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How did Kabuki audiences interact with actors during performances?
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Japanese performing arts
Bugaku, a court dance adapted to Japanese tastes from the dance and music of 8th-century China and Korea.
In the Kabuki theatre, there was a tradition of constant, active interplay between the performers and the spectators. Because Kabuki was designed as a popular theatre for the common people, the boundary between the stage and the audience was far more fluid than in many Western theatrical traditions.1
Audience members interacted with actors in several ways:
- Direct Communication: Actors frequently interrupted the performance to address the crowd directly.1
- Vocal Responses: Spectators would respond to the action with appropriate praise or by calling out the names of their favorite actors during the performance.1
- Prescribed Clapping: The audience participated by clapping their hands according to established, prescribed formulas.1
- Physical Proximity: The use of the hanamichi—an elevated runway passing through the auditorium—physically united the actors and the audience, allowing performers to move out of the decorative background and into the spectators' space.23
This dynamic environment was further encouraged by the nature of the programs, which often ran from morning to evening, allowing for a casual atmosphere where viewers could come and go or eat meals during the show.1