Chapter 501: 501
The spectators laughed again as many women shouted, "We brought our husbands here, but we still want to see men!"
When Fifth Zhao saw this, he said in a manner of deep resentment, "You men! Is this how you discipline your wives!? All of you… embarrass us men! I don't want to brag, but don't look down on my average looks. At home, I have the final say! When I say it's mealtime, it's mealtime! My wife will immediately prepare the meal. When I say dress up—"
"What!?" a woman's yelling voice suddenly sounded.
Following that a woman walked out from backstage, and Fifth Zhao roared out. "All Hail the Empress!"
Then, Fifth Zhao knelt down.
It tickled everyone incessantly…
"Master, this is a Two-people Rotation? Why aren't the two of them rotating? I thought they would stick together and spin like a top until they fly into the sky." asked Red Boy in an utterly carefree manner as he sat beside Fangzheng as he ate melon seeds and drank soda.
Fangzheng rolled his eyes. "Brains are good stuff. Can't you grow some?"
Red Boy said aggrieved, "But that's what I thought!"
"Master, what exactly is Two-people Rotation?" Squirrel squatted on Fangzheng's shoulder obediently as he asked.
Fangzheng smiled. "Present-day Two-people Rotation is different from the version of the past. In the past, Two-people Rotation went by many different names. It could be performed solo, in pairs or even in a group. However most of the times these days, it's a man and woman combo. As it's two people singing, people like to call it Two-people Rotation.
"Two-people Rotation is a performance that has its roots in the northeast. However, Two-people Rotation is not like other performances that have only one trait. It does not adhere to a framework which it cannot extricate itself from. In its earliest days, Two-people Rotation was a kind of yangko opera which had all sorts of jumping. It was purely done to get laughs. Therefore, people called it Bengbeng. Later, Two-people Rotation fused with Hebei's Falling Lotus routine, making it a performance that includes singing and dancing while hosting a program. There's a good saying that Two-people Rotation has its foundations in yangge with Falling Lotus routines at its fringes.
"But that's not all. Two-people Rotation isn't immutable. During all these years of development, Two-people Rotation has been constantly changing. It changes with the preferences of society. At one stage of development, it drew lessons from folk songs, liuqiang opera, Fengyang Flower Drumming, Hebei's bangzi opera, Ping opera, Peking opera, etc. Two-people Rotation draws on the strengths of everything while ensuring that its framework remains the same, but it manages to fuse all sorts of opera styles in China.
"Crosstalk focuses on speaking, learning, entertainment, and singing, but Two-people Rotation performers have to not only learn how to sing, talk, act, and dance, they must also have some good tricks up their sleeves. They call it the great Four Skills, One Special! This special includes handkerchiefs, fans, boards, or jade boards. However, competition is tight these days. Just using the same old skills and specials will no longer work. Therefore they are all researching into different kinds of performance tricks such as contortionist arts, three-meter-high somersaults, etc. All of this is to attract a wider audience. Therefore it's difficult to become a good Two-people Rotation performer.
"Of course, as Two-people Rotation replicates everything, it can be said to be a jack of all trades kind of thing. When it comes to speaking, learning, and entertainment, the quality can't be compared with the quality of the performances delivered by real professional crosstalkers. Their singing cannot compare with professional singers' singing. When it comes to acrobatics, they can't compare with those that really train in acrobatics. However, they stand out by being a complete package, so there's bound to be something you like."
"Master, since Two-people Rotation is so good, why didn't you let us watch it?" asked a perplexed Red Boy.
Fangzheng smiled wryly. "What I know was taught to me by a Patron many years ago when I watched a performance myself. However, I can't figure out why the Two-people Rotation I watched had nothing to do with what I described. Thankfully, Fifth Zhao's performance today is quite interesting."
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