Traditional puppets perform in Prague скачать в хорошем качестве

Traditional puppets perform in Prague

(28 Nov 2016) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4068330 LEAD IN UNESCO officials are to meet in Ethiopia to discuss adding unique cultural traditions to their Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The Czech Republic and Slovakia have united to propose that the traditional puppetry of the two neighbouring countries be added to the list. STORY-LINE: The audience laugh and clap at the antics on the tiny stage during a traditional puppet show in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Above the stage the puppet masters are at work, twirling and pulling strings and adding the voices to the marionettes (puppets) below to bring the wooden toys to life. It is a form of entertainment that has appealed to children for generations. The Czech puppetry tradition dates back to the 18th century and is practised across the country. Now UNESCO will consider adding Czech and Slovak puppetry to the global list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The two countries formed Czechoslovakia but split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993. Today, in addition to the professional puppet theatres, there are some 3,000 amateur ones in towns and villages all across the country, with the heartland in eastern Bohemia, where a renowned puppet museum is located in the town of Chrudim (about 100 kilometres (62 miles) east of Prague. The town has hosted an annual festival of amateur puppet theater since 1951, which is considered the be the oldest one of its kind in the world. It was first developed by travelling puppeteers who presented their shows with big marionettes nicely carved and beautifully painted. Modern Czech puppetry has its beginning at early 20th century when the first puppet exhibition in Prague, in 1911, sparked a huge interest in the art. Simona Chalupova is the Director of the Chrudim Puppetry Museum. "At the beginning of the 20th century an exhibition (of puppetry) attracted the attention of young painters, they could see traditional marionettes on display that resembled humans, but at the same time they perceived it as kinetic sculpture and felt like trying to make it (puppets) and that was I think extremely enriching for the puppetry." They were impressed by the quality of craftsmanship and discovered a new field of artistic impression for them. Their contribution in the decades to come was a huge and enriching boost for the tradition. The puppets are crafted by hand, beginning life as a block of wood. Gradually a human form takes shape, in the hands of a skilled artist like Jiri Bares, the Puppet Maker at Drak Puppet Theatre in Hradec Kralove. "I think that a puppet is an excellent mediator that shows the world of adults to children and children react well to it and perceive it differently from a normal theatre played by adults to them. So I think that it is fun for children to watch it and it is fun for the adults to play for them. And that's the reason why I think there are so many people involved in the puppet theatre at the amateur as well as professional level in this country." Lenka Jaklova is the originator of the UNESCO proposal. She says puppetry speaks to children's imaginations. "It's a wonderful discipline which develops imagination, which develops creativity, it is about ordinary and extraordinary things." UNESCO'S Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will meet from 28 November to 2 December in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...