Category:Art And Entertainment

Capoeira

Capoeira is a synthesis of dance and self-defense which originated in Brazil. Legend has it that it was created by African slaves in Brazil approximately 400 years ago as a response to being enslaved. Experts describe it as a blend of martial arts, acrobatics, dance elements, music, song, language, tradition, and culture. Traditionally, Capoeira was a males-only activity. In the last few decades, it has become a powerful symbol of feminism and equality in Brazil and other countries where it is practiced.

Capoeira represents a spiritual response to being oppressed, and combines an eclectic mixture of elements. Hence, it is quite different from other martial arts. Even though it is set to music and the emphasis is on play, it contains sparring elements, so its practitioners have to develop mental balance, physical conditioning, self defense skills, and a profound sense of art, all at once.More...

Bull Fighting in Spain

The first bullfight took place in celebration for the crowning of King Alfonso VIII of Spain in 711 AD. Ever since, this barbaric contest between the Matador and the bull has been of of Spain's most popular spectator sports. In 2004, Barcelona declared itself "an anti-bullfighting city," and earlier in 2008, a law prohibiting new bullrings went into effect throughout the entire North-eastern region of Catalonia. More...

The section on Art and Entertainment is designed to enable readers to understand how a particular culture expresses itself – in so doing they may gain a better understanding of the culture in question. Art and Entertainment forms express a culture’s language of leisure. They represent its deepest yearnings, hopes and sources of joy through sounds, actions and pictures.

The articles in the section will enable readers to discover unusual entertainment and art forms, as well as provide information on the latest trends in the Art and Entertainment scene. At their very core lies the sensibility that it is when people of different cultures delight in each other’s cherished art forms or means of entertainment, that they may be able to better understand each other as well as the world they inhabit together.

Flamenco

• Flamenco is a passionate and seductive art form with strong, rhythmic undertones, often accompanied with a similarly impassioned style of dance that originated in parts of Spain nearly five hundred years ago.
• Characterised by intricate hand and footwork, the Flamenco is a dance of power and passion, where the dancers dance to the beats of their feet and the sounds of their own clapping and clicking.
• Castanets are not part of true flamenco, they are an element that has been added to enhance the finger snapping required to provide the beat to the flamenco dancers.
• It is believed that the first guitars originated in Spain in early 15th Century, and were very similar to the lute. More...