In this post I plan to discuss the class on Chinese Opera from the other night. Dr. Xu’s lecture interactive lecture on Chinese opera was an insight to a completely new world of culture and performing arts. My initial impression was something I never expected. To be honest I was somewhat repulsed by the video she showed, before she actually performed her own version of the song. At this point I would like to give credit and applause to Dr. Xu because the performance was very interesting in person; however, I never expected the opera to sound anything like it did. I was expecting a different sounding version of Opera that is more similar to European Opera which is melodic and smooth. I have learned that Chinese opera is short and very complex. Just the amount of time it takes to become proficient was astounding to me. I expected the opera to be something where a performer with a beautiful voice could sing, instead I was greeted with something altogether separate. First, let me be clear that I am in no way saying anything bad about Chinese opera, it was just so unexpected and diverse that I was surprised. Comparing it to what I consider “traditional opera” seems wrong, like apples to oranges wrong. Musically, they seem farther apart than categorizing them as different genres, but this is most likely due to their traditions and history. Chinese opera is an ancient art form which grew out of its traditional roots, and has over three hundred forms. Even to a native Chinese speaker the words are often indistinguishable, and yet coupled with a stage performance tells a story steeped in Chinese culture. Dr. Xu explained in her lecture the importance of rhythm, inflection, and the markings to read and perform these pieces. Although nobody in the crowd would be able to dream of performing these without years of practice, her experience greatly increased the class understanding of the culture. What I know now is that Chinese opera is an art and not just a show. It takes years of determined practice to just lightly grasp the styles necessary, and the voice coupled with “ghost hands” was something I did not expect. Ultimately , the diversity is incredible as well, because I later tried to find a similar style on Youtube to show a friend, and after a few minutes of cycling through videos realized how diverse these 300 plus styles can be.