We attended two lectures about classical Japanese theater. We saw a kyogen (comic play) peformance; kyogen involves stylized song and dance and is about universal, everyday subjects. It is lighthearted and there are never any characters who are really bad. Rather, the characters are supposed to represent simply the best and worst aspects of human nature. The play we saw was a 600 year old play called "The Inherited Cramp" and it was about a servant who tries to get out of doing work for his master by pretending he had a leg cramp he inherited from his parents. In the picture of the man with the fan, he is performing a lyrical, stylized kind of dance that is typical of kyogen.
We also saw a kabuki (live theater) performance. Kabuki involves song, dance and acting and is traditionally performed only by men. Despite this tradition, in this video clip, a woman is performing a kabuki dance.
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