TORONTO—Zissis Poulos and Haliyah Hales felt mesmerized and transported by Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on April 4.

“Mesmerized—that’s the word,” said Mr. Poulos, a professor. “That’s how I felt.”

“I think it’s amazing, colorful. The soprano was so nice. It’s ethereal. And the message was deep,” said Ms. Hales, a musician and NGO founder from Nigeria.

“He was asking me during the show what the message was about. And I said it’s a powerful message that talks about how people should go back to being kind, to loving one another, and to be living in a higher power, which is an important part of keeping your ego and your pride in check,” Ms. Hales said. “And I think that’s a powerful message with a beautiful voice.”

The music carried a lot of meaning, and really moved them, Ms. Hales added.

“I would describe it as a feeling of oneness, fullness. It makes you feel,” she said. “It activates something in your brain. It’s just like, ‘wow.’ Keeps you in the present.”

“And there’s a lot of good messages about community also in that show, which I really appreciate.

“It’s intentional. It makes you feel,” she added. “ If you’re trying to pass a message across, I think music is a universal language, irrespective of where you’re from. I didn’t hear a word from it. I didn’t understand a word from it, but I felt it deeply. And I think that is important.”

Watching Shen Yun, Ms. Hales said it felt like being inside a movie.

“Amazing—it took me to China,” she said. “ They did a fantastic job. And it’s different. It’s Toronto. Having a cultural exhibition of China in Toronto is massive. It’s something. And I’m glad, we’re glad to be here.”

“Spread the word, spread the art and the love, and the message that is very important in these days,” he said. “There’s difficult times. I think these messages that this show is communicating are individually important, but also collectively very, very important. So thank you to the artist for doing that.”