Courtship is the period in a couple's relationship which precedes their engagement and marriage, or establishment of an agreed relationship of a more enduring kind. In courtship, a couple get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement or other such agreement. A courtship may be an informal and private matter between two people or may be a public affair, or a formal arrangement with family approval. Traditionally, in the case of a formal engagement, it has been perceived that it is the role of a male to actively "court" or "woo" a female, thus encouraging her to understand him and her receptiveness to a proposal of marriage. Within many western societies, these distinct gender roles have lost some of their importance and rigidity. It is now common in younger generations for females to both initiate relationships and to propose marriage.

Courtship, as described by Craig Hill is "a father's agreeing to work with a qualified young man to win his daughter's heart." It greatly involves the community of people around the couple, particularly the woman's father, in cultivating the relationship between these two people. It differs to dating in the sense that it is not based on the electrical feeling within oneself, but rather a deeper form of love.

Duration [link]

The average duration of courtship varies considerably throughout the world. Furthermore, there is vast individual variation between couples. Courtship may be completely left out, as in cases of arranged marriages where the couple do not meet before the wedding.

In the United Kingdom, a poll of 3,000^[1] engaged or married couples resulted in an average duration between first meeting and accepted proposal of marriage of 2 years and 11 months,^[1][2] with the women feeling ready to accept at an average of 2 years and 7 months.^[1] Regarding duration between proposal and wedding, the UK poll above gave an average of 2 years and 3 months.^[2] Although it is now common in many western countries for the female to propose marriage, fewer studies exist to provide statistics on the duration before she proposes and before the man feels ready to accept.

Courtship traditions [link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Youth conversing with suitors
from the Haft Awrang of Jami, in the story A Father Advises his Son About Love.

Courtship. Tondo of an Ancient Greek Attic red-figure kylix, ca. 480 BC, from Vulci. Louvre Museum, Paris.

Courting, Tacuinum Sanitatis (XIV century)

While the date is fairly casual in most European-influenced cultures, in some traditional societies, courtship is a highly structured activity, with very specific formal rules.

In some societies, the parents or community propose potential partners, and then allow limited dating to determine whether the parties are suited. In Japan, there is a such type of courtship called Omiai, with similar practices called "Xiangqin" (相親) in the Greater China Area.

Parents will hire a matchmaker to provide pictures and résumés of potential mates, and if the couple agrees, there will be a formal meeting with the matchmaker and often parents in attendance. The matchmaker and parents will often exert pressure on the couple to decide whether they want to marry or not after a few dates.

Courtship in the Philippines is one known complex form of courtship. Unlike what is regularly seen in other societies, it takes a far more subdued and indirect approach. It is complex in that it involves stages, and it is considered normal for courtship to last a year or longer. It is common to see the male showing off by sending love letters and love poems, singing romantic songs and buying gifts for the female. The parents are also seen as part of the courtship practice, as their approval is commonly needed before courtship may begin, or before the female gives the male an answer to his advances.

In more closed societies, courtship is virtually eliminated altogether by the practice of arranged marriages, where partners are chosen for young people, typically by their parents. Forbidding experimental and serial courtship and sanctioning only arranged matches is partly a means of guarding the chastity of young people and partly a matter of furthering family interests, which in such cultures may be considered more important than individual romantic preferences.

Over recent decades though, the concept of arranged marriage has changed or simply been mixed with other forms of dating, including Eastern and Indian ones; potential couples have the opportunity to meet and date each other before one decides on whether to continue the relationship or not.

Modern people[link]

In earlier 1800s, young adults were expected to court with the intention of finding a marriage partner, rather than for social reasons. In America, in the 1820s, the phrase "date" was most closely associated with prostitution. However, by the Jazz Age of the 1920s, dating for fun was becoming a cultural expectation, and by the 1930s, it was assumed that any popular young person would have lots of dates. This form of dating, though, was usually chaster than is seen today, since pre-marital sex was not considered the norm.^{[citation needed]}

After the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, this "old-fashioned" form of dating waned in popularity. Couples became more likely to "hook up" or "hang out" with large groups than to go on an old-fashioned date, and frequently went from "hanging out" to an exclusive relationship without engaging in what their parents or grandparents might have called dating.

With the decriminalization and social mainstreaming of homo- and bisexuality in many western societies, same-sex couples often also date openly in ways which may or may not resemble the courtship of opposite-sex couples.

In recent years, a number of college newspapers have featured editorials where students decry the lack of "dating" on their campuses. This may be a result of a highly publicized 2001 study and campaign sponsored by the conservative American women's group Independent Women's Forum, which promotes "traditional" dating.^[3]

Also, in recent years traditional dating has evolved and taken on the metamorphic properties necessary to sustain itself in today's world. This can be seen in the rise in internet dating, speed dating or gradual exclusivity dating (a.k.a. slow dating). Some theorize that courtship as it was known to prior generations has seen its last days and the next closest thing is gradual exclusivity, where the partners respect and value each other's individual lives but still maintain the ultimate goal of being together even if time or space does not permit it now. Indeed, a recent phenomenon in British relationships has seen a growing number of couples express a desire for a courting stage. This has coincided with a growth in external influences on nascent relationships caused primarily by new social media. Thus, couples feel liberated to develop their bond without the pressure of outer agents. Studies of such relationships have shown this approach to be very successful in the medium to long term, with almost all couples flourishing and looking forward to many more years together.^{[citation needed]}

Those who find their dating skills lacking may hire dating coaches. While traditional dating advice was given from ancient times on, the Internet made it possible for individuals (mostly men, as their social role in Western cultures requires more proactivity) to share their experience worldwide and form the seduction community.

Courtship as a social theory[link]

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (January 2009)

Courtship is used by a number of theorists to explain gendering processes and sexual identity. Scientific research into courtship began in the 1980s after which time academic researchers started to generate theories about modern dating practices and norms. Both Moore and Perper found that, contrary to popular beliefs, courtship is normally triggered and controlled by women,^[4][5] driven mainly by non-verbal behaviours to which men respond.

This is generally supported by other theorists who specialise in the study of body language.^[6] There are some feminist scholars, however, who regard courtship as a socially constructed (and male-led) process organised to subjugate women.^[7][8] The main weakness in this argument, however, lies in the empirical evidence that the institutions of courtship are more strongly supported by women than men. Farrell reports, for example, that magazines about marriage and romantic fiction continue to attract a 98% female readership.^[9] Systematic research into courtship processes inside the workplace^[10][11] as well two 10-year studies examining norms in different international settings^[12][13] continue to support a view that courtship is a social process that socialises both sexes into accepting forms of relationship that maximise the chances of successfully raising children. Whilst this may negatively impact women, particularly those seeking independence and equality at work,^[14][15] it is argued that the majority of negative impacts accrue to men in the form of shorter life-expectancy, higher rates of suicide, alcoholism, homelessness and imprisonment.^[16][17]

Commercial dating services[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Though most people meet their dates at social organizations, in their daily life, or are introduced through friends or relatives, commercial dating agencies emerged strongly, but discreetly, in the Western world after World War II, mostly catering for the 25–44 age group. Newspaper and magazine personal ads also became common.

Since the mid 2000s, mate-finding and courtship have seen changes due to online dating services. Telecommunications and computer technologies have developed rapidly since around 1995, allowing daters the use of home telephones with answering machines, mobile phones, and web-based systems to find prospective partners.

"Pre-dates" can take place by telephone or online via instant messaging, e-mail, or even video communication. A disadvantage is that, with no initial personal interview by a traditional dating agency head, Internet daters are free to exaggerate or lie about their characteristics.

While the growing popularity of the Internet took some time, now one in five singles is said to look for love on the Web, which has led to a dramatic shift in dating patterns. Research in the United Kingdom suggests that as of 2004^[update] there were around 150 agencies there, and the market was growing at around 20 percent a year due to, first, the very low entry barriers to setting up a dating site, and secondly, the rising number of single people.^{[citation needed]}

However, even academic researchers find it impossible to find precise figures about crucial statistics, such as the ratio of active daters to the large number of inactive members whom the agency will often wrongly claim as potential partners, and the overall ratio of men to women in an agency's membership. Academic research on traditional pre-Internet agencies suggests that most agencies have far more men than women in their membership.^{[citation needed]}

Traditionally, in many societies (including Western societies), men are expected to fill the role of the pursuer. However, the anonymity of the Internet (as well as other factors) has allowed women to take on that role online. A recent study indicated that "women pay to contact men as often as the reverse, which is quite different from behavior in telephone-based dating system[s]" (from Wired magazine).^{[citation needed]}

Dating companies teaching men how to pursue women has increased over the years. Based on a foundation of pickup artist skills, companies such as Love Systems, Double Your Dating, and Pickup 101 have become popular due to increasing demand for men on knowing how to get a girl. The companies teach skills on going from scratch to starting a courtship with a woman.

The trend of singles making a Web connection continues to increase, as the percentage of North American singles who have tried Internet dating has grown from two percent in 1999 to over ten percent today (from Canadian Business, February 2002). More than half of online consumers (53%) know someone who has started a friendship or relationship online, and three-quarters of 18-to-24-year-old online consumers (74%) say they do.

There is also some academic evidence that the 18–25 age group has significantly taken up online dating. This growing trend is reflected in the surging popularity of online communities such as Faceparty, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and Nexopia sites which are not directly geared toward dating, but many users nonetheless use to find potential dates or research a new acquaintance to check for availability and compatibility.

Mobile dating websites, too, are gaining popularity.

Courtship in the animal kingdom[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Courtship of green turtles

Many non-human animal species have mate-selection rituals also referred to as "courtship", anthropomorphically. Animal courtship may involve complicated dances or touching, vocalizations, or displays of beauty or fighting prowess. Most animal courtship occurs out of sight of humans, so it is often the least documented of animal behaviors. One animal whose courtship rituals are well studied is the bower bird, whose male builds a "bower" of collected objects.

From the scientific point of view, courtship in the animal kingdom is the process in which the different species select their partners for reproduction purposes. Generally speaking, the male initiates the courtship and the female chooses to either mate or reject the male based on his "performance".

One sociobiological model is The Selfish Gene, proposed by Richard Dawkins: That an individual of a species will mate with individuals from the same species displaying "good genes".^{[citation needed]} Courtship, then, is a display of "genes" carried by an organism looking forward to mix with the genes of another organism to preserve themselves and their genes onto the next generation.^{[citation needed]}

See also[link]

• Touching
• Courtship disorder
• Hypergamy
• Love letter

Specific terms from various cultures[link]

• Bekisa
• Flash marriage

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Courtship

Look up courtship in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Dating

1. REDIRECTPaul Washer  

This is a redirect from a title with another method of capitalisation. It leads to the title in accordance with the Wikipedia naming conventions for capitalisation, and can help writing, searching, and international language issues.

Pages linking to any of these redirects may be updated to link directly to the target page. However, do not replace these redirected links with a piped link unless the page is updated for another reason.

For more information, see Category:Redirects from other capitalisations.

Mikey Bustos
Background information
Birth name	Michael John Tumanguil Pestano Bustos
Born	(1981-06-23) 23 June 1981 (age 30) Weston, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Pop, R&B
Occupations	Singer-songwriter , Part-Time Actor , Comedian
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2003–present
Website	http://www.mikeybustos.ca/events.asp

Mikey Bustos (born June 23, 1981) is a Filipino Canadian singer who has appeared on the reality television show Canadian Idol.

Early life[link]

Bustos is from the Weston neighbourhood of Toronto. Before Canadian Idol, he worked as a temp at the Bank of Montreal.^[1]

Canadian Idol[link]

Bustos placed seventh runner-up in the finals of Canadian Idol Season One in August 2003, despite Chart magazine's prediction: "If we were to lay our bets today, ChartAttack’s money would be on Toronto contestant Mikey Bustos, a slightly strange looking young man with a shaved head and the voice of an angel."^[2] From his very first audition where he floored the four judges, he established the largest fan base early in the competition, and made headlines all over the country.^{[citation needed]}

Bustos recorded with BMG Canada/Vik Recordings for the Canadian Idol compilation album, which was certified Gold on the Soundscan Billboard charts on second day of release, and ranked in the Top 5 best selling Canadian albums in its debut week, selling over 60,000 units nationwide.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Post Idol

After competing on Canadian Idol, Bustos began performing throughout Canada and the US at many events and showcases at top venues. Mikey also had special guest appearances and interviews at numerous radio stations including CHUM FM, CFMT, Z 103.5 FM, Flow 93.5 FM, Mix 99.9 FM, AM 680 News, CHIN Ottawa FM, CKMS 100.3 FM Waterloo, and has several times appeared on CTV (Etalk Daily/ Canada AM Live), CBC Quebec, and local stations like Omni1 and Rogers (Daytime Toronto).^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2012)

In 2004, Bustos recorded, performed, and mastered his craft in New York City residing in Queens and Manhattan, collaborating and recording with acclaimed producer Glenn Swan of the renowned Chung King Studios.

In 2005, Bustos released his debut extended play entitled Love Me Again on May 7. It was produced by Brent Bodrug of B-Group Music, who previously had worked with Alanis Morissette, Jack Soul, and Sugar Jones. It is available at all HMV locations across Canada.

In 2006, Bustos continued touring in the U.S. performing in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas. He also began to perform in other countries, traveling to the Philippines, where he was front act for the Pussycat Dolls. Mikey also had a series of guest appearances, interviews, and live performances on popular Philippine TV shows including TFC's ASAP '06, and GMA's Eat Bulaga, Star Talk, SOP, S-Files, Unang Hirit, SIS, MTV Philippines, and even the country's first Philippine Idol. Mikey's radio performances and mall performance at Eastwood City in Manila were also highlights.

In 2007, Bustos was featured in a commercial for MTV Canada & was the front act for Christina Aguilera in the Philippines on July 6. He released a music video the next year for his single "If It Feels Good Then We Should" from his debut solo album Memoirs of a Superhero. The album was released on December 23, 2008, and its album art was designed by Orange Pop Media.

In 2009, Bustos' single "If It Feels Good Then We Should" reached Top 20 for multiple weeks on Canadian mainstream radio, as well as Top 2 Music Video on the California Music Channel in the US. His single "All I Need Is Me" was also played at Footlocker Stores nationwide. Under Bustos Entertainment Inc, he signed with Universal Music/North Fontana Distribution in May 2009.

In 2010, Bustos was nominated for a Toronto Independent Music Award for Best Adult Contemporary category. His song "Everytime My Heart Beats" from his debut album "Memoirs of a Superhero" since its release has become a Youtube phenomenon. Mikey was also involved in musical theater projects including a star role in the Summerworks production of Prison Dancer: The Musical.

Bustos continues to tour the world performing and making guest appearances on TV, radio, and the internet. He is also the co-founder, creator, and co-owner of a store providing formicariums (ant farms) and ant keeping products to enthusiasts worldwide.

YouTube videos[link]

Bustos is known for his videos uploaded on video website YouTube about Filipino tutorials, including eating Balut (duck embryo), Filipino dining, Filipino courting, and the Filipino CR. He also made a parody of "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga entitled "Pinoy This Way". He has been appeared on TV several times: TV Patrol and Bandila on ABS-CBN; and 24 Oras and Saksi on GMA.

Product Endorsements[link]

In 2011, Bustos became the spokesperson and endorser for brands like Samsung, Nescafe, and Mang Juan snacks.^[3] His TV commercials for Chicharron ni Mang Juan run on Philippines TV on all major networks nationwide.

Television[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mikey Bustos official site
• Mikey Bustos on Canadian Idol
• The AntsCanada Ants Store

Robert Mirabal (born October 6.1966) is a Pueblo musician and Native American flute player and maker from Taos Pueblo, New Mexico.

His flutes are world renowned and have been displayed at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of the American Indian. An award-winning musician and leading proponent of world music, Mirabal performs worldwide, sharing flute songs, tribal rock, dance, and storytelling.

Mirabal was twice named the Native American Music Awards' Artist of the Year, and received the Songwriter of the Year award three times. He was featured in Grammy Award winning album, Sacred Ground: A Tribute to Mother Earth in 2006 for Best Native American Music Album

Mirabal also published a book of storytelling poetry and prose in 1994 entitled Skeletons of a Bridge and is currently writing a second book, Running Alone in Photographs. Aside from his artistic talents, Mirabal is a father and a farmer, living in Taos Pueblo and participating in the traditional ways and rituals of his people.

Musical career[link]

Raised traditionally by his mother and grandparents on the pueblo, and born in 1966, Mirabal spoke Tiwa at home and began making flutes at the age of 19. In school, he had learned how to play clarinet, saxophone, piano, and drums, but found his true musical voice in the traditional Native American flute. He met the renowned Native American flute player R. Carlos Nakai as a young man and was greatly inspired by him.

He moved to New York City, playing in a multicultural band made up of a Senegalese guitarist, a Cape Verdean drummer and Haitian keyboardist. There, Mirabal immersed himself in the sound of hip-hop, funk and R&B, which would inform his later trademark music.

He recorded an independent debut album in 1988, and went on to land a contract with Warner Western and later, Silver Wave Records. His first projects were generally focused on traditional music consisting of Native American flute and percussion. One of his early albums, entitled Land was originally composed for two Japanese avant-garde modern dancers Eiko and Koma, who choreographed a dance production inspired by their impressions of the land around Taos. Cedar and clay flutes, percussion, rattles, and traditional vocals were used throughout the album. Reynaldo Lujan, a percussionist who would go on to collaborate with Mirabal for over a decade, played on the album along with Mark Andes. Each song told a different story about the land around Taos Mountain. The acclaimed performance toured Japan, Europe and the U.S. and in 1992, Mirabal was given New York’s Dance and Performance Bessie Award for the score.

In 1996, Mirabal collaborated with Grammy Award-winning Native American singer-songwriter Bill Miller on an album Native Suite-Chants: Dances and the Remembered Earth. The project was both experimental and traditional, featuring flute and percussion as well as Mohican pow-wow singing.

All these disparate interests and experiences led to the band Mirabal in 1995. Bassist Mark Andes, from the '60s band Spirit and '80s rock group Heart, joined Robert along with Reynaldo Lujan. In 1997, they released the groundbreaking album Mirabal that fused rock, funk, and other contemporary forms of music with traditional music, drawing on the legacy of other Native American pop/rock musicians (such as Buffy Sainte-Marie) but creating a unique sound that would set Mirabal apart and gain further mainstream attention.

Mirabal came to greater national prominence during his performance in PBS' 1998 musical dance production, Spirit: A Journey in Dance, Drum, and Song, for which he composed the soundtrack with traditional flute and percussion. Due to the popularity of the program, the network went on to produce a music/dance program centered entirely on Mirabal and his traditional/rock fusion music in 2002, entitled Music from a Painted Cave. The program and its corresponding CD release were enthusiastically received by mainstream audiences and became a benchmark world music album. He also collaborated with John Tesh for the acclaimed PBS One World TV special for the millennium in 2000, which showcased music from around the world.

Mirabal's In the Blood CD (2007) on Star Road Records (www.starroadrecords.com) was featured in New Mexico Magazine for their October 2007 issue. The reviewer wrote that "it is one of his finest to date." ^[1] His native state's tourism magazine lauded the CD's "lively danceable rhythms (that) should appeal to mainstream radio.... Mirabal (is) one of the trailblazers of tribal rock....^[1]

Mirabal was also featured in a New Mexico Magazine story about Native American flute players.^[2]

In 2011 Miribal joins the avant-garde string quartet ETHEL for a collaborative tour titled Music of the Sun. This is his second collaboration with the group, with whom he performed at BAM's Next Wave Festival in 2008.^[3]

Discography[link]

• Song Carrier (1995)
• Land (1995)
• Warrior Magician (1996)
• Native Suite (1996, with Bill Miller)
• Mirabal (1997)
• Native American Lullabies: Under The Green Corn Moon (1998)
• Taos Tales (1999)
• Music from a Painted Cave (2001)
• Indians, Indians (2003)
• Sacred Ground: A Tribute to Mother Earth (2005, compilation)
• Johnny Whitehorse (2005)
• Pueblo Christmas (2007, with Patrick Mirabal)
• In the Blood (2007)
• Johnny Whitehorse: Totemic Flute Chants (2007)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website