SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Toronto City Councillor Commends Shen Yun

Apr 08, 2024

TORONTO—Parthi Kandavel, Toronto city councillor for Scarborough Southwest, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts at its matinee show on April 7.

“I’m blown away by the production value [and] the deep storytelling that showcases China’s very rich 5,000-year-old history,” Mr. Kandavel said.

“It is exceptional—the discipline, the practice, the ability to do those jumps, the movement. It shows it’s a very classical and ... comprehensive dance form, one of the most unique in the world,” he added.

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has been the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company since its inception in 2006. Its performers come from all around the world, united in their mission to revive traditional Chinese culture and the beauty and goodness of China before communism.

According to Shen Yun’s website, the ancient Chinese people believed that their culture came from the heavens, and traditional Chinese culture is founded on the spiritual teachings of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.

Mr. Kandavel was deeply impressed by the stories told throughout Shen Yun’s performance, which reflected the deep connection the ancient Chinese had with the divine.

“What I think is the most impressive of the stories that are being shown in Shen Yun is the deep classical and spiritual heritage of China, which many people are unaware of, including myself,” said Mr. Kandavel.

“I’m very grateful to come and see how these stories, though they’re Chinese in origin, they apply and they appeal to all cultures and all people around this world.”

He noted that “it’s a beautiful story that captures the relationship people have to the divine energy in the world and in the universe. So I think the stories captured in Shen Yun will appeal to everyone in every culture and every religion.”

Mr. Kandavel went on to say that he believed Shen Yun, in sharing traditional Chinese culture, was playing a role in connecting people from all around the world.

“[Shen Yun] demonstrates that the Chinese people have similar connections to the divine that all people in all communities have,” said Mr. Kandavel.

“It brings and strengthens the Chinese presence, which is all over the world, and it makes people relate and connect to one another. Because if you study every culture, every religion, every country, there is that strong connection to the divine, the Creator, ... that power that sustains the universe and the world. So this is an important part of a very rich, deep Chinese history and culture, a spiritual culture that connects the community and the people with everyone in the world.”

Mr. Kandavel said the values presented throughout the performance were timeless and another factor in unifying humankind.

“Compassion, forbearance, kindness, humility, respect—those belong to all people, all countries, and that’s what brings us together. So yes, we have diversity in the world, but we also have unity through the celebration of these common human values. So, for Shen Yun and the production team to highlight that and bring out what’s common to all of us across the world, whether in Europe, Africa, India, China, or the West, it brings us together. And those are common human values. And I think in a world where people seek division, this helps us bring us together.”

Mr. Kandavel highly recommended Shen Yun, saying that the performance will “broaden your understanding and realize the common humanity that brings us all together.”

Commending “the Shen Yun production team for producing such a high-caliber show,” he said, “I encourage everyone to come and see this because it gives you a wider range and depth of the rich Chinese culture and history and traditions.”

“This show captures a part of Chinese history that is often overlooked or not given enough attention. It really enables us to better understand that rich, widespread history and culture,” he added.

It lets you better understand the Chinese people, with their vast population, and “having that sensitivity and deeper understanding is important as we become more of a globally connected country.”

Reporting by NTD and Wandi Zhu.

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