MONTREAL, Canada—Despite being the 21st century, there are still many crimes against humanity that largely escape the world’s attention. One of these deeply moved Emilie Sauvage, a former dancer, actor, and model, as a dance depiction unfolded on stage at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts, on Feb. 5.

“I’ve been wanting to see Shen Yun for years and I’m moved. I’m moved because what I liked most, beyond the art, was the transparency of the human rights and the current situation that continues to exist, and [its inclusion by Shen Yun] to share it with us,” said Ms. Sauvage.

“To share it with us so frankly, to put us back to our situation where we are very comfortable in our blindness—for me, it is one of the most striking messages of the show,” said Ms. Sauvage.

Shen Yun’s vignettes portray traditional values, which audiences say is evident during the performance.

“It is the frankness that I like. I think it’s true. It’s just so true,” said Ms. Sauvage.

“The dance with the water sleeves is beautiful and magical. They are exceptional dancers. Because I danced, I see that it is incredible the technique that they have, the strength, the control.”

Even while performing such technically demanding dances, Shen Yun’s dancers smile through it all, she noticed.

“You see that they have happiness! They love it. They are happy to be there and they share it. They are expressive, they are so beautiful,” commented Ms. Sauvage.

Also in the audience was Benjamin Monrose, owner of a taekwondo academy.

“The tenor moved me a lot,” said Mr. Monrose.

“The erhu. It’s just magical. I vibrated to the sound. I think I vibrate more to the sound than to the movement. It really touched me,” he said.

Upon hearing that Shen Yun cannot perform in China, Mr. Monrose shared his sadness at the news.

“I feel a little bit of sadness because it’s a lot of history that has been repressed by China. It’s 5,000 years of history that has been stopped. It’s very touching,” he said.

“We want to see more.”