How to Ride A Horse - Movement Workshop - InFrinGinG Dance Festival 2026
Advertisement
28th Annual InFrinGinG Dance Festival
Learn the Peking Opera way of using movement to bring a horse to life and ride it at the same time!
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 IS THIS 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.
Learn the Peking Opera way of using movement to bring a horse to life and ride it at the same time!
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 IS THIS 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.
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
Harbour Dance Studios, 139 Bastion St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 3A2, Canada
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherCrimson Coast Dance Society
