![]() ![]() Some say that to this day, no one has been able to surpass the artistic achievements of the four most celebrated “dan” performers. Today, there are only few professional male “dan” performers in Peking Opera. Theater schools stopped training male “dan” performers in the early 1950s. Some people believe that male “dan” performers are unnatural. ![]() ![]() Theyseldon mixed their stage roles with real life. Two of the movies from the 1990s “Farewell My Concubine” and “Madam Butterfly” were tragedies about male “dan” performers falling in love with other men.Īccording to followers of Peking Opera, very few male “dan” performers were like those in the movies. When Mei Lanfang visited America in 1930, some people suspected he was a transvestite. There is much speculation about the lives of individual male “dan” performers. Males are very adept at noticing feminine habits and characteristics, so their performances are even more feminine. Male voices are stronger, deeper and more resonant. It is said that male performers of female roles are at an advantage in several ways. Peking opera is sung and recited using primarily Beijing dialect, and its librettos are composed according to a strict set of rules that prize form and rhyme. They reached the peak of their art from by using their singing ability, expressive eyes and practiced gestures to perform the roles of quintessentially beautiful Chinese women. During the 20th century in China, the 4 most celebrated male performers of female roles (called “dan” performers) in Peking Opera were Mei Langfang, Cheng Yangqiu, Shang Xiaoyun and Xun Huisheng. ![]()
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