OSAKA, Japan—The feeling of being touched was the shared emotion for a Japanese couple and a music professor after they saw the Shen Yun performance on April 22, 2016. While one person was amazed by how a dance performance without dialogue could so deeply touch her, another person pointed out how he, a person difficult to please, could be so greatly moved.
“I was touched repeatedly throughout the performance, and such feelings still linger at the bottom of my heart,” said Hashimoto Kumakichi. “I am greatly honored to see this today.”
With his wife at his side, Mr. Hashimoto, a retired manager of a Japanese fast food chain, was captivated by what he saw, “It’s incredibly spectacular. I can only use ‘world-class’ to describe the tremendous momentum of the Shen Yun show.”
“The dances were amazingly beautiful. What stunned me most was the seamless coordination of the dances and the digital animated backdrops,” he added.
According to Shen Yun’s official Website, “Ancient Chinese instruments share a deep connection with Heaven and Earth. The enchanting sound of the 4,000-year-old erhu mimics the human voice. Leading the melody amidst a full Western orchestra, they create a profound musical experience that resonates deep in the heart.”
Referring to Shen Yun’s solo performances and its live orchestra blending classical Chinese and Western musical instruments, Mr. Hashimoto said with excitement: “I was totally enthralled by the solo vocal performance and the erhu performance. In addition, the combination of Chinese and Western musical instruments was very impressive.”
Inspired by the dance piece depicting Chinese Falun Gong practitioners’ steadfastness in the face of the Chinese regime’s persecution, Mr. Hashimoto said, “I was surprised to learn from the performance that the suppression of kindhearted people is still going on in China.”
As Shen Yun’s mission is to revive the 5,000 years of the divinely inspired traditional Chinese culture, Mr. Hashimoto regarded the performance as very informative and educational, saying, “I think the traditional values carried forward by Shen Yun can apply not only to Japan, but to every corner of the world as well.”
As a traditional Japanese dance lover, Mrs. Hashimoto highly praised Shen Yun dancers and their exceptionally good performances: “Every dancer is so talented. It’s really hard for me to find the right words to describe how happy I am at present.”
Impressed with Shen Yun’s exquisite performance, Mrs. Hashimoto regretted forgetting to recommend to her friends to see Shen Yun. “It’s a pity that [Shen Yun] only tours Japan for such a short period of time. It should have more shows here,” she said.
Likewise Touched
After years of missing the performance, Ms. Nobuko Mizuno, a music professor from Nagoya University, was surprised at how the dances, without any vocal expression, spoke to her heart.
“I appreciated some folk dance performance featuring the ethnic minority groups in Mongolia and other regions,” Ms. Nobuko said, while praising the exquisite costumes the dancers were wearing.
Ms. Nobuko illustrated her points with the dance piece “Drums of the Grassland”: “The Mongolian dance was a very quick-paced dance with good rhythm. It was very special.”
“I also listened to the live music played by the orchestra blending Chinese and Western musical instruments. So, I feel so happy.”
Reporting by Pu Huien and Billy Shyu
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
