Peking Opera

• Peking Opera

  • From China
  • singing, reciting acting and martial arts
  • Sung and recited in Beijing dialect
• Costumes:

  Called "xingtou" or "xifu"

  Touki- headdress

  Kao - armor for acrobatics
• The patterns in their clothes often symbolize what part of the society the actors act.

  ex: If there are more patterns, the actor is acting as someone from the higher class
• Components of Peking Opera:

  1. Speech
  2. Combat
  3. Song
  4. Dance
• Themes of Peking Opera:

  Historic

  Politics

  society/daily life
• Stage:

  Performers are spread out in sparse formation
• Classifications of performers and roles:

  Sheng - male actors

  Dan - female actors

  Jing - Hualian

  Chou - clown, ugly��
• Sheng

  Laosheng - senior

  Xiaosheng - handsome/young male actor

  Wusheng - acrobatic male actor
• Dan

  Zhengdan/Qingyi - often portray wives or mothers.

  - glamour

  Laodan - old woman, has natural voice instead of high pitched

  Huadan - vivacious/attractive, single young female

  Wudan - acrobatic females

  Daomadan - female warriors
• Jing

  • or "Hualian face-painted male roles"
  • represents warriors, heroes, statesman, adventures and demons
  • noticable due to face paint
• Color meanin

  • Red - loyalty, bravery & rightfulness
  • Blue - determination, bravery, cruelty
  • Black - incorruptibility, faithfulness and violence
  • Yellow & White - brutality & treacherousness
  • Gold & Silver - Gods and supernatural
  • violet - wisdom
  • white pink- color of old age and dignity
• Chou - male actor that has a white patch on its nose
• Stage

  • divided into 2 parts by a curtain called "shoujiu"
  • square platforms
  • Musicians are visible to audience
• Wushu - a commonly used acrobatic skill