Shen Yun Performing Arts graced the stage in Kyoto, Japan, celebrating the new year. Audience members got a glimpse of 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture from Dec. 30 through Jan. 3, and were left deeply impressed by Shen Yun’s artistry.
“I came here for the first time because I wanted to experience Chinese culture. It was a world I had never seen before, so I enjoyed it. I think it was fun to have this opportunity as we start a new year,” said Takao Muraoka, a real estate director.
“I enjoyed the way the [water sleeves] stretch and come out, and I’ve never seen such a performance before, but I was very interested in it,” said Tamaru Masaki, an executive at Port Construction.
“I have never seen such a fusion between the dance and the backdrop, and it was very interesting and powerful,” said Moe Okuda, an actress.
“I thought it was very interesting that the backdrop and the audience’s movements perfectly matched, making it seem as if they were really descending from the heavens or entering the sea,” said Sakurano Hitomi, an actress at OSK Japanese Opera Troupe. “The conductor and the audience were in perfect sync with each other, and I could feel the passion of the musicians.”
Ancient Chinese culture was believed to be inspired by the divine, a culture that the Chinese Communist Party has systematically tried to uproot after taking over the country in 1949. Audience members appreciated Shen Yun’s efforts and took note of a deeper message.
“The performance about the persecution had a message that appealed to me, and so I learned a lot from it,” said Lin Bangyan, the owner of a dance studio. “I think we need to have the courage to speak up and tell people they are wrong, even if they are being persecuted by those in power.”
“I saw on the website that the singer sings in the Bel Canto style. Unlike the Italian tenor singers, this song has a very strong message, and the male singer was able to convey his feelings very well,” said Ms. Hitomi.
“I think it was a performance that lived up to expectations. My favorite is Li Bai, and the other one was a Tibetan dance. The Tibetan dance was all about the movements of the dancers and the overall story, which was unfamiliar to me visually,” said Miyasaki, a surgeon. “I say that it was very well captured, Li Bai had a great sense of history in the performance, and it was very easy to understand.”
“I received a lot of inspiration from the tenacity of each person. Their efforts to hone their skills and the gorgeousness of the entire stage, is what I want to learn from,” said Ms. Okuda.
Shen Yun will be performing in Nishinomiya in Japan from Dec. 7 to 9.
NTD News, Kyoto, Japan
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