MILWAUKEE—”I think it’s wonderful that the Chinese culture was being displayed in that way because people appreciate it,” said Paul Machmeier, after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company on Feb. 20 at the Milwaukee Theatre.
“I enjoyed it very much,” Mr. Machmeier, said of New York-based Shen Yun. Shen Yun aims to revive 5,000 years of traditional divinely inspired Chinese culture by presenting short pieces of traditional Chinese dance and music.
Mr. Machmeier, who attended with his wife Thursday night, has won 11 patents in tool inventions. He is now retired from engineering management with Snap-On Tools Corporation.
He explained why he enjoyed seeing the Chinese culture onstage: “In our modern world, any people … from any country, whether it’s in Europe or Asia or India, they can lose identity. So it’s nice that culture is being carried on. And I loved the dance, of course.”
“I think it’s worthwhile to preserve it,” he said. “And it was education. My wife liked it because she’s been reading some books on China. She’s been reading about the various dynasties and such.”
Each short dance, which often tells a story, is supported by a full orchestra composed of both Western and Chinese instruments.
“The dancing was superb—the movement on the floor. The women, of course, were the most graceful ones, … even the walking gave you the illusion that they were just gliding on the floor. It was very nice. And then the movements, with the hands and the arms … very nice,” he said.
Reporting by Ying Wan and Sharon Kilarski.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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