This past week, 6th graders worked with artist Li Min Mo on creating Peking opera masks depicting characters from Journey to the West, the Chinese classic that has been adapted for their upcoming performance of the Wild and Wonderful Monkey King.
Li Min introduced the students to the history of Peking opera masks, the significance of colors used in the masks, as well as the style used. Students perfected their masks over multiple class periods, carefully considering the use of color, such as purple for wisdom, or red for loyalty. Some students even chose to create their own original designs using the color code and Chinese characters they learned from a previous workshop with Li Min.
In a separate workshop, 6th graders are working with guest artist Gaetano di Gaetano on gestures and kung fu choreography from Peking opera to add to their play performance. They also worked with Expeditionary Learning School Designer Jill Mirman on how to design a playbill for their performance.
