The Development Of Dance And Theatre In The East Asian Nations

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dynasty(618-907). More than a thousand pupils were enrolled in music, dance, and acting schools. Spectacular masked court dances and masked Buddhist dance processions that soon were learned by Korean and Japanese performers were part of court life. Three types of play are recorded as having been popular. Tai-mien (“Mask”) was about Prince Lan Ling, who covered his gentle face with a horrifying mask to frighten his enemies when he went into battle. Some suggest the colourful painted faces of warriors in today’s Chinese opera derive from this play. T’a-yao niang (“Stepping and Swaying Woman”) was a farcical domestic play in which a sobbing wife bitterly complained about her brutal husband, who then appeared and, singing and dancing, abused his wife even more. The embezzling rascal hero of Ts’an-chun (“The Military Counselor”) became a stock character in later plays. Thus, by T’ang times, three basic types of drama were known: military play, domestic play, and satire of officialdom; and ...

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to Hang-chous writing societies (shuhui) wrote large numbers of southern dramas for local troupes. Of these, 113 titles and 3 play texts remain, preserved in an imperial collection of the 15th century. Chang Hsieh chuang-yuan (“Top Graduate Chang Hsieh”) is probably the oldest of the three texts. It dramatizes the story of a young student who aspires to success, earns a degree and position, but callously turns his back on the girl who faithfully loves him.

Professional theatre districts became established during the Sung dynasty. Major cities contained several districts (17 or more in Hang-chou), with as many as 50 playhouses in a district. Plays performed by puppets and mechanical ...

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