peking opera fourth grading of music 8 main role of peking opera and their props and costume

peking opera, main role of peking opera

1. Peking Opera or Beijing Opera - traditional theater art form of China -which combines music, vocal performance, pantomime, dance, and acrobatics. -It started in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. -During the Qing Dynasty court it became extremely popular and came to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China.

2. Peking Opera Training: Pupils were often handpicked at a young age by a teacher and trained for seven years on contract from the child's parents. After 1911, training took place in more formally organized schools. Students at these schools rose as early as five o'clock in the morning for exercises. Daytime was spent learning the skills of acting and combat, and senior students performed in outside theaters in the evening.

3. Roles and Characters: Sheng - is the main male role in Peking opera a. Xiaosheng - actors are often involved with beautiful women by virtue of the handsome and young image they project.

4. Wusheng - is a martial character for roles involving combat. They are highly trained in acrobatics, and have a natural voice when singing.

5. Laosheng - is a dignified older role, these characters have a gentle and cultivated disposition, and wear sensible costumes.

6. Dan - refers to any female role in Peking opera Laodan - old woman

7. Wudan - martial woman

8. Daomadan are young female warriors

9. Qingyi - are virtuous and elite women

10. Huadan are vivacious and unmarried women

11. Jing – is a painted face male role who plays either primary or secondary roles. This type of role entails a forceful character, which means that a Jing actor must have a strong voice and be able to exaggerate gestures. The red color denotes loyalty and goodness, white denotes evil, and black denotes integrity

12. Chou is a male clown role. The Chou usually plays secondary roles whose name also means "ugly". It reflects the traditional belief that the clown's combination of ugliness and laughter could drive away evil spirits.

13. Visual Performance Elements: Peking-opera performers utilize four main skills. 1. Song 2. Speech 3. Dance-acting - This includes pure dance, pantomime, and all other types of dance. 4. Combat - includes both acrobatics and fighting with all manner of weaponry.

14. The meaning of colors in Peking Opera Masks/Make-ups Red - devotion, courage, bravery, uprightness and loyalty. Black - roughness and fierceness Yellow - fierceness, ambition and cool-headedness Purple - uprightness, sophistication and cool-headedness Reddish purple - just and noble character Blue - loyalty, fierceness and sharpness White - dangerousness, suspiciousness and craftiness. Commonly seen on the stage is the white face for the powerful villain Green - impulsive and violent and stubbornness

15. Costume: Xingtou popularly known as Xifu in Chinese origins of Peking Opera costumes can be traced back to the mid-14th century 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 give expression to sharp distinctions between good and evil or loyal and wicked characters oblong wings ( chizi ) attached to a gauze hat indicate a loyal official. In contrast, a corrupt official is made to wear a gauze hat with rhomboidal wing

16. Props: utilizes very few props will almost always have a table and at least one chair, which can be turned through convention into such diverse objects as a city wall, a mountain, or a bed a whip is used to indicate a horse and an oar symbolizes a boat

17. Musicians: are visible to the audience on the front part of the stage Viewers : always seated south of the stage, therefore, 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