Cantonese opera horse-riding workshop
Scent of Thunderbolts: A Cantonese Opera Experience & Workshop, October 26, 2024. Courtesy of Toronto Biennial of Art, videographer: Miles Rufelds.
Alice Chan of Starlight Chinese Opera guides workshop participants through the traditional Cantonese opera “horse-riding” movement. With only a horse whip in hand (a key stage prop), she shows how performers conjure the rhythm and illusion of a galloping horse. (0:23 minutes)
[Atmospheric soundscape and audience chatter]
Speaker:
Bit a bit.
Bit once.
Bong.
[Audience laughter]
Speaker:
You want it fast, and then you shake it.
[Speaker mimics fast rhythmic sound effects]
Speaker:
How do you make it stop?
How do you make it stop?
[Speaker makes a final sound effect]