Review Notes

During today's class, we've reviewed several elements that we've studied.

Kabuki, in relation to Noh is designed for the middle class as opposed to the elite. It uses stage-craft machinery.

All Noh, Bunraku and Kabuki have a jutai and a joruri (chorus and narrator).

In Bunraku, the joruri follows the emotion conveyed by the movement of the puppeteer and the sounds of the shamisen. The joruri is the element of the performance that leads while the puppet follows. There is an inverse relationship between the importance of the text and

Noh is dependent on the shogunate for financial and social support.

Kabuki Walking: flying (tobi), swagger (tanzen) and cat's paw (kitsumi) types of entrances

Noh is considered medieval, comparable to the Passion Plays

Aragoto: is a style of Kabuki which means to move in a reckless warrior manner

Hanamichi: a bridge to the spirit world in Kabuki which regulates the entrance and exists. It connects the main stage to the stage right area, extending towards the audience and into a stairwell.

In Kabuki, the hanamichi is used more interactively with the audience and major actions occur on it.

Hashigakari: same as Hanamichi but for Noh, often grand entrance is signaled by clappers.


Backdrop: matsubama tree, signifies the descent of a divine spirit due to Noh performance

4 corners represent the 4 winds and energize the movements of the actors

Suzuki: focus on strength, control over the body because the body controls the mind as opposed to the words controlling the message. The body sends the message. He incorporates it to western theater. Never release tension because the tension remains in the audience. No catharsis. Emphasis on being grounded, comes from the the walks of kabuki and Noh. Jugs under the stage allow for better control of the echo. Daoist, because emphasis on being from the earth.



Yeats: interpreted asian theater with symbolism and incorporated much of it in his performances. Wrote Noh plays. He was interested in masks because the performer lives up to the character of the mask. Yeats was a poet but believed that language became inadequate to express, moved to Noh and movement. Never saw Noh, only read it.


Artaud: goes insane. the importance of ritualism, need beyond text, corporeal experience. Incorporates, chak and legong to to a specific symbolism that measured the emotion conveyed to the audience

                   Accuracy? recognized Asian theater as a different aspect of performance

rasa (kokoro)
bhava (kata)
music (utai)

Brecht: looked at communist theater, epic theater, social comments/justice, social implications through agi-prop

Text

Noh and Bunraku are more text based because they need to be precise. Even choreography is written and described precisely.

Kabuki: there is text but not as rigid, not primary source of hana, its text+technical, more modern, incorporates technology

    roppo: entrance, cat paw, flying, swagger


Hinduism and Asian theater:

--> Johakyu is in the Natyasastra, begin slow, faster, then end swiftly
--> karura, bird dance
--> brought over by brahmans (hinduism then buddhism) to China and Japan
--> gigaku, lion dance, various masks and dances, much like gambu karuda (bird in ramayana) masks are based on hinduism, become the masks of Noh


Amaterasu: kagura, dance ritual to lure amaterasu from the cave (sun god), Uzume the deity that invented performance to incite Amaterasu to come out. her dance leads to Kagura (like sanghyang --> for good harvest, longevity etc) 7 steps to call the spirits. Once incorporated with masks, becomes gigaku.

sangaku: incorporates the monkey (hanuman)

Construct a narrative in the development of theater in asia

rojaku: the objective of finding beauty in old age, in characters that are old

shingeki: style that observes western themes in japanese style

kanami: father of zeami (father of japanese performance, hana, kokoro --> 5 principles, one character) kanami

karago: puppets from turkey,

ortayunu: live version of the karagos

kagura: japanese dance, ancient ritual to lure amaterasu

gigaku: uses ushers and masks, surge of influence from Hinduism

sarugaku: monkey music (ties to Indonesia/Hinduism)

shimpa: modernization of the kabuki

mimashi: korean, brought gigaku, performed for a prince and got patronage for setting up a school


joruri: chanter, narrator in bunraku

hashigakari: bridge in Noh

hanamichi: brgidhe in

Iemoto system: heirachical structure of arts in Japan

ortaoyunu:

amaterasu: sun goddess

miko: queen himiko was a miko, a female shaman

jutai: chorus