Sleeve skills are the lavish, dance-like movements made with flowing sleeves. There are dozens of movements, likened to clouds, flowing water, cotton fields, waves, wheels, and towers. Sleeves whirled in a wheel-like or flying movement exaggerate the feelings of characters. Holding up, spreading, throwing, shaking, and flicking are favorite movements.
Lingze skills involve the manipulation of the two long pheasant tail feathers worn on warriors' helmets. They include shaking and swinging. Such techniques are used in many roles, but especially in the xiao sheng role. Sometimes the feathers are shaken with one hand, sometimes with two. Together with head and body movements, the movements of the feathers express mental feelings and dispositions such as surprise, hatred, happiness, and frivolity.
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