Ontario lawmakers caught a glimpse of authentic Chinese culture after watching Shen Yun in Mississauga, Canada, on March 25.
“It’s amazing—the synchronization, the rhythm. This is a team long time training. There’s hours of heavy training put there, it’s amazing,” said Sheref Sabawy, Ontario member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) and parliamentary assistant to the minister for Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. “It’s very impressive.”
“I have a lot of knowledge of the Chinese tradition, Chinese culture, but the beauty of the color and the beauty of the music is amazing.”
Sabawy watched Shen Yun perform at Mississauga’s Living Arts Centre.
Based in New York, Shen Yun travels all over the world with the mission to revive the rich traditional culture of China, which was almost lost under communism.
“You always have to go backwards to go forward, and it’s always good to look at the past and improve going forward in the future, to make things much better,” said Rudy Cuzzetto, another Ontario member of Provincial Parliament (MPP).
Sabawy said Shen Yun allows Canadians to learn more about the Chinese culture, and it is something Canada’s Chinese community can take pride in.
“It’s an opportunity for the community, the Chinese Canadians to showcase their culture, to be proud of their culture, to talk to their Canadian fellows who are not from Chinese origin and show them: this is our culture, we are proud Chinese Canadians,” he added.
For over 60 years, the Chinese communist regime has treated traditional culture as a threat to its power, and even today, it will not let Shen Yun into China to perform.
“I wish they could see this in China because they’re missing out on their own homegrown talent that it’s abroad. And I wish they would be able to take time and able to see this,” said Cuzzetto.
Shen Yun continues its tour across Canada in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.
