Chochiku Grand Kabuki will tour Beijng in September. Artists
Nakamura Kanjyaku and Sakata Tojuro will perform the popular Kabuki
number Kagami Jishi.
Kagami Jishi, known as Lion Dance, is a gorgeous piece performed
to nagauta music.
In the first half, the spirit of the lion head possesses a
character named Yayoi, while in the second half the spirit of the
"shishi" lion, dressed in brocade costumes, swings its long mane
from left to right of the stage.
The actor who performs this role must be an expert capable of
performing two contrasting dances - a dance of a maiden in the
first half and a valiant dance in the second half.
Kabuki is a traditional Japanese form of theater with its
origins in the Edo period. Kabuki, in contrast to older surviving
Japanese art forms such as No, was popular among the lower
classes.
Kabuki plays are about historical events and moral conflicts in
relationships. The actors use an old language, which is difficult
to understand even for some Japanese people. They speak in a
monotonous voice and are accompanied by traditional Japanese
instruments.
The kabuki stage rotates and is equipped with trapdoors through
which the actors can appear and disappear. Another specialty of the
kabuki stage is a footbridge that divides the audience.
Time: 7:30 pm, September 4, 5
Place: Poly Theater, Donsi Shitiao
Tel: 9609-6260, 6506-5343, 6506-5345
(China Daily August 11, 2007)