Toronto's VIPs Moved by Shen Yun Performing Arts' "Themes of Compassion, Kindness, and Courage" (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net) Shen Yun Performing Arts gave a "magnificent performance" that left the audience with "an elevated feeling," said a long-serving executive of several major securities and investment organizations in Canada and internationally.

Mr. Oliver attended the opening night show at the Cannon Theatre in Toronto on Friday and addressed a VIP crowd at a reception after the show.

Mr. Oliver with his wife at the Friday evening performance

"This has been a remarkable evening for me--the music, the choreography, the blending of the themes of compassion, kindness, and courage in the dance, in the execution of the stories.

He shared his experience after seeing the New York-based show for the first time. "I can't exactly articulate it, except to say that one has an elevated feeling from having experienced these themes in such an absolutely gorgeous artistic setting.

"Such precision, grace, and sophistication! It's quite remarkable! This is really remarkable in its sophistication, in its beauty, in its performance. The technical adroitness of the dancers is absolutely perfect, but, really, it goes beyond that; it goes to an energy and a spirit that, of course, elevates performance to a high art form."

Mr. Oliver said emotion was conveyed through "the beauty of the dance and the singing and the athleticism and the precision of the dances."

Describing the performance as a "totality," he said, "The music and the dance and the choreography and background were all integrated."

Mr. Oliver discussed how the ancient Chinese values expressed in the performances can still provide guidance today. "You know, we all confront the challenges and the opportunities of modernity, but we have to draw from the rich experience, the ancestral experience we all have from different cultures. And there is no cultural experience as long as the Chinese cultural experience, some five millennia."

Mr. Oliver added, "Such precision, grace and sophistication. It's quite remarkable and inspiring. I really enjoyed it," he said. "I am an enthusiast. I will be back."

Foreign Consul: "It's the way we should live"

Diplomat Mr. Vallarino said the show was "delightful, "very colourful," and "full of energy," and that the dances were "outstanding" and "beautiful." But for the foreign consul who lives in Toronto, it was Shen Yun's profound message that made the deepest impression on him.

Diplomat Mr. Vallarino at the premiere of Shen Yun Performing Arts in Toronto

"I can say the message that it has is definitely [one] that everyone should carry with them for the rest of their lives," said the diplomat. He attended Shen Yun's opening night at the Cannon Theatre in Toronto on October 9.

Mr. Vallarino elaborated on the moving experience that would remain with him after seeing the show. "It's the way we should live, looking toward the divine, leaving all those bad sentiments aside, and just looking forward to a better world. We should look more toward having more hope instead of having more desires."

This message, Vallarino said, could "make the world a better place. It could probably end a lot of wars."

Vallarino attended the show with his assistant, who he said was taken with the elaborate and beautiful costumes. "I really enjoyed the combination of textures and colors," he said of the custom-designed costumes. "It really just adds up to be one big beautiful display of what ancient culture in China could be."

Mr. Vallarino summed up his experience after Shen Yun by saying, "I haven't seen another performance in my life that could stand up to this one."