SHEN YUN REVIEW in Canada APRIL 2026 P41

On April 11th, international human rights lawyer David Mattis attended a show by Shen Yun Performing Arts at Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Mattis, who has seen the performance in cities around the world, said this year's production was exceptional. First of all, I've never seen before, although I've seen performances before, the interplay between the video background and the players. Dancers just walk out of the video background and become dancers on the stage. It's a technological development, which to me was amazing. And of course, I mean, there's the athletic agility of the dancers, the beauty of the presentation, the combination of classical orchestra with the specific Chinese instrument, which I've never seen or heard anywhere else. Through classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun seeks to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture. The performance also exposes the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance. Mattis has spent decades investigating the CCP's human rights abuses, including the forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Some of the dances are just that, but some of them do provide a storyline. And it's an interesting way of telling the stories through dance alone and including one, which was, of course, striking to me as a storyline about persecution of Falun Gong and the organ harvesting, which, as I say before, I mean, it gives you an opportunity through dance to say things and communicate to an audience, basically doing what dancers normally do. So it shows you the inventiveness of the different ways of communicating the problem and how to deal with it. It's been seen around the world many times, so it's an amazing accomplishment. And it also makes you see what the Chinese country and citizenship have lost by losing their traditional culture and repressing really what is one of their most successful descendants or presenters of Chinese culture and history. Mattis said that beyond attending the performance, it is critical to push back against the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to undermine traditional Chinese culture. It's important to support it, but I would also say even more important is to combat the transnational oppression against it, because what we see is the Chinese Communist Party has identified Falun Gong as its most prominent opposition force, and one of the very important vehicles for that is Shen Yun, because it's seen by so many people. And the Chinese Communist Party has engaged in transnational repression specifically against Shen Yun because of its communicative value, with bomb threats, with planted newspaper stories, and the slashing tires, and threatening people, threatening advertisers to get them to withdraw ads, threatening employees not to come to the performances and so on. And I think that it's an indication of how, I mean, not only how effective it is, but how important it is. Shen Yun has completed the Canadian leg of his 2026 world tour and will continue to perform in the U.S., Europe and Asia. NTD News, Vancouver, Canada. The Chinese culture, I'm sorry, I just want to cry. It's just so beautiful, the message there. Shen Yun performing arts dazzled audiences at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, Canada on April 8th. Theatre-goers praised the artistry, music and storytelling on stage. All the artists, it's just amazing how they, through their movement, through their art, they're gifting us a message. And so I really enjoy everything about it. The dancers were excellent and the story was very easy to follow along. I know sometimes not everybody nails that so well, but you guys did a perfect job of it. And it was very entertaining utilizing the multimedia. The two-string instrument, that was phenomenal. And I love how it was interspersed in the entire show just for these very good breaks. But seamless too. Shen Yun's mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, presenting a China before communism through classical Chinese dance and music. The stories on stage struck a chord with the audience. It's the roots, the foundation for everything. It's very important to carry that culture. It's our ancestors, right? And learn, right? And learn and grow together. And really be that warrior of consciousness. We see the ballet a lot, so it's a little different. But just in all with the choreography, which was bang on, and the flips. And it was so interesting to learn about how that is not gymnastics training necessarily, but it's all part of Chinese classical dance. So I love the history that was interwoven with the performance as well. I like about the monks, the message of the monk, and to believe that there's higher, something greater out there. And put the ego on the side and be true to the self and kind. Be kind. The spirituality, the message to the Chinese culture, to me, it was very authentic. Be true to the self and being humble. To me, it's being humble and be conscious who you are, what you are, and be kind to everyone else. Since its founding in 2006, Shen Yun has been facing ongoing interference from the Chinese Communist Party, from pressuring theaters and harassing performance families, to online attacks and even alleged sabotage. More than 205 such incidents have been documented worldwide. Just hearing some of the news that some of these performances were cancelled in Toronto and the reasons for that and that there's been a history of that is completely unacceptable. And we all know, I think, it's from the Chinese Communist Party. So I'm here to show my support that that type of treatment is not acceptable anywhere and definitely not in Canada. I think there should be more of it. I think any opportunity there is to express the, to make these types of expressions should be elevated, I think, absolutely. And eventually we have a change in China that is beneficial for all, I think. That's what I hope for. I think it's always good to teach people about history, especially in different cultures and, you know, when you're trying to keep a segment of your own culture alive as well, I think it's really good to keep telling it in this storytelling, multimedia, arts way because clearly there's a lot to it and I think people really benefit from, you know, even learning about it regardless of, you know, your belief system. Especially with what's going on today, right? It's really nice to have something positive and uplifting. I'm very emotional right now because, like, the message there was so powerful that there is no word. The best thing for me to say is to invite people to come and experience what I'm experiencing just now with the show. It's just very touching for me. So I really recommend people to come and watch it. Shen Yun will perform at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, Canada through April 12. NTD News, Vancouver, Canada. Shen Yun Performing Arts dazzled audiences Theatre-goers said the experience was unlike anything they had ever seen. I don't know if I have the words to describe it, but it's a transcendental experience. The first time I ever saw it, I couldn't believe my eyes, I couldn't believe my ears, everything. Nothing like it. I couldn't resist the option of coming back again this year. And, once again, my expectations have been absolutely blown out of the water. I think it was incredibly beautiful. I was taken back by the music, the colours, the smiles on everybody's faces. The stories were really intriguing and fun. It allowed me to think about something outside of what I know in my life. It's a cultural thing that I don't think I've experienced myself, being a Canadian. And it was a beautiful way to be transported from my life here to something that I don't know a lot about. And it was beautiful. Through classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun seeks to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture. Audience members said the stories on stage gave them a window into a civilization they had never encountered before. Well, you know, it's not something you encounter in your day-to-day here in the Western world, you know. So being able to have the gates open to you a bit, to see millennia of culture right in front of you, you know, it's mind-boggling that such a legacy continues from so long ago to this day and done so well by such talented performers. It's really, really amazing. All the different stories were fascinating. They were really fun. Some of them were funny. Some of them were heart-wrenching. And it was neat to watch it without talking. It was just the connection of the actions and the music, which I found. I really enjoyed that because then I could kind of make the story going, you know, in my own head. I could figure it out myself without it being told to me. But through dance, it was fun. Based in New York, Shen Yun has been touring the world since 2006 and celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Theatergoers said the performance moved them on a spiritual level. That first introduction, seeing the creator come to earth and transcend, you know, in reverse becoming mortal and making our world as it is, it's just, I can barely contain myself any time I see it. It's really moving. This show has been nothing but proof of the divine nature of movement. And, you know, no one does it better than you guys as far as I'm concerned. I heard at the end that Shen Yun changes every year. It's rewritten every year. That's fantastic. And that means that there is always a new story to be told. And there is always a new representation and new expression of what we've learned even the year before. So I think that's fantastic. And I would come again. I definitely would come again. Artisan director, your talent is out of this world. I've never in my life seen something that really compares to it. And I hope that, you know, your talent continues on for decades and decades onwards because I'll keep coming back so long as there's life left in my veins. Shen Yun has completed the Canadian leg of his 2026 world tour and will continue to perform in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. NTD News, Vancouver, Canada. Shen Yun Performing Arts dazzled audiences at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, Canada on April 10. Audience members were impressed by the skill and artistry of the performers. Oh, we love it. We're really enjoying it. It's so diverse, especially the song in the middle there with the pianist and the baritones. Oh, I'm loving the costumes. The absolute acrobatic ability that, it's phenomenal. Something else, something to witness. Oh, it was fantastic. You know, some of the shocking things were they came out of the screen. You didn't expect that. It was actually unbelievable. It was very, it felt impossible. I can tell that they have so many years of training. There was not a misstep. It was such a different version of classical dance than I am used to. It was so enlightening and so beautiful. Very, very, very exquisite and just so full. I just thought the movement and the choreography was more fulfilling for me. Shen Yun's mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, presenting a China before communism through classical Chinese dance and music. Audience members said preserving this tradition is more important than ever. What a big mission. What big, big shoes they have filled. A very strong story. I was very, very, very touched by it. All the colors and a lot of the different elements of media that were shown really helped to sell the message. Just that dance is divine and that it was so beautiful to see it shared. I think it's really important because it's like a lost art. It's completely lost. The young people now don't understand it. And I think that it would be really good for society to understand it and just to bring back the roots and the history and the culture and everything. Shen Yun has been touring the world since 2006 and celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. However, Shen Yun currently cannot perform in China due to the Chinese Communist Party's suppression of traditional culture and persecution of faith. The stories were very moving, I thought. Very educational. And I think a lot of people would find a lot of meaning in them. So the relationship with the government and how people were strong and how people had the inner strength was the most moving part. It's good for people to be aware of what's happening around the world. And it shows people's strengths. It's good to see people's strengths. The younger generation will see what the inner strength can do for themselves and their future. It's my fourth time here and every time I think it's amazing. The visual, the music and everything. I would definitely come back again. Shen Yun has completed the Canadian leg of his 2026 world tour and will continue to perform in the U.S. in cities like Spokane, Washington and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NTD News, Vancouver, Canada. Shen Yun Performing Arts dazzled audiences at the Four Seasons Center for the Performing Arts in Toronto, Canada on March 28. They were met with great enthusiasm by Chinese audience members who were awed by the beauty of the performance and the depiction of true traditional Chinese culture, which they said is something that cannot be seen in mainland China. It's the first time I've seen Shen Yun's performance in Canada. I was shocked. I didn't know there were so many foreigners besides Chinese. It's the first time I've experienced traditional Chinese culture. I didn't know there was such a thing in China. I was shocked. I didn't know there was such a thing in China. I will come back every year. Seeing the 5,000-year-old Chinese culture, tradition, and artistic dance is really shocking. I feel very proud. Based in New York, Shen Yun is on a mission to revive 5,000 years of genuine traditional Chinese culture through classical Chinese dance and music. Each performance also draws on values such as spirituality and faith. The people all over the world like genuine, kind, beautiful things. They have the right to choose. You can't see this in China. We are not here in this world for no reason. There must be a creator who created this world, right? We must develop ourselves in this world. As we saw on the stage, Through a series of vignettes, Shen Yun exposes the modern-day persecution of faith in China, one of the reasons it is banned from performing in China. Theatre-goers said they hope to see that change soon. Shen Yun will be performing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, Canada through April 12. NTD News, Toronto, Canada.