Cantonese Opera enjoys great popularity in Foshan, and the folk opera activities develop vigorously.
‘Private Opera Troupes' refers to the part-time Cantonese Opera troupes organized by folk fans of Cantonese Opera and Cantonese Music. According to the statistics undercount, there are over 400 ‘Private Opera Troupes' for folk Cantonese Opera in Foshan, including 210 ones reaching the stardards of ‘Four OWNs' (Owning fixed theater, owning fixed instruments, owning fixed activity time and owning personnel in charge). For more information please refer to the local list. These Private Opera Troupes have the following characteristics:
1.With ‘Carry forward the national culture with unique brand' as the tenet, they spend their spare time providing the local villagers (residents) with good places of opera enjoyment and recreation while enjoying themselves.
2.Based on the traditional Cantonese Opera, they design, direct and play some active and healthy new music. At the same time, they study more and more the accompanying and singing skills and techniques to enrich the content and mode of Cantonese Opera performance.
3. They stick to working at the grass roots, so as to keep improving themselves and train and cultivate fresh blood at the same time, playing an important role in raising, edifying and influencing the youth. A group of young and promising opera artists have emerged.
4.To serve the grass roots and the mass well, they have cooperated with the local central task actively by sending the Cantonese Opera to the countryside voluntarily free of charge for up to 6180 times a year as the ‘Light Cavalry' for the cultural construction of the grass roots.
5. Based on the actual conditions, they make things done with whatever is available, thus to get support from all levels of governments and all social circles with their own conduct. Most troupes have even gained many honors in the performance and appraisal of district level, municipal level, provincial level and even the state level.
The Private Opera Troupes have become the main force of the local folk cultural activities in Jun'an, Ronggui and Daliang of Shunde, Yanbu, Dali and Pingzhou of Nanhai, Lanshi, Shiwan and Pujun of Chancheng, Southwest Sanshui and Hecheng of Gaoming. The private troupes of folk Cantonese Opera in Foshan have taken root in various streets and villages to make contribution to the spreading of the Cantonese Opera Art and the construction of Guangdong to be the Province of Culture and that of Foshan to be the City of Culture.