Stilt Team of Beijing
2 min readStilt is a form of singing and dancing, particularly prevalent among folk people.Historically the stilt team of Gaobeidian was famous for its unrivaled stunt in jumping onand off along the l3-step stairway leading to the former Goddess Temple.
The Gaobeidian Stilt Team, founded in 1886, earned fame during the Qing Dynastyfor its superb skills as displayed during folk festive fairs. Generally an array of stilt‘ performance involves 12 people, but that in Gaobeidian would require 14 performers. Theroles of characters vary from young male to senior female and even clowns, and themovements range from graceful, elegant dancing to bold, valiant martial acts and humorouspostures. Traditional plays include West Chamber and other classic works.In 1949 and 1954, the Gaobeidian Stilt Team participated in the National Daycelebrations at the Tian’anmen Square.
At the Longtan Cup Flower Fair in 1987, 1988, and1989, the Gaobeidian Team won the first prize in stilt performance competition.Along with the passage of time and social progress, some of the folk arts disappearedfrom the horizon of the modern people, and the historical glory of the Gaobeidian StiltTeam gradually faded.Following the construction of the Gaobeidian Classical Furniture Street and the FolkCustoms Park in 2002, to further explore the historical and cultural heritage of this ancientvillage. in October 2003 the Gaobeidian Stilt Team resumed.The team is now comprised of more than 40 performers; the oldest being older than60 while the youngest is only 12 years of age. In addition to the traditional repettoires, it hasalso produced and staged new plays on the basis of innovation. As a breakthrough of thetraditional dominance of male performers, the team began to absorb female performers.
In 2004 the team performed at the temple fair, the Classical Fumiture Exhibition, theInternational Tourism and Culture Festival, Golden Rising Sun, and other events held in theVillage, winning great popularity among audiences and attracting attention from municipaland district governments as well as the mass media.
On February 11, 2005, the team wasinvited to perform at the Trafalgar Square in honor of the Chinese Culture Year. sponsoredby the Beijing Tourism Administration, showing off the outstandin g folk-custom culture ofthe Chinese nation and demonstrating the bearing and spirit of Chinese farmers after China’sreform and opening-up.
