Drumming is a common type of performance among folk acrobatic groups. It showcases power, beauty, and skill. Strike the Chariot Drum performed by the Hung Sheng Lion Dance Theatre is a show that audiences find gripping. Listening to the thundering percussive rhythms, one cannot help but respond to t...Read more
Drumming is a common type of performance among folk acrobatic groups. It showcases power, beauty, and skill. Strike the Chariot Drum performed by the Hung Sheng Lion Dance Theatre is a show that audiences find gripping. Listening to the thundering percussive rhythms, one cannot help but respond to the powerful vibrations. During performances, the drummers move by holding up their torsos and moving their legs, which demonstrate their awe-inspiring power.
In their performances, Hung Sheng often opens a show with a powerful sequence of big drums. For Strike the Chariot Drum, Hung Sheng’s drum formation shifts into various patterns accompanied by the deep sounds of the drums that excite the audience. In order to change the formation at will, Hung Sheng put wheels under the big drums so that they can line up in a row like chariots leading the troops in a charge onto the battlefield. But in the next moment the two armies retreat to their own camps and the drummers on both sides start to drum powerfully engaging in a musical battle of their own. As the exciting formation unfolds dramatically, the drumbeats become faster and faster as the sounds of gongs and cymbals add vigor and energy to the troops and stir up the passion of the audience.
Category | Folk Acrobatics |
Type | Folk Performance |
Chinese Title | 擂鼓戰車 |
Group | Hung Sheng Lion Dance Theater |
Creative staff | Hung Sheng Lion Dance Theater |
Premiere | 2004-07-04 |
Venue | New Taipei Art City Center, New Taipei |
Duration | 8min |
Image Source | |
Other Works | Prelude to Good Fortune |