Hana thinks the gates are too heavy for her, but Murata trust her with the responsibility and they shortly discuss how Masako is growing up. Act 2 Scene 6  When Masako goes to shut off the water, she sees Emiko in the distance, dancing and singing to “And the Soul Shall Dance”, with her hair down, dressed in her beautiful kimonos, but scares her away into the distance. Wakako Yamauchi, born Wakako Nakamuro in 1924 in Westmorland, CA to Japanese immigrant parents, is a female Asian American playwright, short story writer, painter, and poet who allows her struggles as a Japanese American shine through her work. As a child her family lived in the Imperial Valley near the border of Mexico on a small farm. When she was only seventeen her family was sent to Poston concentration camp in Arizona for a year and a half, and then relocated to Utah, and Chicago, where she got the chance to attend plays and gain a love for theatre. She married Chester Yamauchi in 1948 and had a daughter named joy. In 1960 Rafu Shimpo, a Los Angeles Japanese American newspaper, published Yamauchi's contribution to their holiday edition, giving her one of her first published works and getting her foot in the door as a writer rather than an artist. Then in the 1970s, Aiiieeee published her short story "And The Soul Shall Dance" and adapted it into a full-length play. Since the publishing of the full length "And The Soul Shall Dance", Yamauchi has also written a second play called The Music Lessons. Yamauchi draws much of her inspiration for her works from her life experience as a victim of racism and class discrimination in America. She has many writers that inspire her to infuse her own personality into her work. Namely, Thomas Wolfe is one of the biggest influences on her work, as Yamauchi was introduced to his work in the Poston internment camp when she was only seventeen years old. Other authors that inspire Yamauchi include: Tennessee Williams, Momoko Iko, and Frank Chin. Many of these writers tackled social issues of Racism, sexism, and sexuality with a grace and style unlike other authors, which resonated with Yamauchi as she struggled to find her voice in a racist America. In a 1998 Interview Yamauchi said:  1974- East West Players Los Angeles premiere  1979- Pan Asian Repertory Theater New York City, NY  1990- P.A.R.T. at the Apple Corps Theatre NY  1993- Theatre Off Jackson Seattle, WA  1996- East West Players 30th anniversary season    1977: Hollywood Television Theatre adaptation for a national airing on PBS.