OTTAWA, Canada—The Shen Yun Performing Arts matinee drew a full house on Sunday at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, its portrayal of classical China’s traditions enchanting the audience.

Denys Vermette, a retired federal executive and now president of V3 Consultants Inc., was highly impressed by what he saw.

“I enjoyed the show. It’s a fabulous story. I think the dancers are magnificent and the costumes are breathtaking,” he said.

“It’s all fabulous. I admire that kind of show and what I admired about it is that it teaches a nice story. The commentary of the narrators was very helpful to understand what’s going on, so it helps us appreciate the story even more.”

Through mainly classical Chinese dance, along with ethnic dance and folk dance, Shen Yun takes the audience on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, depicting the principles and values inherent in the Middle Kingdom’s rich, ancient culture.

“The message is one of history, the message is one of culture, and how long it spans and how diverse it is, and how many regions there are,” said Mr. Vermette.

The mission of Shen Yun is to revive traditional Chinese culture through the performing arts. The New York-based company uses classical Chinese dance to tell stories from classic literature and ancient myths that embody traditional values like loyalty, compassion, and respect for the divine.

Shen Yun also performs ethnic and folk dances from among China’s distinctive ethnic minority groups.

Every year, Shen Yun tours for about six months, performing in some 20 countries and 100 cities.

Reporting by Donna He and Joan Delaney

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

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.