The Art of Puppet Playing
The manipulation technique is extremely refined, and requires long-term apprenticeship.
The gamut of possibilities for a small marionette is as varied as that used by an actor.
A peculiarity of glove puppets is that they are endowed with legs and feet,
which is not the case with glove puppets as we know them in Europe, such as Punch,
who have stumps instead of legs.
This confers a sense of reality intended to please the gods,
and establishes the centre of gravity right in the middle of the puppet.
This confers a greater balance, enabling very elaborate acrobatic movements,
as in real somersaults, high vaults, and every type of spin and lurch,
which recalls how close martial arts are to performing arts in China.
Battle scenes are particularly spectacular involving such armaments as lances,
swords, ball and chains, all used with as much dextrousness as in real combats,
while on the other hand the gestures of literary characters and women are exquisitely refined,
as delicate and complex as those used by real actors.
The Puppets are able to pick up such objects as goblets, teapots or paintbrushes,
open and close fans and umbrellas, etc..
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