Why is Takarazuka all-female?

Why is Takarazuka all-female?

The history of the Takarazuka Revue Founder Kobayashi Ichizou opted for an all-female cast as a direct parallel to the all-male casts of Kabuki. He also wanted to take advantage of the growing national interest in Western style theatre performances.

What is the city of Takarazuka is famous for?

hot springs
The city is known for both its hot springs and its all-female Takarazuka Revue, both of which are now the main draw for visitors. Most people who visit Takarazuka are domestic travelers, with the largest group being middle-aged people and the older crowd.

What is the motto of Takarazuka Music School?

Purity, Honesty, Beauty
Moreover, we at the Takarazuka Music School emphasize the importance of acquiring the decency and etiquette encapsulated in our school motto: “Purity, Honesty, Beauty” We are convinced that this emphasis will significantly help students develop their own sophisticated personalities even further, as women and as …

Why are kabuki actors all male including those playing female roles?

All-male casts became the norm after 1629, when women were banned from appearing in kabuki due to the prevalent prostitution of actresses and violent quarrels among patrons for the actresses’ favors.

Are woman allowed to do Kabuki?

However, for all the forward steps, women are still banned from performing in kabuki on the bigger stages. In early forms of kabuki, theatres would have all-female performances known as “onna kabuki” and all-male ones known as “yaro kabuki”.

What does Kabuki literally mean?

the art of song and dance
Kabuki (歌舞伎) is made up of three kanji (Chinese characters): ka (歌) meaning sing, bu (舞) representing dance, and ki (伎) indicating skill. Literally, kabuki means the art of song and dance, but performances extend well beyond these two elements.

Why do kabuki actors cross their eyes?

It is meant to show a character’s emotions at their peak, and can often be a very powerful pose. The actor’s eyes are opened as wide as possible; if the character is meant to seem agitated or angry, the actor will cross his eyes.

Why are all kabuki actors male?

All-male casts became the norm after 1629, when women were banned from appearing in kabuki due to the prevalent prostitution of actresses and violent quarrels among patrons for the actresses’ favors. This ban failed to stop the problems, since the young male (wakashū) actors were also fervently pursued by patrons.

What do Ka Bu and Ki mean?

The word ‘ka-bu-ki’ itself is made up of three characters that mean ‘song’ (ka-歌), ‘dance’ (bu-舞) and ‘acting skill’ (ki-伎), indicating the composite nature of this art that includes elements of music, dance and drama, disciplines that would in most other cases be performed separately.

Do the actors talk in Noh theatre?

Actors can speak each other’s lines. Stylized speech and chant/song can be traded between Noh performers even if they appear to relate to a single character. It is not uncommon in a Noh play for the chorus to sing the lines of a dancing actor.