Actors begin studying for their parts in the opera when they are still children, and they must master a complex language of body movements and gestures if they are to obtain the best roles.

The specific combination of color and pattern is especially important in pantomime, where the actors use no words.īoth the actors and the makeup artists involved in the Peking Opera take their positions very seriously. Other colors also have specific meanings when they are the primary color. White represents brutality and cruelty, yellow represents fearfulness, and gold indicates godliness. A mostly red face, for example, stands for courage and loyalty. In the Peking Opera, different actors play specific roles and the meaning of those roles is conveyed by specific colors and patterns of face painting and costume. In the Peking Opera, painted faces and elaborate costumes are crucial parts of the overall performance. One of the most important components of the storytelling in the Peking Opera is the tradition of painting the actors' faces to tell key parts of the story. The art form was refined after 1790 into the present Peking Opera, which combines various theatrical forms, from tragedy to comedy, ballet to acrobatics. –220 c.e.) the religious elements of the dance had disappeared, and the performances included dancers, singers, acrobats, and storytellers. Its roots go back to religious pantomime dances performed as early as 3000 b.c.e. The oldest and most important theatrical tradition in China is the Peking Opera.

Peking opera images