oh what a night it was .....
along with a few other fellow bloggers, I was invited by Marina Bay Singapore to the performance - a Night of Nostalgia - by the Teochew Opera. This was a part of the Singapore Trail area beneath the Singapore Flyer. But will have to tell you all about that in another blog posting, so be sure to come back!!
The invitation promised that we would be treated to a dramatic performance by the oldest organization promoting Teochew music and opera in Singapore and that it maintains an active ensemble and is believed to be Singapore’s only amateur Teochew music company.
I had no knowledge of this type of Opera and after checking on Wikipedia, I did learn that Teochew opera is a traditional art form which has a history of more than 500 years and is now loved by 20 million Teochew people in over 20 countries and regions. Based on the local folk dances and ballads, Teochew opera has formed its own style under the influence of Nanxi Opera. Nanxi is one of the oldest Chinese operas that originated in the Song Dynasty. Its tunes are graceful and pleasant, full of local colour. The old form of choral accompaniment still preserves its special features. Clowns and females are the most distinctive characters in a Teochew opera, and fan-playing and acrobatic skills are more prominent than in other types of performances.
What I found fascinating prior to the actual performance was the experience of being 'backstage' where we could watch the performers applying their makeup and be totally transformed in time for the evening entertainment.
As you can see by the following images the amount of work that goes into the preparation from start to finish. This particular lady took one hour and 40 minutes just to complete the actual make up. That was not including the wig or costume:
it certainly made me appreciate the time and effort that goes into a performance of this caliber and how dedicated the performers are to bring a piece of nostalgia to the people of Singapore!
along with a few other fellow bloggers, I was invited by Marina Bay Singapore to the performance - a Night of Nostalgia - by the Teochew Opera. This was a part of the Singapore Trail area beneath the Singapore Flyer. But will have to tell you all about that in another blog posting, so be sure to come back!!
I had no knowledge of this type of Opera and after checking on Wikipedia, I did learn that Teochew opera is a traditional art form which has a history of more than 500 years and is now loved by 20 million Teochew people in over 20 countries and regions. Based on the local folk dances and ballads, Teochew opera has formed its own style under the influence of Nanxi Opera. Nanxi is one of the oldest Chinese operas that originated in the Song Dynasty. Its tunes are graceful and pleasant, full of local colour. The old form of choral accompaniment still preserves its special features. Clowns and females are the most distinctive characters in a Teochew opera, and fan-playing and acrobatic skills are more prominent than in other types of performances.
What I found fascinating prior to the actual performance was the experience of being 'backstage' where we could watch the performers applying their makeup and be totally transformed in time for the evening entertainment.
As you can see by the following images the amount of work that goes into the preparation from start to finish. This particular lady took one hour and 40 minutes just to complete the actual make up. That was not including the wig or costume:
CLICK HERE to read a little of the history of the:
Thau Yong Amateur Musical Association
Teochew Opera street performance had its heyday in the 1960's in Singapore and last week at the Singapore Food Trail the performance's were to help us recapture those moments
Thank you to Marina Bay Singapore and
WaiJiang and Amateur Teochew Music Ensemble for a wonderful evening!
1 comment:
What insightful shots of the backstage scene. Thanks for sharing! Wish I could have had such an opportunity for I would have liked to do some drawings like the quick sketches I made while waiting for the performance to start.
http://livingthemomentdrawings.blogspot.com/search/label/Drawings
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