KYOTO, Japan—For Nagai Hisayo, it was an amazing evening at the local ROHM Theatre on Jan. 3, 2020 after seeing a performance by Shen Yun Performing Arts. She left the venue with a feeling of deep gratitude to what she saw.

“I was so touched when seeing how a two-string instrument could express so much. That was outstanding,” said Hisayo, who sits the board of directors of a Japanese healthcare equipment company called Soken Medical.

The instrument that Hisayo mentioned is called erhu, also known as the Chinese violin, which has a history of over 4,000 years. What’s most unique about the ancient instrument is that it has a wide musical range, allowing it to be very expressive, mimicking sounds such as the chirping of birds or the human voice.

Hisayo pointed out that it was her first time seeing such an orchestra, and the live music was simply superb.

Established in New York in 2006, Shen Yun Performing Arts has grown rapidly over the years—now with seven different companies that engage in month-long tours around the world. This year, the Asia-Pacific tour will take Shen Yun to Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan.

Hisayo said she was also very touched by the different dance dramas, in particular, a story involving a group of monks and how they helped other people. To her, the story was both comical and extraordinary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7fBIUk5ffM

“The female dancers were very soft and beautiful. I could feel the strong power coming from the male [dancers], and yet there was a touch of softness within the power. The compassion coming through from female and male dancers were very different,” Hisayo said.

Shen Yun also features vocal music with singers singing Chinese text with bel canto technique. Hisayo pointed out how the voice of a male singer, which was very pure, touched her heart, and the experience was truly wonderful.