To give kids a chance to get acquainted with and better understand traditional art forms, Greater Tainan’s Daguang Elementary School offered a two-week summer workshop for traditional Taiwanese puppet theater — budaixi — with professional budaixi performers teaching the children. The curriculum included making puppets, how to use them and learning how to perform budaixi.
Traditions need to be passed on to future generations, says Daguang Elementary School principal Yang Hsiu-chih. The so-called “digital kids” of today do not have many opportunities to observe traditional budaixi, Yang says. Schools have a duty to provide opportunities that allow kids to become better acquainted with traditional art and culture, Yang says, adding that otherwise such traditions will eventually disappear. Last year the school used a flexible curriculum, which included members of the Wang Yiming Budaixi Troupe guiding students and teaching them about the art form in a classroom setting. This year the troupe was invited back again to teach the kids, but this time in a summer workshop program. Nearly all of the children participating in the workshop this year had also taken part in last year’s class.
Going to class every morning from July 28 to Aug. 8, a total of 18 children took part in the budaixi workshop. During the first week, the kids painted the puppets and placed costumes on them, giving each child a chance to express themselves creatively. Some of them painted the face to look like war deity Guan Gong, while some painted the face orange. The puppets’ eyes were all painted differently and the girls gave them blushing cheeks. Some added paillettes to the costumes, while some pasted colorful ribbons on the puppets. Overall, the atmosphere was quite lively.
Photo: Meng Ching-tsu, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者孟慶慈
During the second week, they learned how to perform budaixi and studied dialogues using text from Journey to the West’s “Tang Sanzang procures the scripture.” Yang says that she is currently evaluating whether to establish a budaixi club when the school year starts. She hopes that Taiwanese puppet theater will become one of the school’s specialities.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
提供孩子親近、認識傳統藝術的機會,台南市大光國小暑期開辦為期兩週的「布袋戲研習營」,邀來專業的布袋戲業者擔任師資,課程包括動手做戲偶、布戲操弄及搬演布袋戲等。
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者邱芷柔
大光國小校長楊秀枝表示,傳統需要傳承,現今的3C孩子,觀看傳統布袋戲機會少,學校有義務提供機會,讓孩子認識傳統藝術、文化,否則傳統恐漸消失。去年學校曾利用彈性課程,安排王藝明布袋戲成員進入教室,帶領孩子認識布袋戲;今年再次邀請王藝明布袋戲到校,但改以暑期營隊方式傳承;參與布袋戲研習營的孩子,幾乎都是去年參加過彈性課程者。
十八個小朋友參加布袋戲研習營,時間自七月廿八日起至八月八日,每天上午上課。第一週讓孩子動手為未上色的戲偶上顏色或裝飾衣服,孩子各自發揮想像力,有的將戲偶臉塗得像關公、有的塗橙色臉,眉眼用色也各異,女孩子則為戲偶畫腮紅;衣服裝飾有的黏亮片、有的貼彩帶,氣氛熱鬧。
第二週則進入學搬演、練口白階段,戲碼是《西遊記》的「唐三藏取經」。楊秀枝表示,現正評估是否於開學後以社團方式開辦布袋戲,希望布袋戲能成為大光的特色之一。
(自由時報記者孟慶慈)
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