Faces of Tradition in Chinese Performing Arts

Faces of Tradition in Chinese Performing Arts examines the key role of the individual in the development of traditional Chinese performing arts such as music and dance. These artists and their artistic works-the faces of tradition-come to represent and reconfigure broader fields of cultural production in China today. The contributors to this volume explore the ways in which performances and recordings, including singing competitions, textual anthologies, ethnographic videos, and CD albums, serve as discursive spaces where individuals engage with and redefine larger traditions and themselves. By focusing on the performance, scholarship, collection, and teaching of instrumental music, folksong, and classical dance from a variety of disciplines-these case studies highlight the importance of the individual in determining how traditions have been and are represented, maintained, and cultivated.

Author: Levi S. Gibbs
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 02/11/2020
Pages: 188
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.63lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.44d
ISBN: 9780253045836

Review Citation(s):
Choice 01/01/2021

About the Author

Levi S. Gibbs is Assistant Professor of Chinese Language and Literature in the Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages Program at Dartmouth College. His research focuses on the social roles of singers and songs in contemporary China and the cultural politics of regional identity. He is author of Song King: Connecting People, Places, and Past in Contemporary China.