Mask Makers Web

Video Clip of Chuna McIntrye and the Nunamta Dancers performing at the opening ceremonies of the Agayuliyararput Exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian on March 31, 1997

Added on: Feb 21, 2001 | Hits: 1465

s Cham Dancers Cham dances take place in monasteries on certain festive occasions which vary according to a monastery's lineage. Monks cover their faces with masks representing the entourage of protector deities, historical or mythical characters. They reenact the visions of great lamas, events in the lives of saints or certain rituals particular to local tradition or lineage. Photos of wonderful Cham Danncer dolls. Portraying the dancers. See how they are made, using same materials as when masks are made. Special paper and clay.

Added on: Jun 05, 2002 | Hits: 1477

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Added on: Jan 08, 2001 | Hits: 1492

This mask dance-drama is tradition in Kosong-gun county, South Gyeongsang Province, and is one of the Ogwangdae Mask dance-dramas played in the region west of the Naktong River.

Added on: Jan 08, 2001 | Hits: 1500

Photogallery. Photos can be downloaded and used.

Added on: Jun 06, 2002 | Hits: 1506

The Bassari are an ethnic minority who live in the Eastern region of Senegal. They are characterized by self-withdrawal in refusing to the modern world. The still live according to ancestral traditions, attempting to save them and pass them on in their true from. The other charcteristic of the Bassari is found in the beauty of the sites.Villages, melody of their language and especially in the art and decoration.In Barrari country, all mask dances are sacerd. They are performed according to a calendar which is strictly followed.It doesn't matter of involves popular dance or a dance for rejoicing: it must be supported by the ancient guardians and protectors of the tradition. For the Bassari, the drum is sacred and the maskds are made without the momen. Knowing and without their prescence. The masks are with vires and plm leaves. The beads which decorate the masks are also used by women to add decoration to their long black skirts- used as a costume in the dances The Bassari are an ethnic minority who live in the Eastern region of Senegal. They are characterized by self-withdrawal in refusing to the modern world. The still live according to ancestral traditions, attempting to save them and pass them on in their true from. The other charcteristic of the Bassari is found in the beauty of the sites.Villages, melody of their language and especially in the art and decoration.In Barrari country, all mask dances are sacerd. They are performed according to a calendar which is strictly followed.It doesn't matter of involves popular dance or a dance for rejoicing: it must be supported by the ancient guardians and protectors of the tradition. For the Bassari, the drum is sacred and the maskds are made without the momen. Knowing and without their prescence. The masks are with vires and plm leaves. The beads which decorate the masks are also used by women to add decoration to their long black skirts- used as a costume in the dances

Added on: Jul 21, 2002 | Hits: 1517

Tari Topeng Cirebon, or mask dances of Cirebon, are the oldest form of West Javanese dance, and come from the north coast. These dances are performed in full costume but are edited versions of the original traditional dances, which would traditionally be accompanied by a live gamelan orchestra and last about one hour. Anna Ingleby learned these dances while living in Indonesia for two years, 1996-98. Her teacher was Ibu Nunung Nurasih who is from a family of mask dancers and now lives and teaches in Bandung, West Java.

Added on: Sep 09, 2002 | Hits: 1521

Ponorogo is most well known for the reog mask dance, which is said to have been created by one of the kings of Kediri in the 12th century. The performance re-enacts a legendary battle between Pujangga Anom, a minister from the court of Ponorogo, and Singa Barong, guardian spirit of the forest of Lodoyo.

Added on: Jun 20, 2002 | Hits: 1549

Iwahmi Kagura is comprised of 48 stories handed down for generations. It is not a one full story but compilation of various genres. So the performance may vary depending on the time and location of the performance. Daisha, the dance of snake, is a story of Mikoto who saved Hime who is the only left daughter to her old parents. A snake with eight heads, eight tales and eight valley long body, has eaten Hime's eight sisters one every year and Hime may be endangered from the same threat. But Mikoto turned Hime into a comb and prepared eight jars of whiskey for the snake. When the snake was drunk and fell asleep, Makoto killed the snake and later married to Hime as it was arranged.

Added on: Jul 21, 2002 | Hits: 1557

Une compagnie de danse et d'art dramatique, cr??e en 1980 ? (Version in french) Abidjan (C?te d'Ivoire) par Diallo Ticoua? Vincent. Percussions, chants, th??tre, danses, jeux de masques, acrobaties puis?s dans le r?pertoire de la pure tradition africaine associ?s ? des cr?ations, donnent une vision du spectacle mi-moderne mi-traditionnelle.

Added on: Jan 03, 2001 | Hits: 1569

This photograph by Tolstoy is published in Tibet: The Sacred Realm (p. 101) where it is captioned: Dancers in Cham dance, 1943." It also appears inTolstoy's National Geographic article, where the caption mentions that it was taken at Gyantse. Presumably, the other photgraphs of masked and unmasked dancers were also taken at Gyantse.

Added on: May 11, 2002 | Hits: 1571

Unique maskart ! Workshops, performance. "Movement - Using movement and simple and delightful paper sculptures the participants build themselves, they charge and magnify whichever part of the body chosen to come alive and perform. The body becomes its own sculpture that we can watch magically grow in any direction possible! Mask-making - Participants learn traditional costume construction and the techniques for masks and textiles used in Sha Sha's work. The masks are made musical and are brought to play at performances."

Added on: May 19, 2002 | Hits: 1572

Music, dance and drama are all closely related in Bali, in fact drama and dance are synonymous. The most important thing about Balinese dances, however, is that they're fun and accessible. Balinese dances are not hard to find; there are dances virtually every night at all the tourist centers.

Added on: Jun 20, 2002 | Hits: 1580

(SUN DANCE Good article. The wi~htikokancimuwin, "wthtiko-like dance,"was a masked performance often given during the Sun dance period. The wlkhko was a cannibalistic character in the folklore of the Wood Cree. Tales concerning.this spirit power were sometimes told among the Plains Cree, but the spirit was never seen in the prairie country and imbued only the forest inhabitants with man-eating desires. Except for the name, this character does not figure in the dance.

Added on: May 11, 2002 | Hits: 1584

The deer dancer wears a tall mask / headpiece with large antlers, and the movements of the graceful and noble deer are beautiful and poignant in the expression of freedom. With elegant jumps, turns of the head, and proud body movement, the life of the deer is recounted; traveling through the forest, jumping into the air, grazing in the meadows and meeting the hunter.

Added on: Jun 18, 2002 | Hits: 1595

The lion dance used to be performed to celebrate special occasions like the day of greeting new year or wedding party in China. The motions of lion dance are so soft as well as dynamic. That??s why those motions suggest the actions of ??Kung fu??. They play the dance with unique music which is based on various percussion instruments and has vigorous rhythms.

Added on: Oct 11, 2002 | Hits: 1601

This performance is based on the myths, historical biographies and follk stories in the Tibet area. Tibetan performance art and drama use masks. Because they believe that mask with its clear expressions of good and evil helps spectators to understand the charactors of the roles of the actors and actors to communicate the message at ease. They use musical instruments like drum and cymbals and the music for drama is simple but religous.

Added on: Jul 20, 2002 | Hits: 1669

IT ISN'T MUSIC AND IT HAS NO RHYTHM. Amplified by the dear mountain air, the cacophony of sound is deafening. Conversation becomes impossible and all attention turns to the temple entrance, whence a procession of solemn faced monks is emerging. Dressed in orange silk robes, and with yellow crescent shaped hats perched precariously on their heads, they carry an assortment of instruments including bugles made from human bones, giant conch shells and long, brass horns. These horns, known locally as dun chen, issue the deep, hoarse notes that herald the unforgettable Mani Rimdu Festival. Every year, in the Khumbu region of Nepal, this Buddhist Dance Drama is enacted by the monks of Tengboche Monastery. The site of this high altitude entertainment is the temple, or gompa, within the monastery itself.

Added on: May 11, 2002 | Hits: 1674

Mask dance-drama offered the common people in traditional society an outlet for the expression of emotions and views that they couldn't express in everyday life. In the debauched monk and haughty aristocrat they satirized the corrupt nature of the traditional power elite. Mask dance-drama was a means of social protest and community building. The mask dance-drama performed today can be divided into several categories. Some genres have been passed on through amateur performers who learned their skills from village elders and performed at local community festivals. Others are carried on by professional entertainers who traveled from village to village, and later from city to city, often with the support of local merchants.

Added on: Dec 28, 2000 | Hits: 1675

Site not quite working - but looks interesting...Under construction?

Added on: Nov 17, 2002 | Hits: 1678

Wonderful photocollection of maskdancers. German website

Added on: Jul 01, 2002 | Hits: 1683

Like the Kangnyong Mask Dance, the Pongsan Mask Dance is from Hwanghae Province. It was usually performed at rural markets

Added on: Dec 28, 2000 | Hits: 1693

The Chhau dance is indigenous to the eastern part of India. It originated as a martial art and contains vigourous movements and leaps. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many of the princely rulers of the Orissa region took a keen interest in the development of this art. They maintained troupes that performed on special occasions and festivals.

Added on: Feb 01, 2001 | Hits: 1724

Ritual performance The spirit of Tibet, the "land of snows", comes vividly to live as the eleven nuns perform colourful masked dances and vibrant harmonic chants.

Added on: May 11, 2002 | Hits: 1729

The History of the Wanaragua Dance.Honduras. The origin of this masked dance dates back to the epoch in which the Gar?funa inhabited Saint Vincent Island (XVII-XIX century). In those days, the British colonizers infiltrated the island, setting their sight on the huge expansions of land and the local work force, the Black Carib. These Gar?funa ancestors resisted imperialist attacks and engaged in armed conflict with the British. This dance readopts the disguise that the Gar?funa warrior utilized as a strategic defense against British forces. It is a celebration of their military victories.

Added on: May 11, 2002 | Hits: 1735