Kabuki

Kabuki is a classical, and extremely stylized Japanese dance drama. It is best known for it’s stylization of its presented drama and for the exuberant make up techniques they apply to the talent. Kabuki is sometimes translated as “the art of singing and dancing” because the individual kanji characters (Japanese handwriting) mean sing, dance, skill. Kabuki originally derived from the Japanese verb of ‘kabuku’, which means ‘to be out of the ordinary’, Kabuki is also seen as ‘avant-garde’ or a bizarre theater. The history of Kabuki starts in the early 1600’s. The first Kabuki performance was in 1603 in Kyoto, which held female performers. It attracted the men and it was very haram, so the women were kicked off. The elements of Kabuki are divided into 2 categories. Stage design and performance. The stage design is quite complex, the stage has a projection on it called the hanamichi, or translated, the flower path. It is a long walkway that goes right into the audience so dramatic entrances and exits are made. This stage is the main part of the design of a Kabuki theatre. Not only is it used for entrances and exits, but also for main scenes that are focused on during the performance. Over time, technology has enhanced the experience of Kabuki theatres by brining in inventions such as revolving stages and trap doors. This benefits the performers to have rapid appearances or disappearances throughout the play. There are three main components to the Kabuki performances. Historical stories, domestic stories, and dance pieces. History plays are usually set to be about a major event that happened in Japanese history where there was strict censorship laws, prohibiting the actors to do many things, such as being haram once again. Domestic plays mainly focused on stories about drama or romance. This style has a lot of societal pressures and limitations. // Overall, Kabuki theatre is pretty awesome and it would be cool if we could do something like it. //