'High stage mirror' reappears on stage

2023-08-04

The Southern School of Cantonese Opera excels in martial arts, with brave and vigorous fighting movements, and gripping stage scenes. The "high platform mirror" is a representative skill of the Southern School of Cantonese Opera, which is often used in traditional martial arts of the Southern School of Cantonese Opera. The props for "high platform mirror" are usually one set of two chairs, with a chair placed in front of the high platform and another chair placed on top of the high platform. During the performance, the actor steps and jumps from a low chair by running up, spins 180 degrees into the air, and firmly lands on a high chair to face the audience. The actor's posture before and after turning seems to be reflected on a mirror, hence the name "high stage mirror". In the traditional drama "Wu Song Makes a Big fuss at the Lion Tower", Wu Song and Ximen Qing use the tables and chairs in the restaurant to showcase this extraordinary work while fighting at the Lion Tower. The audience is excited and applauded. Here, the presentation of techniques fully serves the needs of story scenes and character shaping. Screenshot of the Cantonese opera "Wusong Makes a Big fuss at the Lion Tower". With the development of Cantonese opera and martial arts, Cantonese opera artists have constantly challenged themselves and developed more challenging techniques such as "flying over the mirror" and "stepping on the vine to take a high platform mirror". Flying over the mirror "means that after jumping on the first chair, the actor needs to fly over another chair or other obstacle, and then perform a 180 degree rotation to complete the" mirror ". The term 'stepping on a rattan card to look at a mirror on a high platform' refers to the use of rattan cards held by other actors instead of chairs for performers to step on and jump on. The performance form of "High Stage Mirror" has been continuously enriched, achieving good stage effects. On the stage of the 11th China Art Festival, the extraordinary task of "looking at the mirror from a high platform" shone brightly in the newly edited Cantonese opera "Dream Red Boat". This drama tells the story of Cantonese opera artists in the 1920s and 1930s, who continuously honed themselves in order to inherit their unique skills and achieve their dreams. The protagonist, Kuang Sanhua, the leader of the "Sword Shadow Class", was obsessed with Cantonese opera martial arts and unfortunately withdrew from the stage due to a fall during the performance of "High Stage Mirror". Amidst the gradual decline of Cantonese opera, Kuang Sanhua is determined to revitalize his theatrical team and bring back the unique skill of "high stage mirror" on stage. The height of the traditional "high platform mirror" is generally around 1.5 meters, while the height of the high platform in this drama reaches 3 meters. With this step and leap, it is like a tiger like a swallow, and the astonishing explosive power in that moment perfectly demonstrates the hero's courage, which is both singing and crying. Peng Qinghua, an outstanding young actor who plays Kuang Sanhua in the play, has learned skills since he was young and has solid basic skills. He also has a special liking for the southern martial arts Wing Chun. His success stems from his love for martial arts and Cantonese opera art, as well as his relentless practice and exploration. It is precisely because of this that he was able to portray Kuang Sanhua's obsession with Cantonese opera stunts as "living". In order to achieve the best effect of the "high platform mirror", Peng Qinghua and the main creators have designed multiple versions from various aspects such as difficulty of action, aesthetic perspective, and plot needs, such as "front stage mirror", "side stage mirror", and "pedal aerial stage mirror". In 2021, Peng Qinghua won the Plum Blossom Award for Chinese Drama with his exquisite skills. The Southern style art of Cantonese opera was formed in the 1930s and 1940s, and the first generation of artists can be traced back to the Cantonese opera artist Lao Tianshou. Afterwards, representative plays such as "Wu Song's Riot over the Lion Tower", "San Shuai Traps Xiaoshan", and "Shuang Xiong Riots in the Palace" emerged from the Southern School of Cantonese Opera, as well as representatives such as Lu Qiguang and Lin Guoguang

Edit:Yu dingji    Responsible editor:Wang fei

Source:People's Daily

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