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Study Guide: An Introduction to Performing Arts: History and Global Traditions

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An Introduction to Performing Arts: History and Global Traditions Study Guide

Foundations of Performing Arts

Performing arts are exclusively static art forms created using materials such as paint or canvas.

Answer: False

Explanation: Performing arts are dynamic, live presentations, fundamentally differing from visual arts which produce static objects like paintings or sculptures. The source material explicitly contrasts the live, ephemeral nature of performance with the tangible, static nature of visual art forms.

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Disciplines such as gymnastics, circus skills, and ventriloquism are considered examples of performing arts.

Answer: True

Explanation: The performing arts encompass a broad spectrum of disciplines, including theatre, music, dance, gymnastics, circus skills, magic, mime, opera, puppetry, and ventriloquism, among others.

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The advent of audio and video recording technologies has diminished the relevance of live performances.

Answer: False

Explanation: While recording technologies allow for private consumption of performances, they have not diminished the relevance of live performances; rather, they have expanded accessibility and the reach of artistic works.

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Performers in the performing arts are solely responsible for all aspects of a production, encompassing elements such as songwriting and choreography.

Answer: False

Explanation: Performers are typically supported by a range of professionals, including songwriters, choreographers, directors, and technical crews, who contribute collaboratively to a production.

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Stage lighting and sound design are employed to enhance a performance and convey character or mood.

Answer: True

Explanation: Stage lighting and sound design are crucial technical elements used to shape the audience's perception, enhance the performers' presentation, and effectively convey character, atmosphere, and narrative.

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Performance art is a form of fine art that is exclusively experienced through written scripts.

Answer: False

Explanation: Performance art is a live, experiential art form, often incorporating elements beyond written scripts, such as visual components and direct audience interaction.

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Theatre utilizes elements such as speech, gesture, music, and spectacle to enact narratives.

Answer: True

Explanation: Theatre is a multifaceted performing art that employs speech, gesture, music, dance, and spectacle to bring stories and characters to life for an audience.

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The definition of dance within the performing arts is universally consistent across all cultures and contexts.

Answer: False

Explanation: The definition and understanding of dance within the performing arts are highly variable, influenced by diverse social, cultural, aesthetic, artistic, and moral considerations across different societies and historical periods.

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The art of dance is understood solely as a skillfully choreographed art form practiced by professionals.

Answer: False

Explanation: Dance is understood through two primary concepts: as an innate human impulse and as a skillfully choreographed art form practiced by professionals, with both aspects being essential to its practice and appreciation.

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Music, characterized by the combination of pitch, rhythm, and dynamics, can be presented live or exist in recorded form.

Answer: True

Explanation: Music is a fundamental performing art defined by its sonic elements—pitch, rhythm, and dynamics—and its capacity for both immediate live performance and enduring recorded dissemination.

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Music's capacity to coordinate with words and movements renders it a powerful tool for shaping human emotions and behaviors.

Answer: True

Explanation: Music's inherent ability to synchronize with language and movement makes it a potent medium for influencing human emotions and guiding behavior.

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Which of the following is a key characteristic that distinguishes performing arts from visual arts?

Answer: They are performed live for an audience.

Explanation: The defining characteristic of performing arts, distinguishing them from visual arts, is their live execution before an audience, emphasizing ephemerality and direct engagement.

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According to the source, which of these is NOT listed as a discipline within the performing arts?

Answer: Sculpture

Explanation: Sculpture is a visual art form, whereas mime, opera, and ventriloquism are all recognized disciplines within the performing arts.

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How has the development of audio and video recording technology affected the consumption of performing arts?

Answer: It allows for private consumption of performances outside of a live setting.

Explanation: Recording technologies have enabled the private consumption of performing arts, extending their reach beyond live venues and allowing for wider accessibility.

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Who are the professionals that often support performers in fields like choreography and stagecraft?

Answer: Supporting professionals

Explanation: Performers are often supported by a collaborative team of professionals, including choreographers, stagecraft specialists, directors, and designers, who contribute to the overall production.

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What elements do performers use to adapt their appearance for a performance, as mentioned in the text?

Answer: Costumes, stage makeup, lighting, and sound design

Explanation: Performers utilize a combination of costumes, stage makeup, lighting, and sound design to effectively adapt their appearance and enhance their presentation for a specific role or performance.

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Performance art is described as a specialized form of fine art where the artist's work is:

Answer: Performed live for an audience

Explanation: Performance art is fundamentally defined by its live execution before an audience, distinguishing it from other art forms that may be exhibited or recorded.

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What influences the specific definition of dance within the performing arts context?

Answer: Social, cultural, aesthetic, artistic, and moral considerations

Explanation: The interpretation and definition of dance are profoundly shaped by a complex interplay of social, cultural, aesthetic, artistic, and moral frameworks specific to different contexts.

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The art of dance is understood through two fundamental concepts, one being dance as a skillfully choreographed art form. What is the other concept?

Answer: Dance as a powerful, innate human impulse

Explanation: Dance is understood both as a deliberate, choreographed art form and as a fundamental, innate human impulse for expression through movement.

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Classical and Medieval Performing Arts

Sophocles is credited with initiating the Baroque period in Western performing arts.

Answer: False

Explanation: Sophocles, a prominent tragedian of Ancient Greece, is associated with the Classical period, not the Baroque period, of Western performing arts.

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During the Middle Ages in the West, performing arts were primarily religious enactments organized by the Church.

Answer: True

Explanation: From the 9th to the 14th century, Western performing arts were largely dominated by religious enactments and morality plays, often sponsored and organized by the Church.

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Puppet theatre and passion plays known as 'ta'ziya' were prominent forms in the medieval Islamic world.

Answer: True

Explanation: The medieval Islamic world featured diverse theatrical forms, including various types of puppet theatre and the 'ta'ziya' passion plays, which reenacted significant historical and religious events.

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Ta'ziya plays in Shia Islam focus on reenacting the life of the Prophet Muhammad.

Answer: False

Explanation: Ta'ziya plays primarily focus on the martyrdom of Ali's sons, Hasan and Husayn, and the events of the Battle of Karbala, rather than the entire life of the Prophet Muhammad.

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Sophocles is historically significant for ushering in which period of performing art in Greece?

Answer: The Classical period

Explanation: Sophocles, a celebrated Greek tragedian, is recognized for his contributions that defined and advanced the Classical period of Greek performing arts.

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What characterized Western performing arts between the 9th and 14th centuries?

Answer: Primarily religious enactments and morality plays

Explanation: During the Middle Ages (9th-14th centuries), Western performing arts were predominantly characterized by religious enactments and morality plays, often organized by the Church.

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The earliest recorded theatrical event, involving ceremonial plays about the god Osiris, took place in:

Answer: Ancient Egypt

Explanation: The earliest documented theatrical event, involving ceremonial plays about the god Osiris, occurred in Ancient Egypt around 2000 BC.

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Which type of theatre, prominent in the medieval Islamic world, often reenacted significant events from Muslim history, like the martyrdom of Ali's sons?

Answer: 'Ta'ziya' passion plays

Explanation: 'Ta'ziya' passion plays were a significant theatrical form in the medieval Islamic world, particularly within Shia Islam, focusing on reenactments of historical and religious martyrdoms.

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The 'ta'ziya' plays, performed in the medieval Islamic world, particularly within Shia Islam, focus on reenacting:

Answer: The martyrdom of Ali's sons

Explanation: 'Ta'ziya' plays are significant in Shia Islam for their reenactment of the martyrdom of Ali's sons, Hasan and Husayn, and the events of the Battle of Karbala.

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Renaissance and Baroque Performing Arts

The term 'ballet' originated from the Italian word 'danza' during the Renaissance.

Answer: False

Explanation: The term 'ballet' evolved from the Italian word 'ballo,' used by Domenico da Piacenza in the 15th century, rather than 'danza'.

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Commedia dell'arte, popular by the mid-16th century, was characterized by its reliance on meticulously written scripts.

Answer: False

Explanation: Commedia dell'arte was renowned for its use of improvisation and stock characters, rather than strict adherence to written scripts.

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The first opera, 'Dafne', was performed in 1597, and opera subsequently gained significant popularity among the aristocracy in the 17th century.

Answer: True

Explanation: Opera emerged with 'Dafne' in 1597, and by the 17th century, it had become a prominent form of entertainment for European aristocracy.

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The proscenium arch, introduced in the 17th century, established a theatre format that physically separated the audience from the stage.

Answer: True

Explanation: The architectural innovation of the proscenium arch in the 17th century defined a distinct stage-audience separation, shaping traditional theatre design.

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Domenico da Piacenza is credited with the first use of the term 'ballo' for dance during the Renaissance.

Answer: True

Explanation: Domenico da Piacenza, a 15th-century dance master, is recognized for employing the term 'ballo' to describe dance performances, influencing the evolution of the term 'ballet'.

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The 'Ballet Comique de la Reine' in 1581 is considered the first ballet 'per se'.

Answer: True

Explanation: Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx's 'Ballet Comique de la Reine' (1581) is widely recognized as the first true ballet, establishing many conventions of the form.

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The proscenium arch, introduced in the 17th century, created a theatre format that integrated the stage and audience seating.

Answer: False

Explanation: The proscenium arch, introduced in the 17th century, established a theatre format that physically separated the stage from the audience, rather than integrating them.

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During the 15th century Renaissance, the term 'ballet' evolved from which Italian word used by Domenico da Piacenza?

Answer: Ballo

Explanation: Domenico da Piacenza, a 15th-century dance master, used the term 'ballo' for dance, which evolved into the modern term 'ballet'.

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What key feature did Commedia dell'arte introduce to European theatre by the mid-16th century?

Answer: The use of improvisation

Explanation: Commedia dell'arte, popular by the mid-16th century, significantly contributed to European theatre by popularizing improvisational performance techniques.

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Opera gained significant popularity as an entertainment form for the aristocracy across Europe during which century?

Answer: 17th century

Explanation: Following its inception in the late 16th century, opera rapidly gained widespread popularity among the European aristocracy throughout the 17th century.

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The introduction of the proscenium arch in the 17th century is noted for establishing what?

Answer: A traditional theatre format separating stage and audience

Explanation: The proscenium arch, a 17th-century architectural innovation, established a distinct stage-audience separation that became a hallmark of traditional theatre design.

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The 'Ballet Comique de la Reine' in 1581 is significant because it is considered:

Answer: The first ballet 'per se'

Explanation: The 'Ballet Comique de la Reine' (1581) is widely recognized as the first true ballet, establishing many conventions of the form.

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Modern and Contemporary Western Performing Arts

Isadora Duncan was a proponent of the 'free dance' style, advocating for physical and spiritual freedom in movement.

Answer: True

Explanation: Isadora Duncan was a pioneering figure in modern dance, championing a style that emphasized natural, expressive movement and sought to liberate dance from the rigid conventions of classical ballet.

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Neoclassicism in the mid-18th century led to a shift from homophony to polyphony in music.

Answer: False

Explanation: During the neoclassical period, music generally shifted from polyphony towards homophony, emphasizing clarity and formal order.

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Richard Wagner's concept of 'Gesamtkunstwerk' aimed to unify all artistic elements into a single 'total work of art'.

Answer: True

Explanation: 'Gesamtkunstwerk,' meaning 'total work of art,' was Wagner's influential concept for integrating music, drama, and visual arts into a cohesive theatrical experience.

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The 19th century witnessed the emergence of new theatrical forms such as burlesque and variety theatre, concurrent with significant technical advancements in theatre design and operation.

Answer: True

Explanation: The 19th century was a period of innovation in performing arts, marked by the rise of popular entertainment forms like burlesque and variety theatre, alongside improvements in stage technology.

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Modern dance emerged as a style that strictly adhered to the traditional techniques of classical ballet.

Answer: False

Explanation: Modern dance developed as a deliberate departure from the strictures of classical ballet, seeking new forms of expression and movement.

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The invention of motion pictures, notably by Thomas Edison, contributed significantly to film's establishment as a dominant performance medium in the 20th century.

Answer: True

Explanation: The development of motion picture technology and the subsequent growth of the film industry transformed cinematic works into a major form of performance art and popular entertainment.

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Jean Rosenthal is credited with introducing modern stage lighting techniques in the 1930s.

Answer: True

Explanation: Jean Rosenthal's innovations in the 1930s significantly advanced stage lighting practices, influencing modern theatrical design.

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Postwar performing arts were primarily characterized by the dominance of postmodernism.

Answer: False

Explanation: While postmodernism became influential later, postwar performing arts initially saw a resurgence of established forms like ballet and opera, with postmodernism gaining prominence in the latter half of the 20th century.

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Richard Wagner's 'Gesamtkunstwerk' concept aimed to separate music from other art forms in opera.

Answer: False

Explanation: Wagner's 'Gesamtkunstwerk' concept aimed to unify music, drama, and visual arts into a cohesive whole, not to separate them.

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During the neoclassical period, music shifted from homophony to polyphony to achieve greater complexity.

Answer: False

Explanation: During the neoclassical period, music generally shifted from polyphony towards homophony, emphasizing clarity and formal order, rather than complexity through polyphony.

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In the 19th century, women made significant progress in ballet, an art form that had previously been largely dominated by male performers.

Answer: True

Explanation: The 19th century marked a pivotal era for women in ballet, as their roles and prominence increased significantly, shifting the art form's gender dynamics.

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Who was a key figure associated with the development of the 'free dance' style in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?

Answer: Isadora Duncan

Explanation: Isadora Duncan was a seminal figure in the development of 'free dance,' advocating for expressive movement rooted in natural freedom.

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How did Neoclassicism influence music in the mid-18th century?

Answer: It emphasized formal order and clarity, shifting towards homophony.

Explanation: Neoclassicism's emphasis on order and clarity in the mid-18th century influenced music towards homophonic textures, simplifying the complex polyphony of earlier eras.

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Richard Wagner's concept of 'Gesamtkunstwerk' is best translated as:

Answer: Total work of art

Explanation: 'Gesamtkunstwerk,' a term coined by Richard Wagner, translates to 'total work of art,' signifying his vision of integrating all artistic disciplines.

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Which of the following was a significant development in performing arts during the 19th century?

Answer: The rise of burlesque and variety theatre

Explanation: The 19th century saw the emergence and popularization of new theatrical forms such as burlesque and variety theatre, alongside advancements in stage technology.

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Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes (1909-1929) is noted for revolutionizing ballet through:

Answer: Collaboration among choreographers, dancers, designers, and musicians

Explanation: The Ballets Russes, under Sergei Diaghilev, revolutionized ballet by fostering a collaborative environment among artists from various disciplines, including choreography, music, and design.

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What major 20th-century invention is mentioned as establishing film as a dominant performance medium?

Answer: The motion picture camera

Explanation: The invention of the motion picture camera was instrumental in establishing film as a dominant and influential performance medium in the 20th century.

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What artistic movement largely dominated the performing arts in the 1970s and 1980s?

Answer: Postmodernism

Explanation: Postmodernism significantly influenced the performing arts during the 1970s and 1980s, challenging traditional structures and aesthetics.

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What shift in musical texture occurred during the neoclassical period, emphasizing clarity?

Answer: From polyphony to homophony

Explanation: The neoclassical period favored clarity and formal order in music, leading to a textural shift from complex polyphony towards simpler homophonic structures.

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Performing Arts of East Asia

Theatrical entertainments in China are referenced as early as the Tang dynasty.

Answer: False

Explanation: References to theatrical entertainments in China date back much earlier, to the Shang dynasty (circa 1500 BC), predating the Tang dynasty.

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The 'Pear Garden' during the Tang dynasty was an imperial acting school established to produce primarily musical drama.

Answer: True

Explanation: Emperor Xuanzong of Tang established the 'Pear Garden' as an imperial academy dedicated to training performers for musical theatre during the Tang dynasty.

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Shadow play in China, originating during the Han dynasty, used symbolic colors such as black for bravery and red for honesty.

Answer: False

Explanation: In Han dynasty Chinese shadow play, symbolic colors were utilized, but black typically represented honesty, while red signified bravery.

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Beijing Opera evolved from popular plays featuring acrobatics and music during the Song dynasty.

Answer: True

Explanation: Beijing Opera's development traces back to popular theatrical forms that combined acrobatics and music during the Song dynasty, further developing through subsequent dynasties.

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Noh theatre, developed from 14th-century comedies, is characterized by its highly informal and popular style.

Answer: False

Explanation: Noh theatre, originating from 14th-century comedic and ritualistic forms, is characterized by its highly refined, stylized, and often solemn aesthetic, rather than an informal or popular style.

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The 'Children of the Pear Garden' was an acting school focused on producing primarily spoken drama.

Answer: False

Explanation: The 'Children of the Pear Garden,' established during the Tang dynasty, was an imperial acting school dedicated to the production of musical drama.

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The 'Pear Garden' established during China's Tang dynasty served as an institution for:

Answer: Producing primarily musical drama

Explanation: The 'Pear Garden,' founded by Emperor Xuanzong during the Tang dynasty, functioned as an imperial academy dedicated to the training and production of musical theatre.

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Beijing Opera evolved from popular plays involving acrobatics and music during which Chinese dynasty?

Answer: Song dynasty

Explanation: Beijing Opera's development traces back to popular theatrical forms featuring acrobatics and music that emerged during the Song dynasty.

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In Japanese performing arts, which form is described as a stylized puppet theatre founded by Chikamatsu Monzaemon?

Answer: Bunraku

Explanation: Bunraku is a highly stylized form of Japanese puppet theatre, significantly developed by playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon.

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Performing Arts of South and Southeast Asia

Indian folk theatre traditions trace their origins to the religious rituals of the Vedic peoples around 2000 BC.

Answer: True

Explanation: The roots of Indian folk theatre can be found in the religious rituals and practices of the Vedic peoples, dating back to approximately 2000 BC.

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Bharata Muni's 'Natya Shastra' is a foundational treatise on Indian performing arts, comparable in scope to Aristotle's 'Poetics'.

Answer: True

Explanation: The 'Natya Shastra of Bharata' is a seminal work that systematically analyzes Indian theatre, dance, and music, serving as a theoretical cornerstone akin to Aristotle's contribution to Western dramatic theory.

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Kalidasa, an esteemed ancient Indian dramatist, is celebrated for romantic plays such as 'Mālavikāgnimitram'.

Answer: True

Explanation: Kalidasa, a prominent figure in classical Sanskrit literature, authored influential romantic dramas, including 'Mālavikāgnimitram' and 'Abhijñānaśākuntalam'.

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The 'Ramakien' is a popular theatrical adaptation of Thailand's national epic, derived from the Indian epic 'Ramayana'.

Answer: True

Explanation: Thailand's national epic, the 'Ramakien,' is a significant theatrical tradition adapted from the ancient Indian epic, the 'Ramayana'.

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Inscriptions from 6th century AD Cambodia indicate the use of shadow puppetry for religious plays.

Answer: False

Explanation: Inscriptions from 6th-century Cambodia suggest the presence of dancers and the use of puppetry for religious plays, but do not specifically mention shadow puppetry.

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Francisco Balagtas's 'Florante at Laura' is a key literary work integrated into the Philippine K-12 curriculum.

Answer: True

Explanation: 'Florante at Laura,' an epic poem by Francisco Balagtas, is a significant literary work incorporated into the Philippine K-12 educational framework.

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The 'Natya Shastra of Bharata' is a foundational treatise on Indian performing arts, comparable to Aristotle's 'Poetics'.

Answer: True

Explanation: The 'Natya Shastra of Bharata' is a seminal work that systematically analyzes Indian theatre, dance, and music, serving as a theoretical cornerstone akin to Aristotle's contribution to Western dramatic theory.

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The 'Natya Shastra of Bharata' is considered the first systematic attempt to develop what in Indian performing arts?

Answer: Dramatic techniques

Explanation: Bharata Muni's 'Natya Shastra' is recognized as the earliest systematic treatise on Indian performing arts, laying foundational principles for dramatic techniques, acting, dance, and music.

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Which ancient Indian dramatist is known for romantic plays like 'Abhijñānaśākuntalam'?

Answer: Kalidasa

Explanation: Kalidasa, a celebrated figure of classical Sanskrit literature, is renowned for his romantic dramas, including the widely acclaimed 'Abhijñānaśākuntalam'.

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In Thailand, the theatrical version of the national epic 'Ramakien' is based on which Indian epic?

Answer: Ramayana

Explanation: The Thai national epic, 'Ramakien,' is a theatrical adaptation derived from the ancient Indian epic, the 'Ramayana'.

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What evidence suggests early performing arts in Cambodia dating back to the 6th century AD?

Answer: Inscriptions indicating dancers and puppetry

Explanation: Inscriptions from 6th-century Cambodia provide evidence of early performing arts, noting the presence of dancers and the use of puppetry in religious plays.

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Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a key literary work integrated into the Philippine K-12 curriculum?

Answer: Don Quixote

Explanation: While 'Ibong Adarna,' 'Florante at Laura,' and 'Noli Me Tángere' are mentioned as key Philippine literary works in the curriculum, 'Don Quixote' is not.

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Performing Arts of Africa, the Americas, and Oceania

Indigenous African performance traditions are characterized by ritual, storytelling, movement, music, and communal participation.

Answer: True

Explanation: African performance traditions are deeply interwoven with community life, often integrating ritual, narrative, music, and dance in communal settings.

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A Griot in West Africa is primarily a musician who performs contemporary popular music.

Answer: False

Explanation: Griots in West Africa are traditional oral historians, storytellers, poets, and musicians who preserve and transmit cultural heritage, often through traditional music and narrative forms.

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Indigenous performing arts in the Americas before European colonization included elaborate dances and theatrical performances within Aztec and Maya rituals.

Answer: True

Explanation: Pre-Columbian civilizations in the Americas, such as the Aztecs and Maya, possessed rich traditions of performing arts, incorporating complex dances and ritualistic theatrical performances.

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European colonizers in the Americas primarily suppressed indigenous performing arts traditions without any integration.

Answer: False

Explanation: While suppression occurred, European colonizers also introduced their own theatrical forms, which indigenous peoples sometimes integrated with their existing traditions, leading to cultural fusion.

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Melanesian dance often incorporates large masks and unhuman-like features to imitate mythical figures.

Answer: True

Explanation: Melanesian dance traditions frequently utilize elaborate masks and stylized, non-human features to represent mythical beings and enhance ritualistic performances.

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Indigenous African performance traditions often feature a characteristic pattern between performers and the audience known as:

Answer: Call and response

Explanation: A hallmark of indigenous African performance traditions is the interactive 'call and response' pattern, fostering dynamic engagement between performers and the audience.

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What is the primary role of a Griot in West African performing arts?

Answer: To act as an oral historian preserving narratives

Explanation: Griots serve as vital custodians of cultural memory in West Africa, functioning as oral historians who preserve and transmit community narratives, genealogies, and traditions through storytelling and music.

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What characterized Melanesian dance costumes?

Answer: Elaborate masks and unhuman-like features

Explanation: Melanesian dance costumes often feature elaborate masks and non-human forms to represent mythical figures and enhance ritualistic expression.

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