pacific rim; asian cultures:

PACIFI

C RIM; A

SIAN

CULTURES

:

C O U N T R I ES T

H A T TO U C H T

H E PA C I F

I C O

C E A N

1.1 CHINESE DANCING

C H I N E S E F A N D A N C E

• The fan dance highlights delicate movements with constantly changing rhythm, which is dynamic and graceful.

C H I N E S E S W O R D D A N CE• single, double or

dagger swords may be used.

• tassels • elegant, with heroic

bearing and abundant variations.

• Positions "standing sword" and "moving sword".

•  Kabuki• begun around 1603. • draws its inspiration from

popular stories and scandals• Okuni, the first woman to

dance Kabuki• In 1629 women were

banned, and replaced with men-only actors.• skilled in dancing, acting,

impressive control of voice, and ability to make exaggerated poses.

DRAMA/THEATRE - PACIFIC RIM : JAPANESE CULTURE

KABUKI THEATRE DESIGNIn addition there is a long walkway (“hanamichi”) that connects the bulk of the auditorium and the stage, and is used for significant entrances

MUSIC- PACIFIC RIM

•  Instruments: kithara, the gamelon, the sheng, flutes, the gong, Taiko drums, and xylophones.

• The vocal tone by Asian cultures is very harsh and nasal.

• Music was used extensively in ceremonies and rituals, and to accompany Kabuki Theater in Japan

1.2 VISUAL ART – OF THE PACIFIC RIM

• Islamic Architecture•  Muslims (the name given to people who practice Islam).• Artist could not create images of people or animals-seen

as competition with God • Symmetrical patterns to decorate surfaces; called

arabesques also used calligraphy for decoration. interiors show more ornate decoration than the exteriors.

large, pointed domes. pointed or horseshoe shaped arches. no altar. symmetrically balanced exteriors

THE DOME OF THE ROCK built between 687 to 691 in Jerusalem,

ASIAN TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

• Buddhism-philosophy rather than a religion. • 6th century BC in India.

• equality of all beings• living in moderation• gaining enlightenment• spiritual fulfillment through meditation• Closeness to nature

• series of gods and goddesses• A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist

relics, used as a place of worship, they would walk around the mound praying

• The Chinese stupa, called a pagoda,

• towers • Wood is the

most common building material

• colored glazed tiles were used on the roofs.

• Roofs are large, hipped, and low-pitched.

BUDDHIST TEMPLES IN CHINA

1.3 VISUAL ART – ASIAN ART FORMS :CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY

• Calligraphy means “beautiful writing,” • Written right to left in vertical columns. • Each symbol stands for a word, symbols are combined

to create new words• Similar to hieroglyphics of Egyptians. • painted with a brush and ink. • It was believed that the soul of the person “writing”

was exposed in the words.

CHINESE SCROLL PAINTING • painting on a long piece of paper or silk• could be hanging or horizontal (hand-scrolls). • scrolls were kept rolled up, unroll them to

enjoy. • only opened up small sections of the scroll at

a time and savor each part of scroll

CATEGORIES OF CHINESE PAINTING •Religious Paintings – of buddha•Landscape Paintings –• The landscape was the most popular subject of

Chinese paintings.•Portrait Paintings - Portraits of emperors •Flora and Fauna paintings-

• Flora deals with plant life• fauna with animal life.

many plants and animals had symbolic meaning:

JAPANESE ORIGAMI• ori meaning "folding", and kami meaning

"paper"; later changed to gami• started in the 17th century AD • became popular outside Japan in the mid-

1900s. • folding a flat sheet of material into finished

sculpture• No glue or tape allowed• Japanese paper crane