NISHINOMIYA, Japan—Shen Yun Performing Art Touring Company performed at the Hyogo Performing Art Center on April 25, as part of its tour of Japan. Mr. Yoshinori Ouyama, an emeritus professor at Osaka University, together with his friend, Mr. Ichirou Ikeda, came to Nishinomiya from Osaka especially to see Shen Yun.
Mr. Ouyama said that after seeing the revival of the ancient Chinese culture, he greatly appreciated it. The two men exclaimed that they did not expect to see such wonderful Chinese culture, saying that if such culture were to be lost, world peace wouldn’t be possible.
“Shen Yun is such a high standard performance, which has widened my horizon,” Mr. Ouyama added.
Mr. Ikeda has seen many kinds of diverse performances, he said. This was his first time seeing Shen Yun. He gave a detailed observation of his experience.
Mr. Ikeda said: “The costumes and the motions of the dance are extraordinary. They can’t be seen in other kinds of dance. Shen Yun is remarkable in that the movements are elegant; the ensemble dance shows incredibly exact unity. It is a rarity to see such a high level performance. Shen Yun is a real eye-opener to me. I think the artists must go through a sequence of intense training. What Shen Yun had presented exhibits their superb basis of dance training.”
Mr. Ikeda added: “I was in awe of the magnificence of the ancient Chinese culture displayed by the performance. I am thankful that such culture still exists.
“China has a history going back thousands of years. It needs to be respected and needs to be taken seriously. We could find similarities from this culture. It should be spread worldwide. Without this culture, the nations can’t get along in harmony. All human beings must have it mutually.”
Mr. Ouyama lamented and said: “Reviving the classics of the ancient Chinese culture is splendid. There are many ethnic groups in China particularly, and each of the groups has its own features. I hope they could be known by all the people around the world.
“After Mao Zedong systematically destroyed the ancient Chinese culture, China is excluded from such culture. A performance like this doesn’t exist in China at present and passing on the culture is crucial.”
A number of dances in the program depict the story of Falun Dafa practitioners and their steadfast belief in the face of severe persecution in China. Mr. Ouyama said: “Like Japan, and all other democratic societies, China should let its people have the freedom of religion, speech and free thought.”
“We can’t abandon the Taoist philosopher Laozi, and Confucianism. Humans can’t live without humanity. Mao Zedong is guilty of ruining the roots of ancient Chinese culture,” Mr. Ouyama said.
In conclusion, Mr. Ouyama and Mr. Ikeda hoped that in the future Shen Yun could bring its performance to the city of Osaka. “A world-class performance like Shen Yun should be put on stage in the newly-built Subaru Theater in Osaka, which is regarded as a premier theater in Japan. Please be sure to come.”
Read the original Chinese article.
Reporting by Niou Bin and Amy Yu
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
The 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.
