Agility & flexibility
THE TALENTED puppets and their masters of the Yangzhou Puppet Theatre of China put on an evening of dance, drama and comedy at the Chinese Benevolent Centre, Old Hope Road, St. Andrew, on Friday night.
The performance was a part of the Yangzhou Puppet troupe's tour of Latin America, as well as a part of the celebrations of 150 years of the Chinese presence in Jamaica.
The puppet show, which was performed in Kingston, Mandeville and Montego Bay, was presented by The Ministry of Youth, Education and Culture, the Embassy of The People's Republic of China, The Chinese Benevolent Association and the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission. Reverend Easton Lee and Karen Harriott hosted Friday's performance.
The night's performance was not merely a journey into the captivating art of professional puppetry, with beautifully crafted puppets as the guides. It was also an excursion into Chinese culture. The evening presented adaptations of literature, dances, folklore and traditional dress.
Most of the production went without words, even in the dramatic works. As such, music, largely traditional Chinese music, was an active part of the sketches, setting the mood, pace and often translating the emotion of the scene.
Dramatic works included the hilarious 'A Fat Man and A Mosquito'. The moral or the story seemed to be that 'small mosquito falls big man'. The witty piece had adults laughing and children squealing in delight, as the frustrated fat man even turned to a machine gun to get rid of the mosquito.
Along with wit, there was an amazing display of agility, co-ordination and flexibility. The puppets often moved with a near-realism, especially, the animals. In 'Wu Song Overpowers the Tiger', Wu Song displays both cunning and martial arts skills.
These puppets could do more than take leaping bounds, somersault or even lie propped up on an elbow. The puppets' skills also included playing table tennis and even extended to painting. In 'Drawing' the puppet master used her right hand to manipulate the puppets left hand to paint a scene depicting bamboos in a grove.
MASTER AND PUPPET
During the dances the puppets and their masters appeared on the stage together. However, though master and puppet appear together, the illusion is hardly scratched as the puppets are never reduced to mere appendages or decorations.
Due to the mastery of the handling and the physical beauty of the puppets it was easy to forget the puppeteer right before the eyes and concentrate on the puppets' art. It was especially easy to do so with the dance 'The Long Silk Dance', performed with a 10-metre piece of silk. The dance was exquisitely graceful. From its bejewelled hair to the mobile multi-coloured silk that trailed from its hands, the puppet was a study in graceful movements.
Other dances included 'Fan Dancing', 'The Quoing Flower Dance' and 'The Dragon Dance', which ended the night. During 'The Dragon Dance' several puppeteers were used to manipulate two florescent dragons who seemed to be twisting and writhing in the air.
When the dance ended, the applause was enthusiastic and showed great satisfaction for an entertaining evening. The sole fly in the ointment had been the room's sweltering heat, and the fact that a few chairs sent their occupants flying to the ground when their legs gave way. Otherwise, it was a wonderful evening of theatre, where the performers were puppets.
