I saw a performance like this last week. I hope this type of act is passed down to future generations. It is sad to lose a traditional performance like this.
I had to watch this frame by frame to see that it's a cloth mask being yanked off by a rubber band. It REALLY looks instant at 1x speed. Push period and comma on desktop
I'm glad you said that because this is a very beginner level execution of the dance - timing of transformations is horribly slow/off too for most of the changes.
I was watching an episode of Return of Superman and they take the kids to see this performance. It is the one they go to Heaven Lake in China. That guy is very fast and doesn't have to use the cape to hide what he is doing. Came here to see if I could figure how it is done.
This is impressive, however I believe it's a contraption of sorts and the tension used to "swipe" each mask is wound up by his dancing. And I believe he can selectively store a number of wound up read- to-switch masks for his finale... it is incredibly quick tho.
el cambio de mascaras estan metiendo mascaras de luchadores mexicanos para que se vea mas espectacular, ya que las mascaras tradisionales chinas son distintas a la que estan sacando en el show de cambio de mascaras
There are three main techniques for transformations - the one he's using is the silk thread/cord technique to pull the masks and engage the trigger mechanism. His timing is way off on almost all of the transformations in this example, though. When executed properly, you never see the change (and FYI, pull cords are on both sides of the body for this technique).
This same song can be heard in a bunch of Bian lian videos. Is it just a standard showcase for Bian lian, kind of like "nessun dorma" or "la Donna e mobile" in Italian opera?
It's become a classic for the bian lian portion of Sichuan opera, but I actually prefer the traditional orchestra in Sichuan opera - it's so psychedelic sounding and adds to the allure of the illusion. But I will say, the BL song does make demonstrations more exciting for the crowd - especially when the dancers start to going into the audience to show up-close transformations. It's definitely a great song that captures the Sichuan pride in the artform.
@@dirtyproductions6865 - You apply to the Sichuan Opera school and see if they will accept you as a student and don’t ask to be taught Bian Lian. Can’t learn it properly any other way. Good luck with that!
Look at his arms, every time he changes his masks he hides one of them under the cloak. It has some species of elastics that hold the masks in place, when the elastic cuts the masks as they are made of cloth they wrap around the neck. Nice trick easy to learn :D
no it looks like each new mask comes from his hat area and covers up the previous mask. I too thought originally masks were being ripped off to reveal a new mask below the previous layer but the opposite is actually happening.
The best-guarded secret of Bianlian is not that there's a mechanism changing the mask under the hat, but the exact mechanics of HOW the suit activates the mechanism and the location of the trigger. Good catch, though, I didn't notice that the first time.
I know. Once u get all the inner-demential relevent reference trinomical-sentrifical-expecatant-hyper'molecularal-reactive calculatory generalites this stuff hardly seems a trick.
unfortunatly the performer here appears to not be well trained (even his basic movements lack the flexibilty and form of a decently trained opera artist) ..especially in how to approach (as he has less condrol over) the different camera angles when performing the face change illusion. Maybe he's used to the audience being at one fixed vantage point. I think thats the main reason most of these face changes were 'visible' to the eye. He only gets its right a couple of times (the others give away the secret to some degree or other). I think thats why the families this illusion came through kept it so secret and would never perform it unless in full control of the situation (this allows the performer to better hide the mechanics of the illusion), they never used to perform it to non-chinese for fear of people figuring it out (apparently). I really love this illusion though. And how they used painted pigs bladders (and such like) for the faces (a material that allows for the true 'quick change'). Sections were stretched down over the face/under-mask and then painted+dried before adding the next mask, some of the older 'set ups' for this illusion took a lot of patience on the part of the performer (rather then use pre-painted faces - which would lesson the 'effect'). The use of bladder skin allowed for (due to thickness) many face changes and the natural elasticity of the bladder 'skin' makes it quickly *flick/snap* off the face and disappear into the clothes line (think of a stretched rubber band when released - generally faster then the eye, isn't it ;) There were other methods (the technique was 'modded' over time), and when done by a true performer is beatifully mesmerising (with the addition of movement, sound, smell, smoke-light effects and amazinly bright-vivid colours - to up the effect).
what's the big deal? No one is questioning that he is wearing all the masks on top of one another so why is this such a big deal because he has figured out a way to switch them quickly? I mean, technically speaking a ball point pen is more of a marvel... a television and the way it switches pictures is more of a marvel. boring...
@@williamhatfield1094 I actually got it wrong the first time... I thought that masks were being ripped off so to speak to reveal a new mask below... when in fact what is going on is another mask from within his hat area comes out and covers the previous one up. I guess it's cool now that I watch it again 5 years later because I was wrong even how he did it.
@@THE_CHOAS_ENGINE actually, that's not quite how face changing works. It's a bit more deceptive than you might think. I've worked with professional face changing performers, I can't tell exactly how the system works, but I will say the hat is only a part of the secret. The entire clothing is a part of the mystery, and hides much more than meets the eye
