Anastasia is a burgeoning film and television actor who studied Chinese language and culture at Princeton University and in Beijing. So to help us get psyched for the 2010 Live Arts Festival’s Journey to the West-Reinterpreting Tradition Series with world-renowned theater artist Danny Yung, we (that is, intrepid intern Ellen Freeman) tracked down Anastasia Cifuentes.

But our knowledge of Chinese opera isn’t as extensive as it could be. Inheriting the extensive repertories of Mei Lanfang, Du's stage presence and interpretation is flamboyant and engaging.We try to know everything about everything, we really do. 'Backstage, he asked the manager of the theater why, later he figured out that it was because the three of us looked so much alike.' 'I remember when I was young, my mentor Mei Lanfang, his daughter Mei Baoyue and I staged The Drunken Beauty together, when he started to sing, the audience began to laugh,' Du recalled. 'It requires good looks, figure, voice, talent and persistence toward this profession.'ĭu Jinfang was chosen by Mei Lanfang when she was just 17, as she resembled him and his younger children. 'Not all males can take female roles in Peking Opera,' explained 77-year-old Du Jinfang, a master in Mei-style opera. Over the past 100 years, the Mei school of Peking Opera has attracted thousands of students and followers, many of them female. In addition, he reformed the stage design, music score and makeup of Peking Opera, taking the art to new heights,' Mei Baojiu added. 'He was highly accomplished in singing, dancing and acting. 'My father broke the distinction between almost all types of female roles and founded the Mei school,' explained Mei Baojiu, son of Mei Lanfang. He is also credited as popularizing the art form overseas. During his stage life, Mei added his own flair to traditional female roles, shaping a style of his own and forming the Mei school of Peking Opera. Peking Opera began just over 200 years ago and up until 1949, men played all of the roles, including the female characters.

He founded his own innovative style of the art form that continues to evolve and further increase in popularity to this day.ĭing Xiaojun stars as Bai Suzhen in The Legend of Mei Lanfang is known for his portrayal of dan characters, a type of young female role. 23 - This year marks the 115th anniversary of the birth of Mei Lanfang, considered as one of the greatest Peking Opera artists in modern history.

Peking opera stage design