How to Ride A Horse

Learn the Peking Opera way of using movement to bring a horse to life and ride it at the same time!
Tuesday July 7
6:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: Harbour Dance Studio, 139 Bastion Street
Tickets are $20
In Peking Opera, riding a horse is not about using a real animal on stage. It is a highly stylized performance technique where the actor uses movement, mime, footwork, gesture, rhythm, and a symbolic prop called a horsewhip to create both the horse and the rider’s journey.
In this one-hour workshop, participants will be introduced to the physical storytelling behind this traditional performance technique. You will explore how performers mount, ride, trot, change direction, and stop — all through expressive movement and imagination.
This is a welcoming, participatory workshop designed for beginners. No dance experience is necessary.
Why Attend
Experience a unique introduction to Chinese Opera movement and performance.
Learn how Peking Opera uses abstraction, gesture, rhythm, and stage convention to create vivid theatrical imagery.
Try a stylized movement technique in a supportive, beginner-friendly environment.
Gain a deeper appreciation for the movement vocabulary you may see in the festival presentation of Painted Faces, Flowing Sleeves: A Showcase of Chinese Opera.
Who This Is For
This workshop is open to anyone curious about Chinese Opera, traditional performance techniques, movement, theatre, mime, dance, or physical storytelling.
It is also a great fit for festival-goers who want a hands-on cultural experience before attending Painted Faces, Flowing Sleeves: A Showcase of Chinese Opera.
No dance experience is required. Participants ages 14 to adult are welcome.
What to Expect
You will be guided through the basics of how Peking Opera performers create the illusion of riding a horse on stage.
The workshop may include:
learning how the horsewhip is used as a symbolic prop
exploring mounting, riding, trotting, changing direction, and stopping
using mime, footwork, rhythm, and gesture to bring the horse to life
connecting movement to character, story, and stage tradition
This is a participatory workshop, but it is designed to be accessible, welcoming, and supportive for people trying this form for the first time.
Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing suitable for light movement.
Please note: this location has stairs and is not accessible to those limited by stairs.
Connected Festival Performance
Watch for this movement technique during the festival presentation of:
Painted Faces, Flowing Sleeves: A Showcase of Chinese Opera
This workshop is a chance to experience one of the traditional performance tools behind the art form before seeing it brought to life on stage.
Learn More About Painted Faces, Flowing Sleeves
About the Artist / Facilitator
This workshop is facilitated by William Lau.
William Lau is a Canadian-based Peking Opera artist and the founder of Little Pear Garden Collective. His work helps introduce audiences and participants to the movement, symbolism, storytelling, and performance traditions of Chinese Opera.
Through workshops and performances, William invites participants to experience the physical vocabulary of the form directly — helping demystify Chinese Opera while opening a door into its artistry, discipline, and theatrical imagination.