ARTS 1

• Peking Opera became popular and came to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China.
• Peking opera is also known as Beijing Opera.
• Peking opera or Beijing Opera combines music, vocal performance, pantomime, dance, and acrobatics.
• Peking opera performers utilize the four main skills: song, speech, dancing-acting, and combat.
• Combat in peking opera includes acrobatics and fighting with all manner of weaponry.
• Dance-acting in peking opera includes pure dance, pantomime, and other types of dance.
• The stages of peking opera: The stages are square platforms, the action is usually visible from at least three sides. Stags are built above the line of sight of the viewers, but some modern stages have been constructed with higher audience seating. Dividing into two parts by an embroidered curtain called shoujiu.
• Xingtou also known as Xifu in chinese.
• Xingtou - origins of peking opera costumes can be traced back to the mid-14th century. Costumes enable the audience to distinguish a character's sex and status at first glance if noble or humble, civilian or military, officials or private citizens. They also give expression to sharp distinctions between good and evil or loyal and wicked characters.
• The Oblong wings (chizi) attached to a gauze hat indicate a loyal official.
• A corrupt official is made to wear a gauze hat with rhomboidal wing.
• Musicians are visible to the audience on the front part of the stage.
• The viewers are always seated south of the stage, therefor, north is the most important direction.
• Performers immediately move to center north upon entering the stage. All characters enter from the east and exit from the west.
• Chinese spring new year festival - this festival is the longest and the most important festivity in the Chinese calendar. Since the spring season in chinese calendar starts with lichun, the first solar term in chinese calendar year, and it marks the ned of the winter season.
• Chinese new year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, like Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Philippines, and vietnam.
• Part of the chinese new year is the dragon dancing. This dance has been indispensable to Chinese festivals since ancient times. With the spread of Chinese peopl and culture all over the world, the dragon dance has been bought to every corner of the world where there are overseas Chinese gathered.
• The Chinese Dragon symbolizes power, strength, and good luck.
• Kabuki is a form of traditional Japanese drama.
• kabuki is a traditional Japanese drama with highly stylised song, mime, and dance, now preformed only by male actors.
• Kabuki is used as a verb meanbing "act dissolutely", later interpreting the word as Ka for song, bu for dance, and ki for skills.
• Many add a generation number after their names to indicate their place in the long line of actors (britannica) in the kabuki.
• Mie 0 in which the actor holds a picturesque pose to establish his character and his house name yagō, is sometimes heard in a loud shout (kakegao) from expert audience member, serving both to express and enhance the audience's appreciation of the actor's achievement. An even greater compliment can be paid by shouting the name of the Actor's father.
• Keshō Actors are separated into main categories: Onna-gato and Aragoto.
• Onna-gata - female roles
• Aragoto - male roles
• Most main character in kabuki plays are aragoto, because of it's stylised masculine, heroic style.
• The play occupies five acts. Some parts correspond to: jo, ha, kyu.
• Jo - an auspicious and slow opening which introduces the audience to the characters and the plot.
• ha - speeding events up, culminating almost always in a great moment of drama or tragedy in the third act and possibly a battle in the second and/or fourth acts.
• kyu - is almost always short, providing a quick and satisfying conclusion.
• Wigs are important accessories, with each costume having its own type. Specialized craftsmen shaped the wigs to the head. Wigs are made of human hair or horse hair, or bear fur, or yak-tail imported fro tibet.
• Taiko Drum Festival - a good example of a professional taiko drumming troupe in japan is the Kodo.
• Kodo - based in Sado Island, japan, and they had a big role in popularizing taiko drumming, both in Japan and abroad. They regularly tour Japan, Europe, and the United States.
• Kodo conveys two meanings: 1. "heartbeat" the primal source of all rhythm and, read in a different way; 2. "Children of the drum", a reflectation of Kodo's desire to play their drums simply, with the heart of a child.
• The main focus of the performance: Uchite is the Taiko drummer, Different drums such as taiko, a o-daiko, other traditional Japanese musical instruments such as fue and shamisen make an appearance on stage.
• Traditional dance and vocal performance are part of the the Taiko Drum performances which include pieces based on the traditional rhythms of regional Japan, pieces composed for Kodo by contemporary songwriters, and pieces written by Kodo members themselves. Kodo's performances normally last for about one hour and forty minutes.