MISSISSAUGA, Canada—It was a family affair for Joydeep Bose, who brought his mother and children to Shen Yun Performing Arts’ Saturday evening performance at the Living Arts Centre. 

He was impressed with the quality of the performance particularly noting “the colour, the coordination, the dance.”

Mr. Bose, president of EB Air Control Inc., a company that specializes in institutional and commercial air control products, decided to buy tickets for a family outing.

“My mother is here from India so we wanted to show her a nice performance like this,” he said. “My kids, they love it!”

In addition to being entertained, audience members receive a first rate education in Chinese culture. 

“The storyline is very good,” said Mr. Bose. “We came to know a lot of things we didn’t know about the ancient history of China, which was very good, fascinating.”

Shen Yun was established in 2006 by a group of dedicated overseas artists to revive 5,000 years of divinely-inspired Chinese civilization. Based in New York, Shen Yun is able to lead the revival of these traditions unfettered by the limitations on artistic freedom experienced in China today. 

Ancient legends, folk and ethnic dances, as well as classical Chinese dance are all on display during Shen Yun’s performances.

“The traditions are fantastic,” said Mr. Bose. 

“[Shen Yun] shows the ancient history of China is even more gorgeous, more fascinating. So it’s got a long history and it’s connected to the Buddhist culture—they show the respect, the love, the passion.”

The inclusion of these traditional beliefs in the performance resonated with Mr. Bose, who acknowledged their benefit to society, “especially for the youngsters.”

“It’s a traditional art which has been going on for thousands of years,” he said. “It will never die. It will always be alive.”

Reporting by Lisa Ou and Ryan Moffatt

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun’s World Company will perform in Toronto from Jan. 23-26. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

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