KAWAGUCHI, Japan—A Japanese publisher enjoyed the Shen Yun Performing Arts in Kawaguchi on Jan. 18. He said Shen Yun is inspiring and encouraging people to respect the divine beings.
“I learned from Shen Yun that humans aren’t the only beings that exist in the universe. There are divine beings whom we humans should respect,” said Mr. Takano Masahiro, the president of a book publisher.
Mr. Takano said that enjoyed everything Shen Yun presents. He held a great appreciation for the values that Shen Yun was a reminder of, delivered through story-based dances, music, songs, and so on. He said the values he learned from the artists include respecting divine beings, inheriting and passing on traditional cultures, as well as judging things based on moral codes.
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s top classical Chinese dance company. It has a mission to show the beauty and goodness of the 5,000 years of China’s civilization.
Chinese culture 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. And “Shen Yun” translates roughly as “the beauty of divine beings dancing.”
‘Like I’m in Heaven’
Mr. Kitagawa Naru, the owner of a resource recycling company, attended the performance with his wife. He said he was touched by Shen Yun, and he felt regret that he didn’t know about Shen Yun earlier.“The performance is amazing,” he said. “When the curtain opened, I saw a world which doesn’t look our human world at all. There are flying maidens—I asked myself where I was. It’s like I’m in heaven.”
“I first thought that I was dreaming. Then I was attracted to the dances,” said Mrs. Kitagawa. “I felt empowered from that moment until the very end.”
She said at some moments, she felt that she was “bathed in the Buddha’s light.”
Mr. Kitagawa appreciated Shen Yun’s effort to revive the traditional culture.
“In fact, this is basic human nature. Divine beings, heaven, earth, and humans connect with each other,” he said. “I was very moved. We definitely will come back. I want to attend Shen Yun continually without an end. I want my children to attend the show.”
Amazed by Dancers
Mr. Matsumoto Kunitaka, a president of a real estate company, attended Shen Yun with his wife and parents, and was amazed by the dancers.“Their bodies are very light and flexible. They are well-trained and well-coordinated,” he said. “They danced effortlessly, but actually, they performed very difficult movements. They performed these movements very elegantly and beautifully. I think they are very sharp.”
Mr. Matsumoto said he was surprised by the dancers’ expressiveness.
“They didn’t use any language. With only their faces, they expressed strong emotions, such as tired, brave, tender, and so on. It’s amazing,” he said.
Mr. Wada Yasuo, a department director of a supermarket, admired Shen Yun dancers’ concentration.
“In Japanese, there’s one phrase: keep an undisturbed mind. I think they made it,” he said.
Mr. Wada said that it’s very hard to keep single-minded even for a short time. People are easily attracted and disturbed. Shen Yun dancers concentrated on performing for over two hours. “I was very touched!”
