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The Metropolitan Opera House (left) and Avery Fisher Hall (right) at twilight

Avery Fisher Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic in Lincoln Center.

The David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, home of the New York City Ballet.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a 16.3-acre (6.6-hectare) complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Reynold Levy has been its president since 2002.^{[citation needed]}

History and facilities[link]

A consortium of civic leaders and others led by, and under the initiative of John D. Rockefeller III, built Lincoln Center as part of the "Lincoln Square Renewal Project" during Robert Moses's program of urban renewal in the 1950s and 1960s.^[1] Respected architects were contacted to design the major buildings on the site, and over the next thirty years the previously blighted area around Lincoln Center became a new cultural hub.^[2]

Rockefeller was Lincoln Center's inaugural president from 1956 and became its chairman in 1961. He is credited with raising more than half of the $184.5 million in private funds needed to build the complex, including drawing on his own funds; the Rockefeller Brothers Fund also contributed to the project.^[1] The center's three buildings, Avery Fisher Hall (formerly Philharmonic Hall), the Metropolitan Opera House and the David H. Koch Theater (formerly the New York State Theater), were opened in 1962, 1964 and 1966, repsectively.

While the center may have been named because it was located in the Lincoln Square neighborhood, it is unclear whether the area was named as a tribute to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. The name was bestowed on the area in 1906 by the New York City Board of Aldermen, but records give no reason for choosing that name.^[3] There has long been speculation that the name came from a local landowner, because the square was previously named Lincoln Square. However, city records from the time show only the names Johannes van Bruch, Thomas Hall, Stephan de Lancey, James de Lancey, James de Lancey Jr. and John Somerindyck as area property owners. One speculation is that references to President Lincoln were omitted from the records because the mayor in 1906 was George B. McClellan, Jr., son of General George B. McClellan who was general-in-chief of the Union Army during the American Civil War and a bitter rival of Lincoln.^[4]

The first structure to be completed and occupied as part of this renewal was the Fordham Law School of Fordham University in 1962. Located between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, from West 60th to West 66th Streets on Manhattan's Upper West Side, the complex was the first gathering of major cultural institutions into a centralized location in an American city.^{[citation needed]}

The center's cultural institutions also make use of facilities located away from the main campus. In 2004, the center was expanded through the addition of Jazz at Lincoln Center's newly built facilities, the Frederick P. Rose Hall, at the new Time Warner Center, located a few blocks to the south. In March 2006, the center launched construction on a major redevelopment plan that modernized, renovated, and opened up its campus in time for its 50th-anniversary celebration in 2009.

The development of the condominium at 3 Lincoln Center,^[5] completed in 1991, designed by Lee Jablin, Harman Jablin Architects, made possible the expansion of The Juilliard School and The School of American Ballet.^[6][5][7]

In March 2006, the center launched the 65th Street Project – part of a major redevelopment plan continuing through the fall of 2012 – to create a new pedestrian promenade designed to improve accessibility and the aesthetics of that area of the campus. Additionally, Alice Tully Hall was modernized and reopened to critical and popular acclaim in 2009 and the Film Society of Lincoln Center expanded with the new Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center. The film center is part of a new pavilion that also houses a destination restaurant, Lincoln, offices, and is topped with a sloping lawn roof. Subsequent projects were added which addressed improvements to the main plazas and Columbus Avenue Grand Stairs. Under the direction of the Lincoln Center Development Project, Diller Scofidio + Renfro in association with FXFOWLE Architects and Beyer Blinder Belle Architects provided the design services. Additionally, Turner Construction Company and RCDolner, LLC wer the construction managers for the projects.^[8][9] Another component to redevelopment was the addition of the David Rubenstein Atrium designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, a visitors' center and a gateway to the center that offers free performances, day-of-discount tickets, food, and free Wi-Fi.

Performance facilities at the Center[link]

Auditorium of the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Interior of the David H. Koch Theater

The center has 29 indoor and outdoor performance facilities that include:

• Alice Tully Hall – a 1,095-seat concert hall located within the Juilliard School building; the home stage of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
• Avery Fisher Hall (formerly Philharmonic Hall) – a 2,738-seat symphony hall; the home stage of the New York Philharmonic;
• Metropolitan Opera House – a 3,900-seat opera house; the home stage of the Metropolitan Opera
• David H. Koch Theater (formerly New York State Theater) – a 2,713-seat theater; constructed to be the home of the New York City Ballet; many Broadway musicals have also been revived there
• Vivian Beaumont Theatre – a 1,080-seat Broadway-style theater; operated since 1985 as the main stage of Lincoln Center Theater; previously occupied by The Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center (1965–1973) and The New York Shakespeare Festival (1973–1977)
• Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (originally known as the Forum) – a 299-seat theater; operated by Lincoln Center Theater for its Off-Broadway-style productions (see Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at the Internet off-Broadway Database for a list of productions in the venue)
• Claire Tow Theater – a 131-seat theater operated by Lincoln Center Theater to house its more experimental productions (first performance scheduled for June 4, 2012)
• The Walter Reade Theater – a 268-seat movie theater; used by the Film Society of Lincoln Center; features a raised dais used for post-screening filmmaker discussions
• Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center
• Bruno Walter Auditorium at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
• The David Rubenstein Atrium – a facility on Broadway between 62nd and 63rd Streets; includes a public visitors' and discount-ticketing facility with amenities that include free performances and a café
• The Clark Studio Theater – a 120-seat dance theater; a part of the facilities of the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education
• Damrosch Park – an outdoor amphitheater with a bowl-style stage known as the Guggenheim Band Shell; used for free Lincoln Center Out of Doors presentations
• Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Rehearsal Studio
• Josie Robertson Plaza – the center's central plaza, featuring its iconic fountain; the three main buildings (Metropolitan Opera House, Avery Fisher Hall, and David H. Koch Theater) face onto this plaza; used as an outdoor venue during Lincoln Center Out of Doors presentations
• Juilliard School – a facility housing the school of the same name: building also incorporates Morse Recital Hall, Paul Recital Hall, the Juilliard Drama Theater and the Peter J. Sharp Theater
• Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse – a nightclub-style venue; used for intimate concerts, "Meet the Artist" and Great Performers events, lectures, and other events where a small, intimate space is preferred; was also used for jazz performances prior to the construction of the new Jazz at Lincoln Center facilities
• Jazz at Lincoln Center – while a part of the center, it is located separately in the Frederick P. Rose Hall complex within the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. It consists of the following performance and related facilities:
  • The Allen Room – a 508-seat amphitheater with 50-foot (15-metre) glass wall overlooking Central Park; as of August 2011, this space also became the recording studio for Anderson, a daytime-television talk show hosted by Anderson Cooper
  • Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola – a nightclub-style venue that allows jazz to be performed in its traditional venue
  • Rose Theater – a 1,094-seat concert hall designed for jazz performances
  • Irene Diamond Education Center – a rehearsal, recording and classroom facility

Other associated and local theaters and facilities[link]

• Church of St. Ignatius Loyola – a Roman Catholic Church located on Park Avenue between 83rd and 84th Streets on Manhattan's Upper East Side; used by Lincoln Center for its pipe organ which allows expanded organ repertoire
• The Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College – a theater at John Jay College of Criminal Justice; used for the Lincoln Center Festival and Great Performers series
• Pope Auditorium – a theater located in Leon Lowenstein Hall of Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus (located across West 62nd Street from Lincoln Center)

Resident organizations[link]

The enter serves as home for eleven resident arts organizations:^[10]

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc.[link]

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. (LCPA) is one of the eleven resident organizations, and serves three primary roles: presenter of artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and community relations, and manager of the center's campus. As the world's largest presenter of performing arts offering some 5,000 programs, initiatives and events annually, its programs include American Songbook, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, the Mostly Mozart Festival, and the Emmy Award-winning Live from Lincoln Center.^[10][11]

In July 2006, the LCPA announced it would join with publishing company John Wiley & Sons to publish at least 15 books on performing arts, and would draw on the Lincoln Center Institute's educational background and archives.^[12]

Architects[link]

Main plaza at the Center

Architects who designed buildings at the center include:

• Max Abramovitz – Avery Fisher Hall
• Pietro Belluschi – The Juilliard School (including Alice Tully Hall). Modernized by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in association with FX Fowle
• Gordon Bunshaft – The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
• Wallace Harrison – the center's master plan and the Metropolitan Opera House
• Lee S Jablin – 3 Lincoln Center, the adjacent condominium built by a private developer
• Philip Johnson – New York State Theater, now known as the David H. Koch Theater
• Eero Saarinen – Vivian Beaumont Theater
• Davis, Brody and Associates – The Samuel B. and David Rose Building.
• Billie Tsien, Tod William – The David Rubenstein Atrium
• H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture LLC – The Claire Tow Theater

Historical events[link]

This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (May 2012)

• April 21, 1955: Lincoln Square designated for urban renewal.
• June 22, 1956: Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. incorporated.
• May 14, 1959: Ground-breaking ceremony with U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
• September 23, 1962: Philharmonic Hall (now Avery Fisher Hall) opened. A two-hour live CBS special, Opening Night at Lincoln Center, preserved the event on videotape.
• April 6, 1964: Lincoln Center Fountain opened. Renamed the Revson Fountain
• April 23, 1964: New York State Theater opened.
• October 14, 1965: Vivian Beaumont Theater and the Forum (now Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater) opened.
• November 30, 1965: The Library & Museum of the Performing Arts opened.
• September 16, 1966: The Metropolitan Opera House opened.
• May 22, 1969: Damrosch Park and the Guggenheim Band Shell opened.
• September 11, 1969: Alice Tully Hall opened.
• October 26, 1969: Juilliard School opened.
• October 19, 1976: Avery Fisher Hall re-opened after renovation to improve acoustics.
• December 4, 1981: The Big Apple Circus performed at its winter home in Damrosch Park for the first time. The circus has performed every winter at Lincoln Center ever since.
• September 7, 1982: New York State Theater re-opened after renovation to improve acoustics.
• September 2, 1986: Former Jewish Defense League National Chairman Victor Vancier throws a tear gas grenade during a performance of Soviet ballet in the Metropolitan Opera House as a protest against the Soviet practice of not letting its Jews emigrate to Israel.
• November 19, 1990: The Samuel B. and David Rose Building opened; houses the Walter Reade Theater, the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, the Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Rehearsal Studio, the Clark Studio Theater, the School of American Ballet, and Juilliard School student residences, as well as office space for a number of the member organizations.
• December 3, 1991: The Walter Reade Theater opened within the previously completed Samuel B. and David Rose Building.
• July 12, 1997: The Paul Milstein Plaza dedicated.
• October 18, 2004: Jazz at Lincoln Center opened.
• March 2006: Preliminary construction on the West 65th Street Project begins
• June 8, 2006: Plans for Lincoln Center to transform the nearby Harmony Atrium into a public space for the arts open to the public, neighbors, students, and Lincoln Center patrons are announced.
• June 12, 2006: The Lincoln Center Promenade initiative to revitalize Lincoln Center's Columbus Avenue frontage and the iconic Josie Robertson Plaza is unveiled.
• August 20, 2006: Paul Milstein Plaza dismantled as part of 65th Street Redevelopment project.
• May 21, 2010: Renovation of central and north plazas unveiled.^[13]

See also[link]

	Architecture portal
	New York City portal

• Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival
• List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City

References[link]

Notes

Other sources

• Young, Edgar B. (1980). Lincoln Center: The Building of an Institution. New York City: New York University Press ISBN ??

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

• lincolncenter.org, the center's official website
• Alice Tully Hall on NYC ARTS

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010)

Performing arts are art forms in which artists use their body or voice to convey artistic expression—as opposed to plastic arts, in which artists use clay, metal, paint, and other materials to create physical art objects. The first recorded use of the term performing arts was in 1711.

Types of performing arts[link]

Performing arts include dance, music, opera, theatre, magic, Spoken word, circus arts and musical theatre.

Artists who participate in performing arts in front of an audience are called performers, including actors, comedians, dancers, magicians, musicians, and singers. Performing arts are also supported by workers in related fields, such as songwriting and stagecraft.

Performers often adapt their appearance, such as with costumes and stage makeup, etc.

There 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[link]

A scene from The Nutcracker ballet (Watch).

Theatre is the branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle—indeed any one or more elements of the other performing arts. In addition to the standard narrative dialogue style of plays, theatre takes such forms as plays, musicals, opera, ballet, illusion, mime, classical Indian dance, kabuki, mummers' plays, improvisational theatre, stand-up comedy, pantomime, and non-conventional or arthouse theatre.

Dance[link]

Dance (from Old French dancier, perhaps from Frankish) generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting.

Dance is also used to describe methods of non-verbal communication (see body language) between humans or animals (bee dance, mating dance), motion in inanimate objects (the leaves danced in the wind), and certain music genres.

Choreography is the art of making dances, and the person who does this is called a choreographer.

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. In sports, gymnastics, figure skating, and synchronized swimming are dance disciplines while martial arts "kata" are often compared to dances.

History of Western performing arts[link]

Sophocles, as depicted in the Nordisk familjebok.

Starting in the 6th century BC, 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 the West was limited to religious historical enactments and morality plays, organized by the Church in celebration of holy days and other important events.

Renaissance[link]

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 were performed and Domenico da Piacenza was credited with 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).

commedia dell'arte show, dated 1657. (Louvre)

By the mid-16th century commedia dell'arte became popular in Europe, introducing the use of improvisation. This period also introduced 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.

Modern era[link]

The introduction of the proscenium arch in Italy during the 17th century established the traditional theater form that persists to this day. Meanwhile, in England, the Puritans forbid acting, bringing a halt to performing arts that lasted until 1660. After then, 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 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 lead first to 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 theater. In ballet, women make great progress in the previously male-dominated art.

Isadora Duncan, one of the developers of free dance.

Modern dance began in the late 19th century and early 20th century in response to the restrictions of traditional ballet.

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.

The arrival of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes (1909–1929) revolutionised ballet and the performing arts generally throughout the Western world, most importatntly through Diaghilev's emphasis on collaboration, which brought choreographers, dancers, set designers/artists, composers and musicians together to revitalise and revolutionise ballet.

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 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 became came 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 the Broadway musical became a phenomenon in the United States.

Post-War performance[link]

Post-World War II performing arts were highlighted by the resurgence of both ballet and opera in the Western world.

Portrait of Alvin Ailey.

Postmodernism in performing arts dominated the 1960s to large extent.

Rock and roll evolved from rhythm and blues during the 1950s, and became the staple musical form of popular entertainment.

Eastern performing arts[link]

Middle East[link]

The earliest recorded theatrical event dates back to 2000 BC with the passion plays of Ancient Egypt. This story of the god Osiris was performed annually at festivals throughout the civilization, marking the known beginning of a long relationship between theatre and religion.

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 the shaheed (martyrdom) of Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali. Live secular plays were known as akhraja, recorded in medieval adab literature, though they were less common than puppetry and ta'ziya theater.^[1]

Iran[link]

In Iran there are other forms of theatrical events such as Naghali (story telling), ٰRu-Howzi, Siah-Bazi, Parde-Khani,Mareke giri...

India and Pakistan[link]

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 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, 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 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 roopaka, which means portrayal.

The Ramayana and Mahabharata can be considered the first recognized plays that originated in India. These epics provided the inspiration to the earliest Indian dramatists and they do it even today. Indian dramatists such as Bhasa 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), Vikramuurvashiiya (Pertaining to Vikrama and Urvashi), and Abhijñānaśākuntala (The Recognition of Shakuntala). The last 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 Bhasa, 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, 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 Kathakali, Chakyar koothu and there were many prominent artists like Painkulam Raman Chakyar and others.

China[link]

There are references to theatrical entertainments in China as early as 1500 BC during 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 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 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 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 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 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 Sung 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, the best known of which is Beijing Opera, which is still popular today.

Thailand[link]

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.

Cambodia[link]

In Cambodia, 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.

Japan[link]

During the 14th century, there were small companies of actors in Japan who performed short, sometimes vulgar comedies. A director of one of these companies, Kan'ami (1333–1384), had a son, Zeami Motokiyo (1363–1443) who was considered one of the finest child actors in Japan. When Kan'ami's company performed for Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358–1408), the Shogun of Japan, he implored Zeami to have a court education for his arts. After Zeami succeeded his father, he continued to perform and adapt his style into what is today Noh. A mixture of pantomime and vocal acrobatics, this style has fascinated the Japanese for hundreds of years.

Japan, after a long period of civil wars and political disarray, was unified and at peace primarily due to shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1600–1668). However, alarmed at increasing Christian growth, he cut off contact from Japan to Europe and China and outlawed Christianity. When peace did come, a flourish of cultural influence and growing merchant class demanded its own entertainment. The first form of theatre to flourish was Ningyō jōruri (commonly referred to as Bunraku). The founder of and main contributor to Ningyō jōruri, Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653–1725), turned his form of theatre into a true art form. Ningyō jōruri is a highly stylized form of theatre using puppets, today about 1/3d the size of a human. The men who control the puppets train their entire lives to become master puppeteers, when they can then operate the puppet's head and right arm and choose to show their faces during the performance. The other puppeteers, controlling the less important limbs of the puppet, cover themselves and their faces in a black suit, to imply their invisibility. The dialogue is handled by a single person, who uses varied tones of voice and speaking manners to simulate different characters. Chikamatsu wrote thousands of plays during his lifetime, most of which are still used today.

Kabuki began shortly after Bunraku, legend has it by an actress named Okuni, who lived around the end of the 16th century. Most of Kabuki's material came from Nõ and Bunraku, and its erratic dance-type movements are also an effect of Bunraku. However, Kabuki is less formal and more distant than Nõ, yet very popular among the Japanese public. Actors are trained in many varied things including dancing, singing, pantomime, and even acrobatics. Kabuki was first performed by young girls, then by young boys, and by the end of the 16th century, Kabuki companies consisted of all men. The men who portrayed women on stage were specifically trained to elicit the essence of a woman in their subtle movements and gestures.

See also[link]

• Performance art
• Performing arts education
• Performing arts presenters
• United States copyright law in the performing arts

References[link]

External links[link]

• Bibliography of Performing Arts In The East
• Braziliam's performance group: Tutu-Maramba, Researchs of Performances and Body's Arts

Avery Robert Fisher (March 4, 1906 – February 26, 1994) was an audio specialist who made numerous contributions to the field of sound reproduction.

Early life[link]

Avery Fisher was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School and graduated from New York University in 1929 and subsequently worked two years in the publishing industry. During this time, Fisher, an amateur violinist, began experimenting with audio design and acoustics. By 1937, he established his first company, Philharmonic Radio. In 1945, Fisher sold the company and began his second audio company, called Fisher Radio, which marketed products of extraordinary quality and performance under the name The Fisher.

Later accomplishments[link]

In the 1950s, Fisher invented the transistorized amplifier and the first stereo radio-phonograph. These breakthroughs brought Fisher both fame and fortune. From 1959 to 1961, his company also made important improvements in AM-FM stereo tuner design. In 1969, Fisher sold his company to the Emerson Electric Company for US $31 million, which in turn sold the company to Sanyo of Japan. Fisher was a consultant for both Emerson and Sanyo.

Fisher was a noted philanthropist during his life, sitting on the boards of the New York Philharmonic and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Fisher died at age 87 in New York City on February 26, 1994 from complications of a stroke.

Today, Avery Fisher is best known for the auditorium in the Lincoln Center cultural complex in upper Manhattan that bears his name. Avery Fisher Hall houses the New York Philharmonic, among various other cultural performances and musical ensembles. The hall was named for Fisher in 1973 after he made a US $10.5 million donation to the Philharmonic.

Fisher had a reputation for modesty. John Mazzola, the general manager of Lincoln Center, had to persuade him to let them rename Philharmonic Hall after him. Fisher said that no one paid attention to such things, and asked, "Who's Major Deegan?" (a reference to the Major Deegan Expressway).^[1]

See also[link]

Avery Fisher Prize

References[link]

External links[link]

• Biography
• Lincoln Center
• Obituary
• History in german

Thomas Pearson (20 May 1866 – 4 July 1918) was an English footballer who played at inside-left.

Career[link]

Pearson was born in West Bromwich. He turned professional with West Bromwich Albion in April 1886 and made his debut in February 1887 against Notts County in the sixth round of the FA Cup.^[1] He became the first player to score a league hat-trick for Albion when he scored four goals in the club's 6–3 win against Bolton Wanderers on 4 November 1889.^[2] In a friendly match at home against Aston Villa on 11 January 1892, Pearson took Albion's first ever penalty kick, but failed to score when he struck the ball over the crossbar.^[3] He was Albion's top league scorer during their first five seasons in the Football League, including two seasons tied with Billy Bassett for the honour.^[4] Pearson retired in May 1894 due to a serious leg injury.^[1] He died in West Bromwich in 1918.

Honours[link]

West Bromwich Albion

• FA Cup winner: 1888
• FA Cup runner-up: 1887

References[link]

General

• Matthews, Tony; Mackenzie, Colin (1987). Albion! A Complete Record of West Bromwich Albion 1879-1987. Breedon Books. ISBN 0-907969-23-2. 
• Matthews, Tony (2005). The Who's Who of West Bromwich Albion. Breedon Books. ISBN 1-85983-474-4. 
• Matthews, Tony (2007). West Bromwich Albion: The Complete Record. Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-565-4. 

Specific

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Margaret Leng Tan (Chinese: 陳 靈; Min Nan: Tân Lêng; pinyin: Chén Líng) is a classical music artist known for her work as a professional toy pianist, performing in major cities around the world on her 51 cm-high toy pianos.^[1] She is also known to be a classical music performer using unconventional instruments like toy drums, soy sauce dishes, and cat-food cans.^[2]

She was born in Singapore on 12 December 1945, the daughter of former Straits Times Press chairman C. C. Tan, and started taking music lessons at the age of six. In 1961 the young Tan took first place in the Singapore-Malaysia annual piano competition, and won a scholarship to study at The Juilliard School at age 16 in the following year. In 1971 she became the first woman to earn a Doctorate in Musical Arts at Juilliard, and became the diva of the prepared piano, inserting nuts and bolts into the instrument and playing it inside out to rave reviews.^[3]

In 1981 Tan met John Cage, and since then they continued to work together for the last 11 years of his life. In 1984 she was awarded a US National Endowment for the Arts grant. Between 1990 and 1991 she gave retrospective concerts of Cage's music in collaboration with artist Jasper Johns.^[3] Since then she has since been hailed as "the leading exponent of Cage's music today" (The New Republic) and "the most convincing interpreter of John Cage’s keyboard music" (The New York Times). She performed Cage’s music throughout North America, Europe and Asia and in the PBS "American Masters" films on John Cage and Jasper Johns. The association with Cage also led to her enchantment with the toy piano. She made her debut on the instrument in 1993 at New York’s Lincoln Center, playing Cage's 1948 Suite for Toy Piano. Since finding this first toy piano, she continued to acquire many others, including a 37-key Schoenhut toy grand piano. She continues to, in her own words, "remain wholeheartedly intrigued by the toy piano's magical overtones, hypnotic charm, and not least, its off-key poignancy."

It was in 1993 at a thrift store in the East Village in New York Tan bought her first toy piano which cost a mere US$45. The 45-cm-high, two-octave little toy thus became her instrument to deliver the 1948 Toy Piano Suite, and her first love to toy pianos.^[2] She recorded her groundbreaking album, The Art of the Toy Piano, on Point/Polygram in 1997.^[3] In 2002 the pianist performed in Berlin on 9 March, and in New York for a separate celebration of both John Cage and composer Morton Feldman on 13 April. In that same year Tan made history as the first Singapore-born musician to play in the Isaac Stern Auditorium of the Carnegie Hall on 14 April 2002, and performed Cage's Concerto for Prepared Piano and Chamber Orchestra with the American Composers Orchestra.^[4]

Tan was also featured playing Cage's 4'33" on her toy piano in the Singapore documentary Singapore GaGa by Singaporean film-maker Tan Pin Pin. She is also never far from her toy pianos, and with a fair share of tickling stories on her travels with them. In 2001, when she was invited to perform in an abbey in Provence, France the technical staff advised her to store her toy piano away to prevent bat droppings from landing on her precious piano. In the end her piano was placed under the grand piano; this arrangement of a little piano underneath a big one reminded Tan of Matroska dolls. In another occasion, she remembered a funny sight when she carried her piano onboard the plane, and had it strapped to a seat next to her.^[1]

Evans Chan's 2004 documentary, Sorceress of the New Piano: The Artistry of Margaret Leng Tan, has been invited to numerous international film festivals including Vancouver, Melbourne and AFI/Discovery Channel's SILVERDOCS, where it was nominated for Best Music Documentary. Sorceress and Chan's The Maverick Piano, which features live performances by Tan, are available as a Mode Records DVD.^[5]

Tan is the featured performer for "Inside the Piano" on the Treasures of The New York Public Library Video Series.^[6][7]

A Singapore citizen, Tan now resides in Brooklyn, New York,^[3] and has collected 18 toy pianos.^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Audio Interview to Margaret Leng Tan on Radio Papesse - 51° International Festival of Contemporary Music, Venice Biennale, 2007
• Margaret Leng Tan performs at the Other Minds Music Festival in 1999 at the Cowell Theater in San Francisco.
• Article on New York Times
• Margaret Leng Tan interview on Ràdio Web MACBA - Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona