We explain what performing arts are and their classification. Also, its elements and importance.
What are performing arts?
The performing arts are artistic expressions intended to be performed live in front of an audience. These demonstrations can occur in environments specially designated for this, such as theaters and performance halls, or in public spaces, such as streets or squares.
The space in which the representation takes place is fundamental and, together with the actors or performers (who use their body as an artistic instrument) and the public (who observes or intervenes in the representation), it is one of the main elements of the arts. of the scene.
Dance, theater and music are basic forms that are often combined to produce a multiplicity of expressions, including ballet, opera, puppets, circus, performance and others. Parades, religious processions, popular festivals or carnivals can be understood as forms of performing arts.
Stage performances are ephemeral forms because (unlike the plastic arts), they occur over a certain period of time and use resources such as words, music, movement and sound.
The production and representation process of the work may include objects, scenery, costumes, makeup, technological devices, masks and other elements.
The performing arts are ephemeral and differ from the plastic arts (painting, sculpture, engraving, pottery), the result of which is material and fixed.
Some performing arts are theater, dance, music, circus, performance, opera and ballet.
1. Theater
The theater is one of the most cultivated and impactful performing arts. It consists of representing a situation through acting, that is, the dramatization of a real or fictional event.
Other arts can intervene in the staging, such as singing and dance, as well as objects and scenery. The literary genre intended to be performed before an audience is also called theater or dramaturgy. Theatrical works can be comedies, dramas, musicals, tragedies.
An example of theater are the different performances of the play “Waiting for Godot” (1953) by Samuel Beckett.
2. Dance
The dance consists of movement of the body in a rhythmic manner, generally to the rhythm of music. There are different types of dances performed by one or more dancers, such as classical ballet, contemporary dance or folk dances.
It is one of humanity's oldest art forms and was used as part of celebrations and rituals.
Examples of dance are tango and flamenco.
3. Music
music is considered a performing art when presented in front of a live audience either. The invention of the phonautograph (the first sound recording device) in 1857 and the technological evolution of recording methods make it necessary to establish a distinction today between music recorded and then reproduced through a device, and music that It is performed in the presence of listeners, such as concerts, recitals, operas and musicals.
Taylor Swift's live shows or Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concerts are examples of musical performances.
4. Circus
The circus is an art that is based on the exhibition, on a stage, of skills such as juggling, acrobatics, trapeze, magic acts and clowns. Circuses are usually itinerant, although they are a legacy of the legendary Roman circus.
An example of a contemporary circus is Cirque du Soleil.
5. Performance
Performance derives from the fusion with other arts and Its fundamental characteristic is the action of the artist in front of the public. It can incorporate elements from disciplines such as dance, music or art. Their presentations occur on stages or public places and are usually based on previous conceptual work, even if they are improvisations.
Some examples of performances are the happeningthe group's stage proposals Fluxus and the work Anthropometries (1960-1962) by the French artist Yves Klein (1928-1962).
6. Opera
The opera is a form of dramatic and musical art which combines theatrical elements, orchestra and singing. Singers are essential in opera, since the work is transmitted through the lyrical voice of the actors through arias, recitatives, choruses and duets. Another important element is the overture, the instrumental piece that introduces the piece.
Examples of famous operas are Carmen (1875), by Georges Bizet (1838-1875) and The barber of Seville (1816), by Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868).
7. Ballet
Ballet, also called classical (or academic) dance, is a genre in which the dramatic action develops through the movement of the dancers who perform choreographies to the rhythm of music.
An example is The Nutcracker (1892), composed by the musician Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1906-1989) and the choreographers Marius Petipa (1818-1910) and Lev Ivanov (1834-1905).
Elements of performing arts
The fundamental elements of the performing arts are:
- Interpretation. It is the act of using the body (voice, gesture or movement) on stage and is carried out by actors, poets, dancers, musicians, etc. Performers are essential for the performing arts.
- Public. It is the group of people in front of which the representation is made. These can come to the show intentionally (in which case we speak of audience) or find yourself in the middle of an unexpected situation, prepared by artists in an improvised setting. In some cases, the show can be interactive and invite the audience to take an active role in the presentation.
- Scenery. It is the physical place in which the stage action takes place. It may be specially designated for these purposes (a theater or a performance hall) or it may be improvised in other spaces, generally public.
- transgression of reality. For there to be scenic art, a tacit agreement is needed, an understood pact between artist and viewer that establishes that what happens in the place and time of the scene is an interruption of everyday reality.
Importance of performing arts
The performing arts have accompanied human beings since their beginnings; first with music and ritual dances, and then with the development of theater. These arts emerged as a form of expression through the use of the body and sound or visual resources.
The performing arts have been a form of expression and transmission of knowledge and cultural values in different societies. They are also a form of communication that has allowed humanity to narrate their exploits and fictions throughout the centuries.
Currently, the performing arts are professionalized and can be studied at universities in undergraduate or graduate programs and in other academic fields.
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References
- Pavis, P. (2016). L'analyse des spectacles. Théâtre, mime, danse, cinéma. Armand Colin.
- Ubersfeld, A. (2002). Theater dictionary: dramaturgy, aesthetics, semiology. Paidós.
