Humanities
Introduction
Performing arts are defined as the embodiment of art where insentient objects and use of voice are employed by artists to communicate artistic manifestation. They are mainly done in front of a live audience: examples of performing arts include music, dance, magic, circus skills, and acrobats among others. Performing arts were very significant to the society; for instance, they acted as a symbol of power and pride, demonstration of culture, religion, social criticism and a form of social interaction.
Symbol of power
Performing arts acted as an indicator of influence and supremacy to the nobles who embraced them. For instance, King Louis xiv of France and Navarre (1638-1715) was known for his love for art to politics. He stood out at his excellent skills in playing the guitar, dancing (ballets) and horse riding. It’s also said that the king surrounded himself with great artist and writers of his reign. He also staged operas and tragedies, parties and finest comedies (Assaf, 2018).
Culture
Most of the live performances, such as dances and music indicated people’s way of life. For instance, Bugaku court dances, that represents Korean, ancient Chinese and Indian music and dance. It’s still performed to date by the imperial court and major Shinto shrines musicians from 7th century despite its extinct from origin countries (Ortolani, 1995).
Religion
Expression of religious beliefs was also inculcated in performing arts, particular music and dances were composed purposely for religious use. For example, the Kagura dances which served as a link between humans and gods in japan performed at Shinto shrines to lure the sun goddess Amaterasu (Ortolani, 1995).
Worldwide, every community had its native way of life, that’s way long before colonization. Upon the arrival of colonizers, they introduced their way of life, forcing the natives (colonized) to leave their way of life and adopt what was introduced. These new ways of life were not warmly adopted by most natives but a few did. Let’s take an example of assimilation by French colonizers; it was difficult to assimilate them since most were deeply rooted in their cult7ure and would not accept any form of cultural imperialism. Furthermore, full assimilation posed a threat to Frenchmen since it meant equal rights with assimilated natives (Childers, 2016).
Long-term the colonizers’ cultures have taken roots in most colonies even after independence. For example, English languages have become a worldwide used language in every official platform and casual talks.
References
Assaf, F. (2018). Quand les rois meurent : Les journaux de Jacques Antoine et de Jean et François Antoine et autres documents sur la maladie et la mort de Louis XIII et de Louis XIV (Biblio 17 ; 217). Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto Verlag.
Childers, K. (2016). Seeking imperialism’s embrace : National identity, decolonization, and assimilation in the French Caribbean. Oxford UK : New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Ortolani, B. (1995). The Japanese theatre : From shamanistic ritual to contemporary pluralism (Revised ed.). Princeton: Princeton University Press.