TOKYO—Kazunori Kinoshita, director of a radio station in Japan, attended the first performance by Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Tokyo International Forum on May 11 and said it was “wonderful—absolutely fantastic.”
“The dancing truly went beyond ordinary human ability—they were like superhumans,” Mr. Kinoshita said. “Every movement was so expansive. The jumps were so high that I found myself thinking, ‘Can people really leap like that?’ And even after spinning rapidly, they landed without making a sound. That completely amazed me.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun artists are trained in classical Chinese dance, one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world. It features a wide range of technically demanding movements, including soaring jumps, graceful turns, and expressive postures.
Mr. Kinoshita was captivated by the performers’ skill and artistry.
“The men’s jumps were incredibly high and impressive, while the women were graceful and elegant,” he said. “Every movement was beautiful, and I was completely drawn in watching them.”
He also praised the costumes, saying, “The colors were vivid and beautiful.”
Chinese civilization has influenced Japan for centuries, and many Japanese people are very familiar with stories from Chinese history, especially the legends of the Three Kingdoms era.
“It truly felt like a performance filled with a sense of history,” Mr. Kinoshita said. “I thought that perhaps people from the era of the Three Kingdoms also watched dances like these, and it made me feel as though I had traveled back to the ancient world.”
Among the pieces, the story from “Journey to the West” left a particularly strong impression on him. “I was deeply moved to see the birth of Monkey King, a character who is especially familiar and popular in Japan,” he said.
Speaking about the moment when Monkey King emerged from the magical stone, Mr. Kinoshita expressed amazement at Shen Yun’s animated backdrop, from which the Monkey King appeared to leap directly onto the stage.
“The background scenery moved, and the animation blended perfectly with the real performers,” he said. “I was astonished because it became impossible to tell where reality ended and the animation began.”
Shen Yun is known for its innovative use of digital backdrops, in which performers appear to enter and exit the stage seamlessly into animated scenes ranging from ancient courts to contemporary settings.
Shen Yun’s Live Orchestra
Mr. Kinoshita also praised Shen Yun’s live orchestra, another hallmark of the company, known for its seamless blend of Western and Chinese instruments.“I’ve loved Chinese music since I was a child, but hearing it performed live touches the heart even more deeply,” he said. He added that traditional Chinese instruments such as the pipa and erhu conveyed emotion powerfully. “The sound of the erhu was like a singing voice,” he said.
The erhu, known as the “Chinese violin,” is a traditional two-stringed Chinese bowed instrument with a 4,000-year history.
The overall production left a particularly deep impression on him.
“It was magnificent,” he said. “You enjoy it with your eyes and ears, and it even makes your body want to move along with the performance. It was an experience that engaged all five senses and moved me deeply.”
The opening scene, in which divine beings descend from heaven to begin the story of human civilization, inspired him to contemplate the deeper meaning of life.
“I felt throughout the performance that heavenly beings come down from the skies to teach humanity many things,” Mr. Kinoshita said. “At the same time, it made me reflect on what my own existence means.”
One scene depicting the Monkey King’s spiritual cultivation, which illustrates the concepts of discipline and tranquility, provided him with insight into his inquiry.
“I think reaching a state of emptiness is extremely difficult, but watching Monkey King cultivating himself gave me a sense of what spiritual training truly means,” Mr. Kinoshita said.
He added that the performance inspired him to pursue such a path himself. “In everyday life, I wondered how one can remove the selfish thoughts within the heart,” he said. “I felt that perhaps the answer was here. I hope that one day I, too, can experience that state of letting go of attachments.”
Reporting by Li Mo and Olivia Li.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
