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autographs, and to exchange greetings and take photographs with fans. This is in contrast to many other forms of theatre in Japan and abroad where audience members have very little direct interaction with performers, who do not leave the stage for the aisles, and who slip out a rear door of the venue following the performance.
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is the devotion and passion of its fans, and the relative lack of distance between performers and audience. Troupes sell various merchandise in the aisles during intermission, ranging from DVDs of their performances to calendars and photo books, and gather outside the venue following the show to sign
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troupes in Japan, each made up of fewer than twenty performers. Leadership of a troupe, and rank within it, is passed down in a hereditary fashion, and members of a troupe generally share a family name, though performers are quite frequently adopted into a family troupe, and may not be related by
124:. Though kabuki, bunraku, and many other pre-modern forms of Japanese performing arts were originally entertainment for the peasantry or commoner classes, they have since come to be seen as "traditional arts," and have come to bear an importance and air of high culture which the
185:). This is followed by a series of dance numbers with no connection to the plot or characters of the previous skit, each performer appearing on stage alone, one at a time. The performers wear traditional-style kimono and over-the-top make-up, dancing to
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troupes tend not to be connected with a single theatre, but travel, performing at small local theatres, community centers and the like. Ticket prices are relatively low compared with the major forms of urban theatre, such as
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The style of costumes and make-up is closely related to that of kabuki, and uses porcelain white faces, bright red lips, and emphasized eyes and eyebrows to create an overall aesthetic of unreal, stylized beauty.
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is the notion that it is intended as entertainment for regular people. The form does not purport itself to be high art, nor to contain deep or powerful philosophical or political themes or messages.
135:" is both vague and controversial. The form is a more specific and singular one than the generic term of "mass theatre" might imply. Furthermore, there are those within the sphere of
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blood. It is also not uncommon for the sons of troupe leaders to branch off and begin their own troupes. Troupes, and individual performers, as in kabuki, wield individual crests or
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fans to present their favorite performers with personalized letters and gifts, most frequently large elaborate bouquets of flowers or simply cash, in a custom called
112:, literally meaning "theatre of/for the masses," came to be applied to the genre to distinguish it from the more traditional of Japan's theatrical arts, such as
244:(belt), shaking hands or exchanging a quick word with the performer as he stops dancing to kneel down at the edge of the stage to receive the fan.
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performances are generally split into two sections. A short play or skit will feature most of the troupe in a brief story, often set in the
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Bouquets of flowers given by fans to
Tachibana Daigorō, for a performance at the Miyoshibashi Theatre in Yokohama in November 2007.
236:(ご祝儀), meaning "congratulations". Fans approach the stage during the dance portion of the show, and slip a letter, envelope, or
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form, and with the more traditional kabuki, but unlike these forms which employ all-female and all-male troupes respectively,
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musicals, and efforts are made to inspire a feeling of closeness between the audience and the performers.
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features performers of both sexes; young men frequently play female parts, though women rarely play men.
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Kuhn, Anthony. "Teen's Female
Performances Draw Him a Crowd." National Public Radio. 30 October 2007.
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Though different interpretations and definitions abound, the chief distinguishing feature of
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which are displayed on banners, theatre curtains, and sometimes on costumes.
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and various lighting effects add to the flashiness of the dance numbers.
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179:) as well as sword fights and historical or samurai themes (see
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Nevertheless, for lack of a better term, the moniker of
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139:who object to the plebeian denotation of the word
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220:One of the primary distinguishing features of
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252:There are currently estimated to be over 100
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273:are two of the most popular current actors.
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191:, a genre of melodramatic music akin to
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64:is a genre of popular theatre in
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282:Engeki-graph official website.
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26:(specialist in female roles)
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284:http://www.engeki-g.com/
228:It is not uncommon for
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128:form is not granted.
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271:Daigorō Tachibana
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104:Terminology
277:References
207:Takarazuka
171:Edo period
182:jidaimono
108:The term
302:Category
234:go-shūgi
176:sewamono
98:Broadway
72:and the
32:Yokohama
23:onnagata
20:Popular
118:bunraku
260:teimon
248:Actors
141:taishū
120:, and
114:kabuki
96:, and
90:kabuki
37:teimon
154:Style
94:opera
74:revue
66:Japan
269:and
188:enka
50:大衆演劇
242:obi
122:Noh
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