When Youth Meet Cantonese Opera

ART | FEATURE

When YOUTH Meet Cantonese Opera

Written by Natalie Ho

The swell of Chinese music suffuses the theatre. A charming actress, who dresses in red grand armour, is brandishing her blue horsewhip while entering the resplendent stage. She stops her movement and strikes a heroic posture, singing an aria with her bright and sweet voice. This is how Jamie Ip, a 23-year-old young lady, performs one of the renowned Cantonese Opera excerpts: Muk Kwai-ying Proposes Marriage for the audience.

In fact, it is undeniable that many of us perceive Cantonese Opera as relatively “backward-looking” and antiquated, turning it into a forgotten art. However, there is a certain number of Cantonese Opera rising stars who desire to bring renovation to this traditional industry, including Jamie and the members of her troupe. So how are they inspired by this Chinese art form?

Young Cantonese Opera actress Jamie Ip wears grand armour ane performs Muk kwai-ying Proposes Marrisage on stage. (Photo by Susan Pau)

From left, two young Cantonese Opera actresses Tiffany Yu and Jamie Ip. (Photo by Tiffany Yu)

Falling In Love With Cantonese Opera

Jamie has been learning Cantonese Opera as a faa daan since she was in primary five. “Time flies and it has been 11 years already,” she says. When it comes to the reasons for learning Cantonese Opera, I expect a passionate one. Indeed, Jamie’s response surprises me a lot. “To be frank, I didn’t have a strong interest in Cantonese Opera at first. My elder sister started to learn this traditional art form in primary school. Subsequently, my dad literally pushed me to join the troupe, Susan Arts World with my sister, which marked the starting point of my arduous yet fruitful learning journey by coincidence.” Susan Arts World was founded in 2006, aiming to cohere the ‘rookies’ of Cantonese Opera and promote it through education.

On the contrary, Tiffany Yu, a 21-year-old Cantonese Opera fanatic, who is also an actress from Susan Arts World, has an entirely different experience from Jamie’s. Her grandpa was a former manager of the Sunbeam Theatre, a prominent and valuable performance venue dedicated to Cantonese Opera. “In those days, my grandpa took me to watch the performances in the theatre after school. I was deeply attracted by those enchanting costumes and graceful melodies. Some actors even did somersaults on stage. There were genuinely impressive,” she recalls her memories delightedly and says. Tiffany then began the training process at the age of five.

Both of them have different encounters when they got in touch with this time-honoured art form, so how do they equip themselves on the learning path?

“My fondness of Cantonese Opera is resolute, spurring me to be a better self,” Jamie says.

Young Cantonese Opera actress Tiffany Yu singing gracefully and performing A Truyst from The Peony Pavillion on stage. (Photo by Susan Pau)

ART | FEATURE Polishing Skills Through Practice and Research

When Jamie was in secondary, she performed an excerpt from a fantasy piece: Fairy Hongluan. “It was a huge challenge for me, as I had to flourish a two-meter-long ribbon smoothly on stage without any auxiliary devices,” she mentions. Jamie then rehearsed more than usual and even arrived at the studio earlier than other actors for additional training. “If the force wasn’t use appropriately, the ribbon would tie into knots, which would be problematic on stage.” She seized every opportunity to practise and overcome the hurdles step by step. She ultimately transformed herself into a dancing fairy, resulting in great success in her performance. “Jamie is always a diligent student, striving her best to polish her skills,” Susan Pau, Director and Mentor of Susan Arts World says.

Jamie plays Hongluan and dancing with the two-meter-long ribbon on stage. (Photo by Susan Pau)

Tiffany performs The Death Of Dai-yu and delivers her heartbroken feelings to the audience. (Photo by Tiffany Yu)

Apart from practising, Tiffany conducted research for her character Lin Dai-yu from one of the famous Chinese classics Dream of the Red Chamber. “As I had to play Dai-yu for the performance in December, I read the original copies of the classics to discover her ways of thought and affection towards Jia Bao-yu.

Putting myself in her shoes would be the best way to deliver her bleak and gloomy emotions to the audience on stage,” Tiffany says.

Keeping The Tradition Alive

Although Jamie and Tiffany have distinctive talents and specialise in different roles in Cantonese Opera, they have a mutual goal: to promote Cantonese Opera to more youngsters and not be confined to the local context. “We sincerely hope to bring Cantonese Opera back in the limelight as it is an indispensable part of our local culture,” Tiffany states firmly. As Jamie is an undergrad majoring in music education at The Education University of Hong Kong, she plans to apply her knowledge acquired in the courses to civilize the younger generation. “It would be great if more elements of Cantonese Opera can be included in the primary music lessons, captivating their interests in an earlier stage,” she expresses her views.

In addition, Tiffany wants to promote this performing art worldwide. “Previously, I had experiences in translating the Cantonese Opera piece: Stealing the Glossy Ganoderma into English, performing in the schools in Australia and New Zealand,” she says. “I wish to devote more effort to showcase the beautiful local culture to the rest of the world.”

These lovely and young Cantonese Opera rising stars are endeavouring to inherit the essence of our local culture by incorporating the knowledge and skills developed in their learning journey. In fact, should we take a step further to show our support and cherish this beloved traditional art?

Cantonese Opera 101 Cantonese Opera 101

Cantonese Opera is a traditional Chinese performing art form, which integrates Mandarin operatic traditions with singing and spoken lines delivered in Cantonese. It was inscribed onto the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in September 2009. The story is delivered through the four basic components, including singing, delivery of spoken lines, acting and martial arts. Under the six-pillar system, the major roles cover man mou sang (the leading male), siu sang (the supporting male), jing yan faa daan (the leading female), yee bong faa daan (the supporting female), chou sang (the comic role) and mou sang (the military character).

Jamie and Tiffany taking selfie with their friend after the performance backstage of the Ko Shan Theatre. (Photo by Tiffany Yu)