TOKYO---Theatergoers were treated to a night of exquisite dance, a live orchestra, and bel canto style singing during a performance by Shen Yun Performing Arts at the New National Theatre in Tokyo on Monday, April 25.
Among the flood of people at the sold-out performances in Tokyo was Emma Hiebert, a half-Japanese high school student. She was especially touched by the unity of the dancers and inner-beauty portrayed through the different stories during the performance.
“It’s like a beauty that’s really hard to explain. You feel this almost Buddha-kind-of-calm,” she said.
Through classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun performers can express the inner-meaning of a vast array of thoughts and feelings on stage. According to the Shen Yun website, alongside ballet, classical Chinese dance is one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.
For Ann Katrin, a yoga teacher and mother of three, living in Tokyo, Shen Yun was very lively, uplifting, and enjoyable.
On a deeper level, she said that the performance could help bring more acceptance and more openness to society.
“It was thoughtful and joyful,” she said.
New York based Shen Yun performing arts transports the audience through 5,000 years of divinely-inspired Chinese culture, a culture that was almost lost in recent decades. In the past China was known as “the Middle Kingdom” or “the Land of Divine.”
This culture struck a chord with Mr. Assoutoss, originally from India and now working in Tokyo as an IT professional. He watched Shen Yun with his wife, Ruelai and their 8-year-old daughter, Nisha, who both study Indian classical dance.
“In one word I would say it’s magnificent. It’s taking [the Chinese] culture to the next level,” he said.
His wife, Ruelai, booked the tickets as she had always wanted to watch operatic style singing. “This is a life-time wish I got. I was so happy,” she said.
Shen Yun’s singers’ distinguishing characteristic is their use of bel canto technique to sing Chinese texts. All the songs are original works, according to Shen Yun’s website.
Mr. Assoutoss felt inspired to read up about traditional Chinese culture after watching Shen Yun.
“I would like to go and see it once again if there is another opportunity. It was a wonderful experience,” he said.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
