SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘Absolutely Wonderful, I Want to Be Part of Them’: Japanese Entrepreneur

Dec 26, 2022
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Shen Yun ‘Absolutely Wonderful, I Want to Be Part of Them’: Japanese Entrepreneur
Mitsuyama Manami (R), president of the construction and installation company GRIT in Tachikawa, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the J: COM Hall Hachioji, Japan on Dec. 26, 2022, with her mother Ishimoto Yoshiko (R-2), daughter Ashuka (L-2), and sister Kiyomi Ito (L). (Niu Bin/The Epoch Times)
HACHIOJI, Japan—The dancers of Shen Yun Performing Arts so impressed Mitsuyama Manami, president of GRIT, that she wished to be a part of them.

“Shen Yun is absolutely wonderful! [The dancers’ movements were] beyond the possibility of the human body,” said Ms. Mitsuyama Manami, who is president of a construction and installation company in Tachikawa, Tokyo, after attending Shen Yun Performing Arts at the J: COM Hall Hachioji, Japan on Dec. 26.

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s top classical Chinese dance company, and has since 2006 expanded from one to eight equal-sized touring groups. Ms. Mitsuyama said it was a rare find, and extremely beautiful.

“The dancers looked like they used a lot of force to jump, but their landings on stage were quiet. It’s magical, it’s amazing,” she said.

Ms. Mitsuyama commented the male dancers were vigorous, and the female dancers were very noble and elegant, and often showed their lovely side. She noted that in a dance where the female dancers’ costumes featured long, flowing sleeves—water sleeves, they perfectly showcased the femininity of women.

“I want to be part of them,” she said.

In between its nearly 20 dance vignettes, Shen Yun often features solo musical performances. This program included a bel canto soprano and an erhu performance.

Ms. Mitsuyama praised the soprano, whose voice produced a strong resonance in her heart.

“It’s difficult to describe the feeling. It’s a very strong feeling. Very beautiful,” Mitsuyama said.

Ms. Mitsuyama’s daughter Ashuka said that she liked the erhu, a two-stringed ancient Chinese instrument, which is featured in Shen Yun’s orchestra as well.

“The sound of erhu is very beautiful. It calmed me down immediately. I felt cured both my body and mind,” Ashuka said.

Sotoyama Satoru, an IT engineer from Amazon Japan, and Rira Iida, a violin teacher, shared the same feeling as Ashuka.

“I enjoyed a lot of the erhu solo. My soul was cured by it,” Mr. Sotoyama said. “All Shen Yun music pieces are extraordinary. Actually, the whole show is amazing. It’s of an unbelievably high standard!”

Ms. Rira said, “The atmosphere of the live orchestra is so good. The Chinese and Western instruments were so harmonious—they were integrated with the stage performance, which is really amazing.”

Ms. Rira loved how the various aspects of Shen Yun’s production came together and painted a picture of the Celestial Empire, the 5,000 years of divinely inspired Chinese civilization.

“I think the costumes are very pretty. It’s entertaining to see them. They represent different dynasties and ethnicities. They are gorgeous and very pleasing to the eyes,” Ms. Rira said. “The dynamic backdrop amazed me. The dancers jumped into the backdrop from the stage. After a while, they jumped back to the stage from the backdrop. It’s very interesting!”

Sugou Yusuke, a Christian pastor, had heard that Shen Yun was amazing from friends for years, and finally saw it himself on Monday, at Shen Yun’s first Asian stop on its global tour. The experience did not disappoint.

“I can understand everything,” Mr. Sugou said. “I love the show very much.”

Shen Yun will perform in nine other Japanese cities in the following weeks through Jan. 30, 2023.
Reporting by Epoch Times Staff in Tokyo, Japan.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
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