TOKYO—Audience members in Tokyo were surprised and touched by Shen Yun’s beauty and rich culture, after attending Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Shinjuku Bunka Center on Jan. 24.
“Shen Yun is amazing! I was shocked,” said Mr. Tanabe Mikio, the president of a manufacturing company, after seeing the New York-based company for the first time.
“The soloists are astounding. The voices of both baritone and soprano are pleasing to the ears. They resonated in my heart,” he said. “The lyrics are inspiring. We should let more people hear them.”
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s top classical Chinese dance company, and has a mission to show the beauty and goodness of “China before communism.”
‘Double Happiness’
Mr. Okubo Kenichi is the president of a law firm. He said: “I was very touched. After attending this great show, I obtained double happiness and I am very relaxed.”“The dancers jumped very high. Their movements showed just how flexible they were, and they are really like flowing water,” he said. “Their superb performance must be based on hard training and exercises. They are extraordinary. Their skills have reached an extremely high level.”
“The magnificent scenes on stage with the beautiful dances … I was amazed when I saw them. Quickly, I was mesmerized by the majestic world that [Shen Yun] presented,” he said. “This is really a great show!”
Each Shen Yun performance consists of nearly 20 vignettes, presented through highly-expressive art forms such as classical Chinese dance, original orchestral music performed live, soloists who sing in the bel canto tradition, animated digital backdrops, and more.
‘Best Performance in the World’
Mr. Sakata Yukio is the president of a book publishing company. He said he would recommend Shen Yun to friends because he thought Shen Yun was something special.“Each dancer jumped, flipped, spun, and tumbled perfectly, without any fault. It’s really stunning,” he said. “The live orchestra played very well. The saturation of colors is splendid. I really think this is the best performance in the world.”
Mr. Sakata enjoyed the story-based dances which depicted salvation.
“This story is invigorating. I deeply felt hope from the dance. I believe every theatergoer was bathed in the bright light while watching it,” he said.
Mr. Wang Wei (pseudonym) is the representative of a U.S. trading company in Japan. He is originally from China and said “I cried unconsciously when I saw Shen Yun present China’s profound geography, history, and culture.”
Mr. Wang said what Shen Yun shows is the real Chinese culture, which awoke him.
“What Shen Yun showed is China before communism. I’m a Christian ... I understand the values and traditions that Shen Yun wants me to know. China people need to have faith to thrive,” he said. “I think Shen Yun lives up to its name. It’s from divine beings.”
The name “Shen Yun” means the “beauty of divine beings dancing.” For 5,000 years China’s civilization was built on values and virtues from the spiritual teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, virtues like loyalty, propriety, wisdom, justice, and benevolence—values that are universal and shared the world over.
