliefs in China, and were forced to flee their homeland. Since its inception in 2006, Shen Yun’s mission has been to revive traditional Chinese culture and show audiences the beauty of “China before communism.”
Ms. Kindy said that Shen Yun “has a message which is important.”“I’m Canadian, I believe in freedom—freedom of conscience, of religion,” she said. “As long as you’re not hurting anybody else, you should be able to practice whatever your beliefs are. And I think if anybody’s persecuted, I think that country should be made accountable.”
“I would encourage people to come,” Ms. Kindy said. “I come from a family that has traditional values. ... In this world right now, we’re so divided, and it’s almost like we’re looked down upon if we have traditional values.”
“I think we learn from history, and so it should be part of our makeup. We should always look back at what’s happened and make sure that we repeat the good things and make sure we don’t repeat the bad things.”
“I think it was beautiful,” Ms. Kindy said of the spirituality. “It was peaceful. ... I think one of the most important messages was we should not be persecuting people for their beliefs.”
