Curated category
Performing arts
- TheatreThe city-state of Athens is where Western theatre originated. It was part of a broader culture of theatricality and performance in classical Greece that…
- ChoreographyThe word choreography literally means dance-writing from the Greek words choreia and graphē. It first appeared in the American English dictionary in the…
- CircusOn the 4th of April 1768, Philip Astley opened his first amphitheatre in Lambeth, London. He stood inside a circle forty-two feet wide and began performing…
- Performance artThe Cabaret Voltaire opened its doors on the 5th of February 1916 in Zürich, Switzerland. Hugo Ball and Emmy Hennings founded this ten-meter-square space to…
- AcrobaticsMinoan art from 1500 BC contains depictions of acrobatic feats performed on the backs of bulls. These images show a culture where physical agility was…
- Magic (illusion)The word magic traces back to the Greek term mageia, which itself emerged from centuries of conflict between Greeks and Persians.
- Performing artsA performance of the ballet Swan Lake illustrates a core truth about live art. Music, dance, and drama exist to be performed for an audience in real time.
- ClownIn the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt, around 2400 BC, figures emerged who served as clowns within a sacred context. These individuals were not merely entertainers…
- EntertainmentThe Latin root of the word entertainment combines inter, meaning among, and tenir, meaning to hold. This ancient construction translates to holding mutually…
- TelevisionThe word television first appeared in print on the 24th of August 1900. A Russian scientist named Constantin Perskyi used it during a paper presentation at…
- Martial artsThe phrase martial arts emerged from Latin roots meaning the arts of Mars, the Roman god of war. John Clements notes this term described European combat…