It is an indigenous Kazakh performing art that combines theater, music, and puppetry. Some people say orteke is a street theatre, others might claim it is a musical instrument, some would see it as a decorative art, and children perceive it as a toy and use for entertainment. Orteke represents a simultaneous ensemble of music performance on Kazakh traditional two-stringed instrument dombyra and a hopping dance of a wooden puppet. Fixed on a surface of a traditional drum (daulpaz) by a metal rod a flexible wooden figure of teke (a mountain goat) is connected to the fingers of a musician by one or several threads. Flexible head and joints of a puppet are connected to the pulling string. As the musician strikes his/her fingers playing dombyra, the puppet starts hopping in sync with the beat set by an artist. The figure turns alive making amusing dancing movements and tapping a rhythmic beat on a firm skin surface of a drum.Some masters of genre can play with 3 and more puppets at the same time. Sound of dombra, audience public in anticipation, leather surface as flat as the steppe itself, and a small wooden figure of a mountain goat, tied to the puppeteer musician by a single thread, began to beat out the rhythm with its tiny hooves. This action, fascinating with its magical simplicity, is known among the Kazakh people as "Orteke", which is fancied by both children and adults.

Kazakhstan 2022

Orteke (mountain goat) is the name of an indigenous Kazakh performing art in which flexible wooden figure of a mountain goat is placed on a traditional drum called dauylpaz. Orteke’s originality comes from it being a combination of theater, music, and puppet dance. The figure begins to move from the movement of the filaments attached to the fingers of a musician playing the dombra (Kazakh musical instrument). The expressive puppet figure, called teke (goat), seems to come to life when the master starts playing the drum. The figure makes funny dance movements in time with the rhythm of the music being played. It is also said that the orteke figure once came different shapes and sizes that were created individually, each with a different number of moving limbs, depending on which kyu was performed. Some masters of this genre can be played with two or three or more puppets simultaneously.

Among the various types of Thai traditional puppet performances, “Hun Lakorn Lek” is one that stands out. This type of puppet is distinct from other typical Thai forms 0f puppetry, as normally the marionettes will only have moving heads and hands on an otherwise static body. In contrast, Hun Lakorn Lek is performed with figures that are completely moveable, allowing head, body, arms and legs to act independently. This results in a puppet that, if operated with masterly skill, can move like a real human. This impression is further strengthened by the well-measured proportions of the puppet, which also match those of real humans, albeit at a smaller scale. The puppets are used to perform a wide repertoire of stories that mostly draw on traditional Thai literature with some exceptions that instead depict contemporary tales. Since the ancient civilizations of Southeast Asia have long been influenced by Indian cultures there is a clear impact of Indic mythology in traditional Thai art and literature, which is also evident in the traditional puppet shows. One of the most well-known myths with Indian origins in Thai culture is the Ramayana. This epic follows the life of Rama, from the time when he was a prince of Ayodhya city in the kingdom of Kosala and got exiled in the forest for fourteen years by his father. The tale picks up in intensity when Rama’s wife Sita got kidnapped by Ravana, king of Lanka, one of Rama’s enemies over whom he manages to triumph in the end. After returning back to Ayodhya with his wife, the successful Rama is crowned as king. However, when Thai poets learned about this story they also adapted and rewrote it into a new version known in Thai as “Ramakien" in order to make the story fit better with the local background.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Wido Ttibaennori is held in early January every year in Daeri Village, Wido-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do to pray for the peace of the village and for a bountiful catch. The name Ttibaennori stems from the practice of letting a boat made of tti (Imperata cylindrica) sail out to sea as part of the ritual. The event is also called Wondangje, as it is performed at Wondang, a shrine set up for the ritual. The boat is made of tti, straw, and bush clover spliced together. It is usually sized 3m (L) by 2m (W). People put sacrificial offerings and seven puppets into the boat. The event is a local festival in which people sing, dance, and drink together, praying for a bountiful catch and for the safety of fishermen.

Fujian Puppetry is an outstanding representative of Chinese performing arts. It consists mainly of string-pulled puppetry and hand puppetry. This performing art started to spread in Quanzhou, Zhangzhou and the surrounding areas in the 10th Century. In the course of its history, it has not only accumulated a considerable amount of traditional plays and changqiang (i.e. arias, vocal music in Chinese opera), but also developed rich and exquisite performing techniques, a unique performing system, as well as marvellous craftsmanship in the modelling of puppets. As a result, Fujian Puppetry has become an art cherished by the people of local communities where it is an integral part of cultural life. Since 1980s, changes in economic production and life style; economic globalisation and a diversified cultural dissemination and, on the other hand, the highly sophisticated performing techniques that require long and painstaking practice are the reasons behind young people’s reluctance to learn and inherit Fujian Puppetry. Given the above-mentioned situation, from 2006 communities, groups and representative bearers concerned formulated the 2008-2020 Strategy for the Training of Coming Generations of Fujian Puppetry Practitioners in order to promote the safeguarding of Fujian Puppetry transmission by focusing on the training of younger practitioners. The key objective of this strategy is to safeguard the transmission of Fujian Puppetry: -\tthrough systematic professional training, bringing up a new generation of puppetry practitioners and raising the self-sustainability of Fujian puppetry; -\tthrough overall safeguarding, educating coming generations of puppetry practitioners and appreciators, and improving the habitat of Fujian Puppetry.

China 2012

Ranking with Nô and Kabuki as one of Japan’s foremost stage arts, the Ningyo Johruri Bunraku puppet theatre is a blend of sung narrative, instrumental accompaniment and puppet drama. This theatrical form emerged during the early Edo period (ca. 1600) when puppetry was coupled with Johruri, a popular fifteenth-century narrative genre. The plots related in this new form of puppet theatre derived from two principal sources: historical plays set in feudal times (Jidaimono) and contemporary dramas exploring the conflict between affairs of the heart and social obligation (Sewamono). Ningyo Johruri had adopted its characteristic staging style by the mid eighteenth century. Three puppeteers, visible to the audience, manipulate large articulated puppets on the stage behind a waist high screen. From a projecting elevated platform (yuka), the narrator (tayu) recounts the action while a musician provides musical accompaniment on the three-stringed spike lute (shamisen). The tayu plays all the characters, both male and female, and uses different voices and intonations to suit each role and situation. Although the tayu “reads” from a scripted text, there is ample room for improvisation. The three puppeteers must carefully co-ordinate their movements to ensure that the puppet’s gestures and attitudes appear realistic. The puppets, replete with elaborate costumes and individualized facial expressions, are handcrafted by master puppet makers. The genre acquired its present full name Ningyo Johruri Bunraku – in the late nineteenth century, a period in which the Bunrakuza was a leading theatre. Today, the pre-eminent venue is the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka, but its highly reputed troupe also performs in Tokyo and regional theatres. Approximately 160 works out of the 700 plays written during the Edo period have remained in today’s repertory. Performances, once lasting the entire day, have been shortened from the original six to two or three acts. Ningyo Johruri Bunraku was designated Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1955. Nowadays, it attracts numerous young performers, and the aesthetic qualities and dramatic content of the plays continue to appeal to modern audiences.

Japan 2008

The tradition-bearers of the element are communities in the three water-puppetry guilds of Bồ Dương Village (in Hồng Phong Commune, Ninh Giang District), An Liệt Village (in Thanh Hải Commune, Thanh Hà District) and Bùi Thượng Village (in Lê Lợi Commune, Gia Lộc District). Water puppetry is a form of amusement for villagers during village festivals. Performances often takes place in a small nhà trò or thủy đình stage in a pond at the village’s communal house. Performers submerge themselves in the water, behind a bamboo screen, to maneuver wooden puppets with poles and robes. A show often includes short playful scenes with various puppet characters, such as the Tễu clown, dragon, turtle, lion, snake, fish, dragon boat, and so on. Puppets are made of sung wood (cluster fig), meticulously sculptured and ornately decorated. The puppet’s base, attached with a manual mechanism that allows maneuvering underwater, is always heavier than the top so that it can float halfway without sinking. Music, rooted from North folk songs and chèo music is an important component. Popular excerpts and scenes are intro by Tễu, wrestling, fishing, dragon dance, the Eight Fairies, so on. In order to accommodate new audience tastes in contemporary life, water puppet artists create new scenes and excerpt with more sophisticated techniques.

Shadow Play is a traditional theatre that uses light and shadow. There are opinions that say that this theatre originated from Java Island, Indonesia and there are others who say it came from Pattani in southern Thailand. However, it has become a traditional theatre for the Malay community since ages ago. A Shadow Play performance is headed by a Tok Dalang who moves puppets sculptured from cow hide based on specific characters. The puppets are projected behind a screen or white cloth using light rays. Tok Dalang’s greatness is also his ability to converse in a myriad of voices according to the characters in every performance. Shadow Play is performed with music accompaniment with the purpose to assist in enlivening the characters played and to portray the environment happening at a particular scene. Commonly used musical instruments are the clarinet which is the main instrument, a number of various types of drums, cymbal and gong. The musical instruments are different between Kelantan’s Shadow Play, Porwo Shadow Play of Johor and Gedek Shadow Play of Kedah. Although the basics are the same but the variation is in the type of drum, for example. Among the songs often played accompanying this arts form are ‘Lagu Bertabuh’, ‘Perang’, ‘Seri Rama’, ‘Kabar Manja’, ‘Buluh Seruas’, and ‘Pandan Wangi’. Generally, the stories played are excerpts from the Ramayana and Mahabrata Epic collections. The popular characters are Seri Rama, Siti Dewi, Wak Long, Pak Dogol and Hanuman. A performance is usually held in the evening. However, the function of Shadow Play is diminishing since the appearance of television that has various interesting programmes. The master activists too are becoming sidelined by the society. Once in a while Tok Dalang returns to the stage and screen when there is a request.

"Colored Puppet" is made of cowhide and the characters are carved into pieces like large shadow puppets, but the carving of the colored puppets is not as detailed as the large shadow puppet. They paint and cut the details with a brush instead. On the other hand, the color puppet can be used to perform stories other than Reamker, such as in Sastra, legends, and Jataka tales, and only during the daytime. The stage to perform the color puppet is black canvas. The artists are both men and women. They dress up according to the characters and the story. Sometimes Neak Jert Sbaek has to leave the skin aside in order to perform, sing, talk, describe or exchange love, and then they raise the leather to continue with the story. The music accompanying the color puppet is a small band of Pin Peat and mostly borrows from the Morori music. The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts's color-leather theater was revived with the support of UNESCO in 2001. Stories that have been performed include Preah Lak Chinvong, Kray Thong, Preah Jinvong, Tip Sangvar, Preah Sothoun Keo Monohara, Ko Samuth Tuek Doh. These works were directed by Professor Pich Tum Kravil and two other assistants, Mr. Nguon Sam Ath and Mr. Mao Keng. The people who carved the leather were Mr. Seu Vuthy, Mr. Prak Siphannarath, and Mr. Det Sovutha.

A kind of folk puppet show using big puppets 1-1,5 meters tall. Puppets’ faces are similar to folktales images. Khusabozi are used during the national festivals and celebrations.

Inscribed in 2009 (4.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Traditionally, the Namsadang troupes didn’t settle in one place but traveled around, performing their repertoire mostly for grassroots audiences. The only extant group today was originally based in a neighborhood near Cheongnyongsa, a Buddhist temple in Seoun-myeon, Anseong City, Gyeonggi-do Province. Until the early 20th century, this group traveled from village to village around the central district of Korea and sometimes farther to Manchuria in northeastern China. Through its active itinerant performances the group influenced folk entertainment, masked dance plays and seasonal games in various regions. The wandering entertainers lived on small earnings from their shows, usually staying in Buddhist temples. They sold amulets made by monks and donated part of their income to host temples. A Namsadang troupe needs some 40-50 male performers to present its full repertoire. Under the kkokdusoe, literally the “head actor”, the troupe has a planner (gombaengisoe), stage manager (ddeunsoe), actors (gayeol), apprentices (ppiri), elderly seniors (jeoseungpae), errand runners (jan simbureumkkun) and porters (deungjimkkun). They have a strict hierarchy and apprenticeship to hand down their skills from generation to generation. The six acts of their program may be explained as follows: • Farmers’ Band Music (Pungmul): The farmers’ music played by the current Namsadang troupe originated in Gyeonggi and Chungcheong provinces in central Korea. It consists of a road parade and individual skill demonstrations. • Mask Dance Play (Deotboegi): Thirteen actors appear in four scenes – the ground purifier, the episode of scabies sufferer, the episode of feeble-minded scholar, and the episode of black monk. • Tightrope Walking (Eoreum): An acrobat performs a variety of feats on a tight rope between humorous exchanges with a clown on the ground. The rope is some 9-10 meters long and 2.5 meters high. Kwon Won-tae of the present Namsadang group can perform 17 kinds of feats. • Puppet Play (Deolmi): A total of 51 puppets in 31 kinds appear in this play with two acts and seven scenes. The stage is set up with black curtains, some 1.2 meters above ground. Puppeteers manipulate the puppets from behind the curtain, exchanging dialogue with a narrator seated in front of the stage along with musicians. The play consists of the Act of Old Man Park and the Act of Pyongyang Governor. The Act of Old Man Park has four scenes -- Old Man Park Goes on Sightseeing; Pijori (Park’s niece); Kkokdu Gaksi (Park’s wife); Isimi (python). The Act of Pyongyang Governor has three scenes -- Falconing, Pallbearing and Temple Building. • Acrobatics (Salpan): This act has a variety of breathtaking feats performed on the ground. • Sieve Frame Spinning (Beona): An acrobat displays intricate skills for spinning and tossing a sieve frame using a wooden stick some 40cm long. Sometimes he uses a tobacco pipe, a knife or a small reel, or an impromptu device combining these tools. Among the six acts of Namsadang Nori, the mask dance and puppet plays are particularly worthy of note for their explicit social messages. Characters in these humorous plays represent typical Koreans from different social classes, such as an aristocratic master and a defiant servant, an old couple and a concubine, Buddhist monks indulging in worldly pleasures, and the masses suffering from unending suppression and exploitation. These dramas were not simply designed to offer entertainment but also raise issues on behalf of the grassroots who had no means to voice their opinion. They were intended to imbue hopes for freedom and equality in the hearts of their commoner audience under yokes of class distinction. Through humorous depiction of women’s lives in a male-dominated society they also manifested the ideal of gender equality and human dignity. The masks and puppets symbolically express the reality faced by each character. The pains and sorrows in their hearts are soothed and even fears of death are overcome with cheerful plays. Namsadang plays thus advocated the ideas of freedom and equality through witty and humorous dialogue and symbolic dances and gestures. They spoke for the desires of Korean grassroots to pursue a beautiful and dignified life even though they had to accept the limitations of reality. These themes will be easily understood and earn sympathy from audiences around the world. The plays feature many silent characters, as well as abundant gestures and dances, facilitating easier communication and active audience participation beyond language barriers. The Namsadang troupes typically were performed in round outdoor spaces surrounded by crowds except the entrance and exit paths. The performing arenas, therefore, were open to everyone. The wandering entertainers held rites to pray for peace and fertility, playing loud and pleasant music, in every village they dropped in. They entertained the villagers with exciting programs of music, drama, dances and acrobatics, offering joyful moments to the oppressed commoners and boosting their morale. Namsadang Nori possesses intrinsic value as a content source for contemporary cultural creation. With a history spanning 1,500 years at the least, this integrated folk repertoire represents traditional Korean performing arts in broad genres. Its content will be actively utilized in various cultural genres in the years ahead. In this context, the recent hit movie “The King and the Clown” (2005) deftly proved such potential. The movie featured tightrope walking, farmers’ band, mask dance drama and puppet play in a number of scenes. Its two lead characters are wandering entertainers who happen to drift into the royal court. The movie’s phenomenal success has inspired many artists to employ motifs from the Namsadang repertory.

South Korea 2009

Shadow puppetry is a kind of performing art. It uses music and operatic singing, to accompany silhouette figures made from leather or paper. These figures are manipulated by performers to create the illusion of moving images in front of an illuminated backdrop. The inheritors, props, scripts, and musical instruments decide the survival of shadow play groups. A silhouette figure has from 12 to 24 moveable joints, head, hands and so on, and is controlled by 3 poles or sticks. The music and songs of shadow puppetry have distinctive regional characteristics. There are many unique tunes which have come down from generation to generation. Shadow plays are performed by bigger troupes with 7 to 9 performers and smaller troupes with 2 to 5 performers. And 2-person troupes with one person performing and the other playing the instruments now exist in Shandong, Hubei, and Sichuan provinces. Most performers make a living from shadow plays, which are mainly performed for entertainments or for religious rituals, weddings and funerals and other special occasions. The manufacturing of puppets may require 10 different carving processes, the tools often being home-made. Many shadow puppetry performers can carve the puppets, sing and perform by themselves. And there are two types of scripts, that is, oral-transmitted scripts and written ones. Some shadow puppetry performers are professional, while many play as amateurs during slack farming seasons. The relevant skills are handed down in families, in the troupes, and from master to pupil. Shadow puppetry has been handed down for over one thousand years. With the evolution of history, the plays, puppets, types of lighting and performance, and the related crafts have developed with regular innovation. Shadow puppetry is a traditional folk drama that is created by and for the community and contains a thousand years of cultural deposits, as well as passing on diverse cultural information such as cultural history, social beliefs, folklore, and local customs. It spreads knowledge, improves cultural development, and entertains the community, especially the youth. Chinese Shadow Puppetry has significant historic and cultural importance, and should be protected and set on a footing of sustainable development.

China 2011