(Clearwisdom.net) On Friday night, Shen Yun Performing Arts premiered in Mississauga, giving the first of three sold out performances of traditional Chinese culture at the Living Arts Centre.

Ras Leon Saul, playwright and publisher of Uprising International, a monthly community newspaper, attended with his wife, Nzinghe, for the second time, and was deeply moved by the message he saw portrayed in the show.

"I like the message, I like the universal perspective, I like the humanity concept, the divine nature of things. I think it's a wonderful presentation. In fact, it's divinely inspired indeed," he said.

Ras Leon Saul, playwright and publisher, and his wife, Nzinghe Saul.

Mr. Saul explained that he first saw Shen Yun in Toronto in October, and seeing it for the second time gave him a different feeling.

"It's like a continuum, a progression of a story--of the human story. It's just different. Every time you see it, you're being taken to another level of awareness and consciousness. I particularly like the message of the Falun Dafa. It is very sensitively expressed," he said.

Mr. Saul said he appreciated seeing performances based on traditional Chinese culture.

"I also like the expression of the cultural tradition, the ancestral tradition, the classical, ethnic and folk traditions of China," said Mr. Saul.

His wife, Nzinghe, said that she was profoundly moved after seeing the show for the second time.

"It's very inspiring. It's what we need as a human family on the earth. That's what we need to keep us connected to the Creator," she said.

"I really enjoyed it," she added. "I'm going to have a good sleep tonight. I think I'm going to be in heaven tonight. It's very good. I like it. There's a lot of love inside and we need this. We need this."

Like her husband, she was pleased to see the depiction of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong), a spiritual practice of self-improvement being persecuted by the Chinese regime.

"I'm glad because people say different things about Falun Gong, and when they come here, they see what it's all about. And it's good that they are putting this on to send the right message," she said.

"I would tell them to keep coming back and to keep the show steady because we need this. And people should bring their young ones--young kids--to give them better self esteem."

Arts Council Director Moved to Tears

Mississauga Arts Council director Gul Nawaz was moved to tears during parts of the Shen Yun Performing Arts show he attended at the Living Arts Centre on Friday night.

"It's an excellent show, and when I saw the part about the persecution, I honestly had tears in my eyes. I really believe in humanity and always try to help people when I can. To me, we are all human beings and we should all be respected," he said.

Mr. Nawaz was referring to the two contemporary pieces in the show, "Nothing Can Block the Divine Path" and "Astounding Conviction," both of which depict the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Mr. Nawaz was moved by the Shen Yun Orchestra's combination of Western and Chinese instruments and all-original musical arrangements.

"[The music was] beautiful, I enjoyed it. I was telling my driver sitting next to me, music doesn't need any language, there is no language barrier with music."

South Asian Community Leader Deeply Touched

The audience applauding during the opening show of Shen Yun Performing Arts in Mississauga on January 22, 2010.

Shen Yun has "So much perfection and so much passion in it!" exclaimed Zubair Choudhary, a leader in Toronto's South Asian community, after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time on Friday.

"The message they were giving was very, very clear and understandable. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to seeing future shows again and again," he said.

Mr. Choudhary enjoyed Shen Yun's unique backdrops designed to complement each dance and costume.

"The thing I liked the best was the backdrop scenery. I felt it really energized you and allowed you to see the beauty of China. It was really wonderful."

Mr. Choudhary serves as the Vice President of the Canada Day Celebration Committee in Ontario. He also organizes many cultural events in the Greater Toronto Area.

He said he was deeply touched by a performance in which a man is persecuted for practicing his belief in modern-day China.

"The most touching part was when the gentleman was beaten and not allowed to express his freedom of belief. The way it was presented was very, very nice and professionally done," he said.

"Very nice choreography and also the music and orchestra were beautiful," he continued.

Mr. Choudhary said he will recommend Shen Yun to all his friends. "Everything was beautiful. The show is beautiful."

Source: http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/28446/ ,
http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/28469/ , and
http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/28465/

Category: Shen Yun Performing Arts