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103-479: The Youth Performing Arts School (YPAS) is a performing arts school in Louisville, Kentucky , United States , that concentrates on various vocal, instrumental, theatre, musical theatre and dance disciplines for high school students. Students who attend have no less than a ninety-minute block of arts studies each day (sometimes more), with the balance of their academic classes at duPont Manual High School . YPAS

206-603: A British expatriate audience and later adapted by Maltese producers for Maltese audiences. While in many former territories of the British empire, pantomime declined in popularity after independence, as it was seen as a symbol of colonial rule, studies have shown that this genre remains strong in Malta. Pantomime was brought to Switzerland by British immigrants and is performed regularly in Geneva since 1972 and Basel since 1994, in

309-498: A combination of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound, and spectacle. Any one or more of these elements is considered performing arts. In addition to the standard narrative dialogue style of plays, theater takes such forms as plays, musicals, opera, ballet, illusion , mime , classical Indian dance , kabuki , mummers' plays , improvisational theatre , comedy, pantomime , and non-conventional or contemporary forms like postmodern theatre , postdramatic theatre , or performance art. In

412-590: A comic "night scene". Tavern Bilkers , by John Weaver , the dancing master at Drury Lane, is cited as the first pantomime produced on the English stage. This production was not a success, and Weaver waited until 1716 to produce his next pantomimes, including The Loves of Mars and Venus – a new Entertainment in Dancing after the manner of the Antient Pantomimes . The same year he produced a pantomime on

515-822: A consequence, Americans commonly understand the word "pantomime" to refer to the art of mime as it is practised by mime artists . According to Russell A. Peck of the University of Rochester , the earliest pantomime productions in the US were Cinderella pantomime productions in New York in March 1808, New York again in August 1808, Philadelphia in 1824, and Baltimore in 1839. A production at Olympic Theatre in New York of Humpty Dumpty ran for at least 943 performances between 1868 and 1873, (one source says 1,200 performances), becoming

618-524: A dancer who acted all the roles or all the story. The Roman pantomime drew upon the Greek tragedy and other Greek genres from its inception, although the art was instituted in Ancient Rome and little is known of it in pre-Roman Greece. The English word came to be applied to the performance itself. According to a lost oration by Aelius Aristides , the pantomime was known for its erotic content and

721-611: A form of entertainment that spread throughout the empire where, because of its wordless nature, it did more than any other art to foster knowledge of the myths and Roman legends that formed its subject-matter – tales such as those of the love of Venus and Mars and of Dido and Aeneas – while in Italy its chief exponents were celebrities, often the protegés of influential citizens, whose followers wore badges proclaiming their allegiance and engaged in street-fights with rival groups, while its accompanying songs became widely known. Yet, because of

824-463: A good lick', McKellen adopts a suitable look of mock-outrage. ... At least we can tell our grandchildren that we saw McKellen's Twankey and it was huge." The main roles within pantomime are usually as follows: Pantomime is performed in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Australasia, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, Malta and Andorra, among other places. It is performed mostly during

927-402: A hand-language (cheironomy) so complex and expressive that the pantomime's hands were commonly compared to an eloquent mouth. Pantomime differed from mime by its more artistic nature and relative lack of farce and coarse humour, though these were not absent from some productions. Roman pantomime was immensely popular from the end of the first century BC until the end of the sixth century AD,

1030-651: A hangar at Basel Airport . The Geneva Amateur Operatic Society has performed pantomimes annually since 1972. since 2009 the Basel English Panto Group has performed at the Scala Basel each December. Annual pantomimes have been running at Christmas in the UAE (and elsewhere in the GCC) since 2007. They are mainly performed by Dubai Panto (a trade name of h2 Productions.ae ) in conjunction with Outside

1133-519: A kind of harlequinade, very different from that which is seen at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, where harlequin and all the characters speak." The majority of these early pantomimes were re-tellings of a story from ancient Greek or Roman literature, with a break between the two acts during which the harlequinade's zany comic business was performed. The theatre historian David Mayer explains the use of

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1236-690: A local temple and using puppetry for religious plays. At the ancient capital Angkor Wat , stories from the Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata have been carved on the walls of temples and palaces. Similar reliefs are found at Borobudur in Indonesia. In the Philippines , the famous epic poem Ibong Adarna , originally titled "Korido at Buhay na Pinagdaanan ng Tatlong Prinsipeng Magkakapatid na anak nina Haring Fernando at Reyna Valeriana sa Kahariang Berbania" (English: " Corrido and Life Lived by

1339-406: A more romantic and stylised way. Grimaldi's performances elevated the role by "acute observation upon the foibles and absurdities of society, and his happy talent of holding them up to ridicule. He is the finest practical satyrist [ sic ] that ever existed. ... He was so extravagantly natural, that the most saturnine looker-on acknowledged his sway; and neither the wise, the proud, or

1442-403: A popular form of theatre, incorporating song, dance, buffoonery, slapstick , cross-dressing , in-jokes, topical references, audience participation, and mild sexual innuendo . Scottish comedian Craig Ferguson , in his 2020 memoir, summarizes contemporary pantomime as classic folklore and fairy tales loosely retold in a slapstick theatrical comedy-musical, writing: "Think Mamma Mia! featuring

1545-448: A singer or chorus (though Lucian states that originally the pantomime himself was the singer). Music was supplied by flute and the pulse of an iron-shod shoe called a scabellum . Performances might be in a private household, with minimal personnel, or else lavish theatrical productions involving a large orchestra and chorus and sometimes an ancillary actor. The dancer danced all the roles, relying on masks, stock poses and gestures and

1648-555: A special part entitled " Kay Selya " (English: "For Celia") specially dedicated for Rivera. The Philippine 's national hero, José Rizal who is also a novelist, created the two famous poems in the Philippines, Noli Me Tángere ( Latin for "Touch me not", with an acute accent added on the final word in accordance with Spanish orthography ) (1887) that describes perceived inequities of the Spanish Catholic friars and

1751-415: A theoretical treatise on Indian performing arts, including theatre, dance, acting, and music, which has been compared to Aristotle 's Poetics . Bharata is often known as the father of Indian theatrical arts. His Natya Shastra seems to be the first attempt to develop the technique or rather art, of drama in a systematic manner. The Natya Shastra tells us not only what is to be portrayed in a drama, but how

1854-426: A very colorful shadow. The thin rods that controlled their movements were attached to a leather collar at the neck of the puppet. The rods ran parallel to the bodies of the puppet then turned at a ninety-degree angle to connect to the neck. While these rods were visible when the shadow was cast, they laid outside the shadow of the puppet; thus, they did not interfere with the appearance of the figure. The rods attached at

1957-590: Is a West African oral historian who uses storytelling, poetry, and music to express the genealogies and historical narratives of the tribes they represent, often playing instruments such as the kora . This ancient profession is upheld in a position of community leadership. The most popular forms of theater in the medieval Islamic world were puppet theatre (which included hand puppets, shadow plays and marionette productions) and live passion plays known as ta'ziya , where actors re-enact episodes from Muslim history . In particular, Shia Islamic plays revolved around

2060-536: Is a participatory form of theatre, in which the audience is encouraged and expected to sing along with certain parts of the music and shout out phrases to the performers. Pantomime has a long theatrical history in Western culture dating back to the era of classical theatre . It developed partly from the 16th century commedia dell'arte tradition of Italy and other European and British stage traditions, such as 17th-century masques and music hall . An important part of

2163-443: Is a powerful impulse, but the art of dance is that impulse channeled by skillful performers into something that becomes intensely expressive and that may delight spectators who feel no wish to dance themselves. These two concepts of the art of dance—dance as a powerful impulse and dance as a skillfully choreographed art practiced largely by a professional few—are the two most important connecting ideas running through any consideration of

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2266-422: Is also a specialized form of fine art, in which the artists perform their work live to an audience. This is called performance art . Most performance art also involves some form of plastic art , perhaps in the creation of props . Dance was often referred to as a plastic art during the modern dance era. Theatre is the branch of performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience, using

2369-430: Is being slowed down in his pursuit of them by his servant, Clown, and by a bumbling policeman. After the time of Grimaldi, Clown became the principal schemer trying to thwart the lovers, and Pantaloon was merely his assistant. The opening "fairy story" was often blended with a story about a love triangle: a "cross-grained" old father who owns a business and whose pretty daughter is pursued by two suitors. The one she loves

2472-405: Is divided into genres such as folk , jazz , hip hop , pop, and rock, etc. As an art form, music can occur in live or recorded formats, and can be planned or improvised. As music is a protean art, it easily coordinates with words for songs as physical movements do in dance. Moreover, it has a capability of shaping human behaviors as it impacts our emotions. Starting in the 6th century BC,

2575-559: Is extremely complex. Konstantin Stanislavski 's "System" revolutionized acting in the early 20th century, and continues to have a major influence on actors of stage and screen to the current day. Both impressionism and modern realism were introduced to the stage during this period. With the invention of the motion picture in the late 19th century by Thomas Edison and the growth of the motion picture industry in Hollywood in

2678-429: Is one another modern form of dance that emerged in 19th- 20th century with the name of free dance style. This form of dance was structured to create a harmonious personality which included features such as physical and spiritual freedom. Isadora Duncan was the first female dancer who argued about "woman of future" and developed novel vector of choreography using Nietzsche 's idea of "supreme mind in free mind". Dance

2781-1015: Is one of only 100 U.S. schools of its type. Students are selected from within Jefferson County through a vigorous audition process. Annually, about 85% of student graduates attend major performing arts colleges. YPAS offers the following majors: Design and Production, Vocal, Orchestra, Band, Piano, Guitar, Theater, Musical Theatre, and Dance. 38°13′27.2″N 85°45′29.2″W  /  38.224222°N 85.758111°W  / 38.224222; -85.758111 Performing arts Theatre , music, gymnastics, object manipulation , and other kinds of performances are present in all human cultures. The history of music and dance date to pre-historic times whereas circus skills date to at least Ancient Egypt . Many performing arts are performed professionally. Performance can be in purpose-built buildings, such as theatres and opera houses, on open air stages at festivals, on stages in tents such as circuses or on

2884-540: Is poor but worthy, while the father prefers the other, a wealthy fop. Another character is a servant in the father's establishment. Just as the daughter is to be forcibly wed to the fop, or just as she was about to elope with her lover, the good fairy arrives. This was followed by what was often the most spectacular part of the production, the magical transformation scene. In early pantomimes, Harlequin possessed magical powers that he used to help himself and his love interest escape. He would tap his wooden sword (a derivative of

2987-740: Is represented, no play has ever surpassed the tragedy known in the Mussulman world as that of Hasan and Husain ." Years later Peter Chelkowski, professor of Iranian and Islamic studies at NYU , chooses the same words for the beginning of his book 'Ta`ziyeh, ritual and drama in Iran'. Live secular plays were known as akhraja , recorded in medieval adab literature, though they were less common than puppetry and ta'ziya theater. In Iran there are other forms of theatrical events such as Naghali or Naqqāli (story telling), Ta'zieh , ٰRu-Howzi , Siah-Bazi , Parde-Khani , and Mareke giri . Prior to

3090-512: Is saved from rocks and axe, I think he should pay the powder-tax. His guyish plots blown up – nay, do not frown; You've always been a guy – now be a Clown. This passage is from a pantomime adaptation of the Guy Fawkes story. The fairy creates the characters of the harlequinade in the most typical fashion of simply telling the characters what they will change into. The principal male and female characters from

3193-420: The shaheed (martyrdom) of Ali 's sons Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali . It commonly refers to passion plays about the battle of Karbala and its prior and subsequent events. Sir Lewis Pelly begins the preface of his book about Ta'zieh maintaining that "If the success of a drama is to be measured by the effects which it produces upon the people for whom it is composed, or upon the audiences before whom it

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3296-521: The Broadway musical became a phenomenon in the United States. Post-World War II performing arts were highlighted by the resurgence of both ballet and opera in the Western world. Postmodernism dominated the performing arts during the 1970s and the 1980s. Indigenous African performance traditions are rooted in ritual , storytelling, movement , and music . Performances were communal with

3399-587: The Classical period of performing art began in Greece , ushered in by the tragic poets such as Sophocles . These poets wrote plays which, in some cases, incorporated dance (see Euripides ). The Hellenistic period began the widespread use of comedy. However, by the 6th century AD, Western performing arts had been largely ended as the Dark Ages began. Between the 9th century and 14th century, performing art in

3502-646: The Elizabethan masque , featuring music, dance and elaborate costumes as well as professional theatrical companies in England. William Shakespeare 's plays in the late 16th century developed from this new class of professional performance. In 1597, the first opera, Dafne was performed and throughout the 17th century, opera would rapidly become the entertainment of choice for the aristocracy in most of Europe, and eventually for large numbers of people living in cities and towns throughout Europe. The introduction of

3605-691: The Grimm Brothers . Some of the most popular pantomime stories include Cinderella , Aladdin , Dick Whittington and His Cat and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , as well as Jack and the Beanstalk , Peter Pan , Puss in Boots and Sleeping Beauty . Other traditional stories include Mother Goose , Beauty and the Beast , Robinson Crusoe , The Wizard of Oz , Babes in

3708-656: The Little Theatre Movement in Jamaica. Among the first players was Louise Bennett-Coverley . Other notable players have included Oliver Samuels , Charles Hyatt , Willard White , Rita Marley and Dawn Penn . The annual pantomime opens on Boxing Day at the Little Theatre in Kingston and is strongly influenced by aspects of Jamaican culture, folklore and history. Pantomime was imported for

3811-635: The Shahnameh . These stories were often altered to bond with the atmosphere or mood of the audience. Folk theatre and dramatics can be traced to the religious ritualism of the Vedic peoples in the 2nd millennium BC . This folk theatre of the misty past was mixed with dance, food, ritualism, plus a depiction of events from daily life. The last element made it the origin of the classical theatre of later times. Many historians, notably D. D. Kosambi, Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya, Adya Rangacharaya, etc. have referred to

3914-824: The Shang dynasty ; they often involved music, clowning and acrobatic displays. The Tang dynasty is sometimes known as "The Age of 1000 Entertainments". During this era, Emperor Xuanzong formed an acting school known as the Children of the Pear Garden to produce a form of drama that was primarily musical. During the Han Dynasty, shadow puppetry first emerged as a recognized form of theatre in China. There were two distinct forms of shadow puppetry, Cantonese southern and Pekingese northern. The two styles were differentiated by

4017-504: The Three Stooges but with everyone's back catalogue, not just ABBA 's", and furthermore including audience participation reminiscent of showings of the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show . Pantomime story lines and scripts usually make no direct reference to Christmas and are almost always based on traditional children's stories, particularly the fairy tales of Charles Perrault , Joseph Jacobs , Hans Christian Andersen and

4120-510: The masque , which grew in pomp and spectacle from the 15th to the 17th centuries. The development of English pantomime was also strongly influenced by the continental commedia dell'arte , a form of popular theatre that arose in Italy in the Early Modern Period . This was a "comedy of professional artists" travelling from province to province in Italy and then France, who improvised and told comic stories that held lessons for

4223-468: The proscenium arch in Italy during the 17th century established the traditional theatre form that persists to this day. Meanwhile, in England, the Puritans forbade acting, bringing a halt to performing arts that lasted until 1660. After that, women began to appear in both French and English plays. The French introduced a formal dance instruction in the late 17th century. It is also during this time that

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4326-747: The "batte" or slapstick and the transformation scene that led to the harlequinade: Rich gave his Harlequin the power to create stage magic in league with offstage craftsmen who operated trick scenery. Armed with a magic sword or bat (actually a slapstick), Rich's Harlequin treated his weapon as a wand, striking the scenery to sustain the illusion of changing the setting from one locale to another. Objects, too, were transformed by Harlequin's magic bat. Pantomime gradually became more topical and comic, often involving spectacular and elaborate theatrical effects as far as possible. Colley Cibber , David Garrick and others competed with Rich and produced their own pantomimes, and pantomime continued to grow in popularity. By

4429-422: The 17th century, adaptations of the commedia characters became familiar in English entertainments. From these, the standard English harlequinade developed, depicting the eloping lovers Harlequin and Columbine , pursued by the girl's father Pantaloon and his comic servants Clown and Pierrot . In English versions, by the 18th century, Harlequin became the central figure and romantic lead. The basic plot of

4532-697: The 1980s. The White Rock Players Club in White Rock, BC have presented an annual pantomime in the Christmas season since 1954. The Royal Canadian Theatre Company produces pantomimes in British Columbia, written by Ellie King. Since 2013, Theatre Replacement has been producing East Van Panto in partnership with The Cultch in Vancouver. The National Pantomime of Jamaica was started in 1941 by educators Henry Fowler and Greta Fowler, pioneers of

4635-810: The Box Events LLC. They increased to three pantomimes at Christmas since 2021 – 2 in Dubai and 1 in Abu Dhabi. One of the locations for Dubai Pantomimes is at the theatre on the Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise ship The other is in the theatre at the Erth Hotel, Abu Dhabi (formerly the Armed Forces Officers Club and Hotel). Pantomime as described in this article was seldom performed in the United States until recent decades. As

4738-457: The Christmas and New Year season. Many theatres in cities and towns throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland continue to present an annual professional pantomime. Pantomime is also popular with amateur dramatics societies throughout the UK and Ireland, and during the pantomime season (roughly speaking, late November to February) productions are staged in many village halls and similar venues across

4841-464: The Commedia dell'arte slapstick or "batte") on the floor or scenery to make a grand transition of the world around him take place. The scene would switch from being inside some house or castle to, generally speaking, the streets of the town with storefronts as the backdrop. The transformation sequence was presided over by a Fairy Queen or Fairy Godmother character. The good fairy magically transformed

4944-498: The Philippines. Florante at Laura is an " awit " or a poem consisting of 12-syllable quatrains with the full title "Pinagdaanang Buhay ni Florante at ni Laura sa Kahariang Albanya" (English: "The History of Florante and Laura in the Kingdom of Albania ") was written by Francisco Balagtas in 1838 during his imprisonment dedicated to his sweetheart Maria Asuncuion Rivera (nicknamed "M.A.R.", referenced to as "Selya"). The poem has

5047-711: The Teatre de les Fontetes in the parish of La Massana. Now it is produced by English and English-speaking international volunteers as part of the Advent celebrations supported by the Comú de La Massana, the local businesses the Club International d'Andorra and Vallnord ski station to raise money, most recently, for the less privileged children of Andorra. Pantomimes in Australia at Christmas were once very popular, but

5150-580: The Three Princes, children of King Fernando and Queen Valeriana in the Kingdom of Berbania") from the 16th century was written by José de la Cruz during the Spanish era . Aside from theatrical performances, different films were produced by different film studios/ television productions. The first produced "Ang Ibong Adarna" film was produced by LVN Pictures , the biggest film studio in the history of

5253-575: The West was limited to religious historical enactments and morality plays , organized by the Church in celebration of holy days and other important events. In the 15th century performing arts, along with the arts in general, saw a revival as the Renaissance began in Italy and spread throughout Europe plays, some of which incorporated dance, which were performed and Domenico da Piacenza credited with

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5356-747: The Wood (combined with elements of Robin Hood ), Little Red Riding Hood , Goldilocks and the Three Bears , Sinbad , St. George and the Dragon , Bluebeard , The Little Mermaid and Thumbelina . Prior to about 1870, many other stories were made into pantomimes. While the familiarity of the audience with the original children's story is generally assumed, plot lines are almost always adapted for comic or satirical effect, and characters and situations from other stories are often interpolated into

5459-557: The beginning plotline, often both played by young women, became the lovers Columbine and Harlequin, the mother or father of Columbine became Pantaloon, and the servant or other comic character became Clown. They would transition into the new characters as the scenery around them changed and would proceed in the "zany fun" section of the performance. From the time of Grimaldi, Clown would see the transformed setting and cry: "Here We Are Again!" The harlequinade began with various chase scenes, in which Harlequin and Columbine manage to escape from

5562-627: The best known of which is Beijing Opera, which is still popular today. In Thailand , it has been a tradition from the Middle Ages to stage plays based on plots drawn from Indian epics. In particular, the theatrical version of Thailand's national epic Ramakien , a version of the Indian Ramayana , remains popular in Thailand even today. In Cambodia , inscriptions dating back to the 6th century AD indicates evidence of dancers at

5665-611: The capability of dance to render complex stories and express human emotion. In the Middle Ages, the Mummers Play was a traditional English folk play, based loosely on the Saint George and the Dragon legend, usually performed during Christmas gatherings, which contained the origin of many of the archetypal elements of the pantomime, such as stage fights, coarse humour and fantastic creatures, gender role reversal, and good defeating evil. Precursors of pantomime also included

5768-418: The clutches of Clown and Pantaloon, despite the acrobatic leaps of the former through windows, atop ladders, often because of well-meaning but misguided actions of the policeman. Eventually, there was a "dark scene", such as a cave or forest, in which the lovers were caught, and Harlequin's magic wand was seized from his grasp by Clown, who would flourish it in triumph. The good fairy would then reappear, and once

5871-417: The context of performing arts, dance generally refers to human movement , typically rhythmic and to music, used as a form of audience entertainment in a performance setting. Definitions of what constitutes dance are dependent on social , cultural , aesthetic , artistic , and moral constraints and range from functional movement (such as folk dance ) to codified, virtuoso techniques such as ballet . There

5974-580: The country's system made no effect and seemed impossible with the corrupt attitude of the Spaniards toward the Filipinos. These novels were written during the colonization of the Philippines by the Spanish Empire . Pantomime Pantomime ( / ˈ p æ n t ə ˌ m aɪ m / ; informally panto ) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It

6077-530: The country. Kitty Gurnos-Davies states in her doctoral dissertation that pantomime is responsible for 20% of all live performances in the UK in any one year. The 2018–2019 season saw pantomime performances generating over £60m for the first time in recorded British history. It was first produced annually in Andorra by the English-speaking Mums' group, from the British expatriate community, in

6180-542: The craziness of the harlequinade chase scene. It was the most exciting part of the "panto", because it was fast-paced and included spectacular scenic magic as well as slapstick comedy, dancing and acrobatics. The presence of slapstick in this part of the show evolved from the characters found in Italian commedia dell'arte. The plot of the harlequinade was relatively simple; the star-crossed lovers, Harlequin and Columbine, run away from Columbine's foolish father, Pantaloon, who

6283-481: The crowd, changing the main character depending on where they were performing. Each "scenario" used some of the same stock characters. These included the innamorati (young lovers); the vecchi (old men) such as Pantalone ; and zanni (servants) such as Arlecchino , Colombina , Scaramouche and Pierrot . Italian masque performances in the 17th century sometimes included the Harlequin character. In

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6386-529: The earliest Indian dramatists and they do it even today. Indian dramatists such as Bhāsa in the 2nd century BC wrote plays that were heavily inspired by the Ramayana and Mahabharata . Kālidāsa in the 1st century BC, is arguably considered to be ancient India 's greatest dramatist. Three famous romantic plays written by Kālidāsa are the Mālavikāgnimitram ( Mālavikā and Agnimitra ), Vikramōrvaśīyam ( Pertaining to Vikrama and Urvashi ), and Abhijñānaśākuntala ( The Recognition of Shakuntala ). The last

6489-415: The early 1800s, the pantomime's classical stories were often supplanted by stories adapted from European fairy tales , fables , folk tales , classic English literature or nursery rhymes . Also, the harlequinade grew in importance until it often was the longest and most important part of the entertainment. Pantomimes usually had dual titles that gave an often humorous idea of both the pantomime story and

6592-404: The early 20th century, film became a dominant performance medium throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Rhythm and blues , a cultural phenomenon of black America, rose to prominence in the early 20th century, influencing a range of later popular music styles internationally. In the 1930s Jean Rosenthal introduced what would become modern stage lighting , changing the nature of the stage as

6695-433: The effeminacy of its dancing; Aristides's work was responded to by Libanius , in his oration "On Behalf of the Dancers", written probably around 361 AD. Roman pantomime was a production, usually based upon myth or legend, for a solo male dancer—clad in a long silk tunic and a short mantle ( pallium ) that was often used as a "prop" —accompanied by a sung libretto (called the fabula saltica or "dance-story") rendered by

6798-488: The entertainment, he or she likely adds to its overall effect, while if it becomes a "showcase for a star" who "stands outside the action", the celebrity's presence likely detracts, notwithstanding the marketing advantage that the star brings to the piece. Billington said that Ian McKellen in a 2004 Aladdin "lets down his hair and lifts up his skirt to reveal a nifty pair of legs and an appetite for double entendre : when told by decorators that 'your front porch could do with

6901-414: The fair, the young nor the old, were ashamed to laugh till tears coursed down their cheeks at Joe and his comicalities." Grimaldi's performances were important in expanding the importance of the harlequinade until it dominated the pantomime entertainment. By the 1800s, therefore, children went to the theatre around the Christmas and New Year holiday (and often at Easter or other times) primarily to witness

7004-416: The father agreed to the marriage of the young lovers, she would transport the whole company to a grand final scene. Despite its visible decline by 1836, the pantomime still fought to stay alive. After 1843, when theatres other than the original patent theatres were permitted to perform spoken dialogue, the importance of the silent harlequinade began to decrease, while the importance of the fairy-tale part of

7107-416: The first plays were performed in the American Colonies . During the 18th century, the introduction of the popular opera buffa brought opera to the masses as an accessible form of performance. Mozart 's The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni are landmarks of the late 18th century opera. At the turn of the 19th century, Beethoven and the Romantic movement ushered in a new era that led first to

7210-422: The first use of the term ballo (in De Arte Saltandi et Choreas Ducendi ) instead of danza (dance) for his baletti or balli . The term eventually became Ballet . The first Ballet per se is thought to be Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx 's Ballet Comique de la Reine (1581). By the mid-16th century Commedia Dell'arte became popular in Europe, introducing the use of improvisation . This period also introduced

7313-420: The genre has declined greatly since the middle of the 20th century. Several later professional productions did not recover their costs. Christmas pantomimes are performed yearly at the Hudson Village Theatre in Quebec. Since 1996, Ross Petty Productions has staged pantomimes at Toronto's Elgin Theatre each Christmas season. Pantomimes imported from England were produced at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in

7416-485: The god Osiris was performed annually at festivals throughout the civilization, marking the known beginning of a long relationship between theatre and religion. The Dramatic Ramesseum Papyrus , the oldest surviving illustrated papyrus details the performance during the Sed Festival and has been used as evidence of the birth of theatrical tradition, which western scholars often attribute to ancient Greece. A Griot

7519-482: The harlequinade remained essentially the same for more than 150 years, except that a bumbling policeman was added to the chase. In the first two decades of the 18th century, two rival London theatres, Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (the patent theatres ) presented productions that began seriously with classical stories that contained elements of opera and ballet and ended with

7622-751: The harlequinade. "Harlequin and ________", or "Harlequin _______; or, the ________". In the second case, harlequin was used as an adjective, followed by words that described the pantomime "opening", for example: Harlequin Cock Robin and Jenny Wren; or, Fortunatus and the Water of Life, the Three Bears, the Three Gifts, the Three Wishes, and the Little Man who Woo'd the Little Maid . Harlequin

7725-786: The last two cover between them, the entire epic of Ramayana . The powerful Indian emperor Harsha (606–648) is credited with having written three plays: the comedy Ratnavali , Priyadarsika , and the Buddhist drama Nagananda . Many other dramatists followed during the Middle Ages . There were many performing art forms in the southern part of India, Kerala is such a state with different such art forms like Koodiyattam , Nangyarkoothu , Kathakali , Chakyar koothu , Thirayattam and there were many prominent artists like Painkulam Raman Chakyar and others. There are references to theatrical entertainments in China as early as 1500 BC during

7828-466: The late 19th century, when Augustus Harris was proprietor of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and hired well-known variety artists for his pantomimes. Contemporary pantomime productions are often adapted to allow the star to showcase their well-known act, even when such a spot has little relation to the pantomime's plot. Critic Michael Billington has argued that if the star enters into the spirit of

7931-410: The leads from the opening fairy story into their new identities as the harlequinade characters. Following is an example of the speech that the fairy would give during this transformation: Lovers stand forth. With you we shall begin. You will be fair Columbine – you Harlequin. King Jamie there, the bonnie Scottish loon, Will be a famous cheild for Pantaloon. Though Guy Fawkes now

8034-551: The limits imposed upon Roman citizens' dance, the populism of its song-texts and other factors, the art was as much despised as adored, and its practitioners were usually slaves or freedmen. Because of the low status and the disappearance of its libretti , the Roman pantomime received little modern scholarly attention until the late 20th century, despite its great influence upon Roman culture as perceived in Roman art, in statues of famous dancers, graffiti, objects and literature. After

8137-434: The method of making the puppets and the positioning of the rods on the puppets, as opposed to the type of play performed by the puppets. Both styles generally performed plays depicting great adventure and fantasy, rarely was this very stylized form of theatre used for political propaganda. Cantonese shadow puppets were the larger of the two. They were built using thick leather that created more substantial shadows. Symbolic color

8240-410: The necks to facilitate the use of multiple heads with one body. When the heads were not being used, they were stored in a muslin book or fabric lined box. The heads were always removed at night. This was in keeping with the old superstition that if left intact, the puppets would come to life at night. Some puppeteers went so far as to store the heads in one book and the bodies in another, to further reduce

8343-410: The pantomime increased. Two writers who helped to elevate the importance and popularity of the fairy-tale portion of the pantomime were James Planché and Henry James Byron . They emphasized puns and humorous word play, a tradition that continues in pantomime today. As manager of Drury Lane in the 1870s, Augustus Harris produced and co-wrote a series of extraordinarily popular pantomimes, focusing on

8446-539: The pantomime stories. The last harlequinade was played at the Lyceum Theatre in 1939. Well-known pantomime artists of this era included William Payne , his sons, the Payne Brothers , Vesta Tilley , Dan Leno , Herbert Campbell , Little Tich , Clarice Mayne , Dorothy Ward and Cullen and Carthy . Traditionally performed around Christmas with family audiences, British pantomime continues as

8549-545: The pantomime, until the late 19th century, was the harlequinade . Outside of the British Isles, the word "pantomime" is often understood to mean miming , rather than the theatrical form described here. The word pantomime was adopted from the Latin word pantomimus , which in turn derives from the Greek word παντόμιμος ( pantomimos ), consisting of παντο- ( panto- ) meaning "all", and μῖμος ( mimos ), meaning

8652-420: The plot is common. Straight retellings of the original stories are rare. The form has a number of conventions, some of which have changed or weakened a little over the years, and by no means all of which are obligatory. Some of these conventions were once common to other genres of popular theatre such as melodrama . Another pantomime tradition is to engage celebrity guest stars, a practice that dates back to

8755-481: The plot. For instance "panto" versions of Aladdin may include elements from Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves or other Arabian Nights tales; while Jack and the Beanstalk might include references to nursery rhymes and other children's stories involving characters called "Jack", such as Jack and Jill . Certain familiar scenes tend to recur, regardless of plot relevance, and highly unlikely resolution of

8858-517: The portrayal is to be done. Drama, as Bharata Muni says, is the imitation of men and their doings ( loka-vritti ). As men and their doings have to be respected on the stage, so drama in Sanskrit is also known by the term rupaka , which means portrayal.{{ }} The Ramayana and Mahabharata can be considered the first recognized plays that originated in India. These epics provided the inspiration to

8961-555: The possibility of reanimating puppets. Shadow puppetry is said to have reached its highest point of artistic development in the 11th century before becoming a tool of the government. In the Song dynasty , there were many popular plays involving acrobatics and music. These developed in the Yuan dynasty into a more sophisticated form with a four- or five-act structure. Yuan drama spread across China and diversified into numerous regional forms,

9064-474: The prevalence of ritualism amongst Indo-Aryan tribes in which some members of the tribe acted as if they were wild animals, and some others were the hunters. Those who acted as mammals like goats, buffaloes, reindeer, monkeys, etc. were chased by those playing the role of hunters. Bharata Muni (fl. 5th–2nd century BC) was an ancient Indian writer best known for writing the Natya Shastra of Bharata ,

9167-513: The previously male-dominated art. Modern dance began in the late 19th century and early 20th century in response to the restrictions of traditional ballet. The arrival of Sergei Diaghilev 's Ballets Russes (1909–1929) revolutionized ballet and the performing arts generally throughout the Western world, most importantly through Diaghilev's emphasis on collaboration, which brought choreographers, dancers, set designers/artists, composers and musicians together to revitalize and revolutionize ballet. It

9270-526: The renaissance of classical culture, Roman pantomime was a decisive influence upon modern European concert dance , helping to transform ballet from a mere entertainment, a display of technical virtuosity, into the dramatic ballet d'action . It became an antecedent which, through writers and ballet-masters of the 17th and 18th centuries such as Claude-François Ménestrier (1631–1705), John Weaver (1673–1760), Jean-Georges Noverre (1727–1810) and Gasparo Angiolini (1731–1803), earned it respectability and attested to

9373-546: The ruling government and El Filibusterismo (translations: The filibusterism; The Subversive or The Subversion, as in the Locsín English translation, are also possible translations, also known by its alternative English title The Reign of Greed) (1891). The novel's dark theme departs dramatically from the previous novel's hopeful and romantic atmosphere, signifying Ibarra's resort to solving his country's issues through violent means, after his previous attempt in reforming

9476-429: The spectacle of the productions, that pushed this transition by emphasizing comic business in the pantomime opening and grand processionals. By the end of the 19th century, the harlequinade had become merely a brief epilogue to the pantomime, dwindling into a brief display of dancing and acrobatics. It lingered for a few decades longer but finally disappeared, although a few of its comic elements had been incorporated into

9579-531: The spectacles of grand opera and then to the musical dramas of Giuseppe Verdi and the Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) of the operas of Richard Wagner leading directly to the music of the 20th century. The 19th century was a period of growth for the performing arts for all social classes, technical advances such as the introduction of gaslight to theatres, burlesque , minstrel dancing, and variety theatre. In ballet, women make great progress in

9682-414: The storytellers and audience interacting and participating in call and response , which is characterized by a vocalist singing a phrase that is then echoed or responded to with a new phrase by the other performers and/or audience. This ancient tradition is rooted in many African cultures. The earliest recorded theatrical event dates back to 2000 BC with the ceremonial plays of Ancient Egypt . The story of

9785-942: The street. Live performances before an audience are a form of entertainment. The development of audio and video recording has allowed for private consumption of the performing arts. The performing arts often aims to express one's emotions and feelings. Artists who participate in performing arts in front of an audience are called performers. Examples of these include actors , comedians , dancers , magicians , circus artists, musicians , and singers . Performing arts are also supported by workers in related fields, such as songwriting , choreography and stagecraft . Performers often adapt their appearance , such as with costumes and stage makeup , stage lighting , and sound. Performing arts may include dance, music, opera, theatre and musical theatre, magic , illusion , mime , spoken word , puppetry , circus arts , stand-up comedy , improv , professional wrestling and performance art . There

9888-516: The subject of Perseus and Andromeda . After this, pantomime was regular feature at Drury Lane. In 1717 at Lincoln's Inn, actor and manager John Rich introduced Harlequin into the theatres' pantomimes under the name of "Lun" (for "lunatic"). He gained great popularity for his pantomimes, especially beginning with his 1724 production of The Necromancer; or, History of Dr. Faustus . These early pantomimes were silent, or "dumb show", performances consisting of only dancing and gestures. Spoken drama

9991-404: The subject. In dance, the connection between the two concepts is stronger than in some other arts, and neither can exist without the other. Choreography is the art of making dances, and the person who practices this art is called a choreographer. Music is an art form which combines pitch , rhythm, and dynamic to create sound. It can be performed using a variety of instruments and styles and

10094-420: The twentieth century, storytelling was the most recognized form of entertainment, although today, some forms still remain. One form, Naghali, was traditionally performed in coffeehouses where the storytellers, or Naghals (Naqqāls), only recited sections of a story at a time, thus retaining regular cliental. These stories were based on events of historical or religious importance and many referenced poetries from

10197-484: Was allowed in London only in the two (later three) patent theatres until Parliament changed this restriction in 1843. A large number of French performers played in London following the suppression of unlicensed theatres in Paris. Although this constraint was only temporary, English pantomimes remained primarily visual for some decades before dialogue was introduced. An 18th-century author wrote of David Garrick : "He formed

10300-438: Was also very prevalent; a black face represented honesty, a red one bravery. The rods used to control Cantonese puppets were attached perpendicular to the puppets' heads. Thus, they were not seen by the audience when the shadow was created. Pekingese puppets were more delicate and smaller. They were created out of thin, translucent leather usually taken from the belly of a donkey. They were painted with vibrant paints, thus they cast

10403-426: Was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking countries, especially during the Christmas and New Year season. Modern pantomime includes songs, gags, slapstick comedy and dancing. It generally combines gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or folk tale . Pantomime

10506-500: Was inspired by a story in the Mahabharata and is the most famous. It was the first to be translated into English and German. In comparison to Bhāsa, who drew heavily from the epics, Kālidāsa can be considered an original playwright. The next great Indian dramatist was Bhavabhuti (c. 7th century). He is said to have written the following three plays: Malati-Madhava , Mahaviracharita and Uttar Ramacharita . Among these three,

10609-425: Was the first word (or the first word after the "or") because Harlequin was initially the most important character. The titles continued to include the word Harlequin even after the first decade of the 1800s, when Joseph Grimaldi came to dominate London pantomime and made the character, Clown, a colourful agent of chaos, as important in the entertainment as Harlequin. At the same time, Harlequin began to be portrayed in

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