Mayor Moved to Tears by Message of Dignity and Compassion in Shen Yun Performance (Photo)

(Clearwisdom.net) Theatre-goers on Friday evening rose to their feet in a long standing ovation deeply moved by Shen Yun Performing Arts portrayal of classical Chinese dance and music.

Joining the enthusiastic audience in Toronto's Canon Theatre was Ms. Morris, mayor of a Toronto suburb, who described her experience of seeing Shen Yun for the first time as a "really incredible evening!"

Curtain call at Saturday's performance

"You feel like you are in another world," she said. "It's just so exhilarating. Just the caliber of the show, the performance, the precision of it, the beauty of the costumes, the wonderful energy of the dancers and the singing voices--I think everything impressed us."

Ms. Morris feels that Shen Yun goes beyond artistic beauty and conveys a beautiful message, as well. "The meaning was very deep. It makes you stop and reflect," she said.

One performance, "Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution" touched her deeply. "The child was very distraught over the father dying, and then being able to just stand there and just accept the person she loved was going to a special place, a divine place; she was able to accept that and there was joy there. I thought that was very touching. I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it. Very touching. I think I already admitted that, yes, it did bring me to tears. Very deep."

This program's message is worthy of reflection, Ms. Morris said.

"The word 'compassion' came through. The words 'grace' and 'dignity' came through. [There are] many things that you could take away from the show. Society in general needs compassion, very much so. If we could all treat each other with compassion, it would be a much nicer place sometimes." In the end, the piece conveys the message that good people are ultimately rewarded, if not in this lifetime.

"The idea that we've just come into a show and watched 5,000 years of a culture coming together in just a short compressed time ... it's telling the story and I think bringing the message to people, and we are all getting touched by it. I am just privileged to have been allowed to come and see a little bit of it tonight," she said.

Ms. Morris shared that she would tell her friends about Shen Yun Performing Arts.

"I would tell them; 'If you missed it this year, please see it when it comes back.' I know there's a new production coming but if anyone gets the opportunity to see this show, they really should try. Very touching, very lively," she said. "I would just say; 'Come out and see the show!'"

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