SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun’s ‘Quality Is Excellent,’ Says Company VP

Mar 30, 2025

3/30/2025Updated: 3/30/2025

TORONTO—Company VP Keith Kinsella has studied traditional arts for 35 years, so when he stepped into the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on March 29, he watched Shen Yun Performing Arts with a critical eye. Mr. Kinsella said happily during intermission that everything was perfect.

“I really appreciate the show. The balance and sequence are very good. We went to a Vietnamese restaurant and saw the poster ... and here we are at the show, enjoying it very much,” he said.

“The quality is excellent. I’m looking for imperfections and haven’t found one yet. The sequence with the dance and the orchestra is quite fabulous.”

He was also deeply impressed with the dancers’ skill and talent.

“They are holding their poses very good on their balance. They are still keeping the expression and not showing any strenuousness. They are making it look that easy.”

The New York-based Shen Yun was founded in 2006 by elite Chinese artists who had fled the persecution of the communist party.

For 5,000 years, China’s civilization flourished under the shared belief that the divine will bless those who uphold traditional moral values. Tragically, within just a few decades of the communist party’s violent takeover, these beliefs were erased and replaced with atheism.

The mission of these artists is to return to the world’s stage—the glory and beauty of China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture.

Mr. Kinsella especially enjoyed the story-based dances that recounted classic legends from ancient China and the modern-day.

“So far, [I enjoy] the boy and the flute and the god. I actually wish they had the selling of the flute. I would pick it up,” he said. “That’s what life is all about—love and time. These are all the things that we take for granted. It’s nice to bring the traditional values back.”

For him, doing so means “just keeping life simple and taking time and appreciating everybody around you.”

Though Shen Yun is well-beloved by audiences around the world, it is currently forbidden from performing in China by the ruling Chinese regime. In fact, many of Shen Yun’s founding members had fled to America to escape persecution by the communist party.

Mr. Kinsella loved that the artists are showcasing China before communism, commenting that though it’s a challenging task, the performers are working very hard.

“It’s nice that they can be spiritual and expressive and just take the time [to get] into the simpler things in life and putting the best foot forward,” he said.

This season, Shen Yun’s eight touring companies are bringing their stunning performances to over 200 cities worldwide. With a brand-new program each year, the company’s 19th anniversary marks another season full of fresh surprises for both first-time and returning audiences alike.

Reporting by Teng Dongyu and Jennifer Tseng.

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