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.”
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.”
“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.
“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’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 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.
