AMS Group1( Jenna, Ty, Helen, Catherine)

Response to Helsinki/

Tampere Group C:

Cosmopolitan

1) Having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope or bearing.

2) Having wide international sophistication.

3) Composed of persons, constituents, or elements from all or many parts of the world.

Source: Merriam-Webster On line. 18 September, 2008.

We find your challenge to the wold ‘cosmopolitan’ interesting because it was in a way similar to and different from our challenge at the same time. The discussion on refugees is an interesting one. Why are refugees not regarded as cosmopolitan? If you look at the three definitions of cosmopolitan above,

you will see that the 2nd definition is the one which it seems not so inclusive of refugees. ‘Cosmopolitan’, in modern usage connotes the adjectives Exotic, Sophisticated, Stylish, just as the Warwick group 3 suggested and just as your image of the Cosmopolitan Magazine cover also suggests. Therefore a refugee who might have a worldwide scope isn't considered cosmopolitan because he/she does not choose to move to other countries but is forced to be on the move because of circumstances. In other words because of not having sop

histicated and exotic experiences.

Key Word – BEAUTY
Response

The Travelling Concept of Beauty

The concept of “beauty” [spelled in the Philippines as “byuti”] hav

e been appropriated by the bakla [loose translation: effeminate gay man] in the Philippines to refer to self—the self that is in his inner core, that corresponds to the true, the good, and the feminine. (Ethnographers such as Fenella Cannell, Mark Johnson, and Martin Manalansan have also noted this inventive usage in their respective studies.) So when one bakla tells another, “my byuti is very tired today,” he actually means that “I’m very tired today.”

This wonderful twining of “self” and “beauty” (in the traditional sense of the word) has visible implications of gender performances in the Philip

pines, particularly that of the bakla. The bakla makes a clear distinction between “natural beauty” (natural na ganda) and “authentic beauty” (tunay na ganda). Natural beauty relates to physical attractiveness that is biological determined or, as most Filipinos would say, God-given.

“Natural Beauty”

Angel Aquino, Actor

Authentic beauty, on the other hand, refers to the inner self, to byuti. For the baklas, it is not enough to say one has beautiful core. It is imperative for them to show and perform it to other people, particularly in pageants, which is arguably the most popular form of live entertainment in the country. The purpose of the performance

is to validate their identity.

“Authentic Beauty”

In realizing their byuti on stage, the bakla uses theatrical devices such as costumes, make-up, and lighting. He imitates the looks, the speech, and the walk of the models and stars in Manila and in Milan. For the bakla, his conception of authentic beauty does not contradict with the theatricality (read: artificiality) of his performance. His staged beauty is deemed authentic because it reflects his inner self, his byuti. And that could never be faked.

Keywords: beauty, self, authenticity, theatricality

Response to Helsinki Group A

Transcultural

(“…it seems that in almost every aspect of society or culture there is something "trans". So, if there is transculturality in everything, where is the place for cultural-specific? Is transcultural education really possible? And transcultural mental health?! If transcultural is a notion of UNIVERSALITY of culture, then why we just don't say UNIVERSAL? If transcultural refers to something common to all cultures then what's there to "exchange"? Isn't it just an oxymoron?”)

response:

Patrice Pavis, in the introduction to The Intercultural Performance Reader, discusses transcultural in an attempt to define the word intercultural. He explains transcultural theater to be something that goes beyond culture to find gestures and traditions that speak to the universality of the human condition beneath race, class and culture. The observation that your group made regarding the universality of culture is quite keen; however, we would like to postulate that perhaps the transcultural is found in small moments or brief experiences rather than in broader categories such as education or mental health.

We recognize the difficulty behind discovering anything that is universal, but there is a beauty in stumbling across some common ground in a world of differences. Something transcultural doesn’t have to be universal, but if it can link two cultures for a moment and provides a forum for conversation, than it exists beyond the realm of the paradoxical.

This link is a street performance of a “transcultural waltz”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl3lbdRk_qE

A quote from the artist:

“Art is not just beauty. It is conveying a profound personal message. Any artist should work as mirror of society and reflect the important issues of life. Moreover, as an artist, I feel the obligation to have a positive impact on our reality. It is not important what you achieve with your talent. It is important how you share it.“

- Rafael Sotomayor

What makes this performance transcultural? We’re not entirely sure, but if it evokes something in you or reminds you of even a moment in your life, it has gone beyond the culture of the artist and taken a hold of you. Somehow, this performance evokes a different response in each of us. Rafael Sotomayer is using his art as a form of communication to transcend locality, culture, and perhaps even time. Is this not what art is supposed to do? Somehow bring us together through images, gestures, performances… education?

Staff Warwick Janelle Directions

We encourage all the students to use the comments function which is a link beneath each of the posts on the main blog page when you want to comment on a particular group response. This will keep the individual comments together with the subject posting and will make for a less 'messy' blog.

This suggestion comes to you from Ed, who has enjoyed what he's seen of the postings so far.

AMSTERDAM Group Response to Keywords: Tradition, Tanghal, Ephemeral

Group members:

Gargi Bharadwaj
Loreto Leonvendagar
meLê yamomo

Warwick Group 3 Response to Helsinki Group A: “Culture”

Thanks for the amusing video – here’s another image to analyse: Spitting is forbidden for Native Americans! We think the humorous interplay of the cultural symbols on display here is very interesting. What do you think??

As a question of whether such behaviour in the video is indeed “cultural”, it seems as if there is a difference, in English at least, between the words “cultural” and “cultured”. To be cultured implies an adherence to a socially-acceptable set of values and morals, whereas the word cultural merely denotes something to do with a culture in general.

In this case, the spitting can therefore be considered cultural, even if this is not cultured. The act itself confirms a disobedience towards the prevailing behavioural standards accepted by most of society, so is inherently cultural, even if it is cultural deviancy.

Within certain subcultures, though, spitting is considered acceptable, such as on the football or baseball field. For other groups, particularly adolescents, spitting in public can be viewed as a marker of cultural identity, symbolizing a rejection of normative values and giving a communal sense of belonging within a subcultural group at odds with the dominant culture.

However, the act of spitting as a culturally-embedded performance varies from culture to culture. According to the following report (http://www.renmenbi.com/spitting-culture), spitting is an everyday and accepted occurrence in China. This brings us onto the broader transcultural questions of manners and etiquette.


As much as the spitting video makes fun of social convention, etiquette to too great a degree can seem stuffy and similarly comical:

With so many differences between acceptable behaviours, we wonder if there are many behaviours which are transculturally acceptable? Would there be any benefit to a standardized worldwide etiquette? It may stop some intercultural misunderstandings, but would it also be symptomatic of cultural imperialism?

Urgent Post Headings and Footers

ATTENTION!!

PLEASE always start your new blog posts with your location (A, W, or T) and your group (1, 2, or 3) and your names + the keyword, location and group you are responding to (if known)

PLEASE end your blog entries by filling in the 'Labels for this post' box (below) with the keyword(s) you have responded to, your location and your group --and (if you wish) further ways of showing the message's relationship to other postings.

Warwick Group 1 (Adam, Dev, Meseret)

1) Response to Group A (Helsinki). Keyword: Litsedeistvo.

N.b. This response is directly rooted to one of our keyword's: Pakarnnatam.

We were intrigued by your image of Hilary Clinton's many 'changing faces'. We wanted to apply our keyword, Pakarnnatam, to this set of images.

Pakarnnatam is concerned with transition, 'change' and with 'movement'. A metamorphosis of one character in to another. A metamorphosis which stems from one actor playing multiple roles.

What Pakarnnatam does, essentially, is reveal the transition itself between each component of many 'changing faces'.

If, like Hilary, we all have many 'faces', many 'social masks', what Pakarnnatam does is draw our attention to the reality of this, it makes the differences and transitional periods between our 'changing faces' tangible: through, primarily, movement and gesture. Something we can see, hear and almost touch.

This also brings into consideration the sociological, psychological and cultural make-up of an individual. Through pakarnnatam, the actor can experience sociological, psychological and cultural changes as he embodies the identity of another character. Does this not mirror the sociological and psychological (and to a much lesser extent, cultural) forces shaping an individual at each of his/her many 'changing faces'?

As in Pakarnnatam, like many theatrical forms, the circumstances informing the actor (e.g. the script) come to define gesture, movement and expression. In short, the whole body. The circumstances come to define the actor's 'changing faces'/performing multiple identities. This is the same for us in real life. Our contemporary circumstances, politically, sociologicaly etc. come to inform and manipulate our identities.

And one more point, again which Pakarnnatam can help elaborate upon. It is not just our 'face' which is changing. It is our whole body and mind. And not only this. But our whole identity. We understand that 'face' works synechdochally as a part to refer to the whole. But this detracts from the importance of body and mind in establishing the change between these changing identities.


Please refer to the link below. You will see the transitions from animal states (n.b. the state of an elephant) to the neutral state of an actor and in to character states.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJhQ4EjQuVQ&feature=related

Warwick Group 2 (Courtney & Ridzal) responds to Mele Yamomo (tanghal) and AMS Group 1 (Ty's, palabas)

We noticed that the two Tagalog words introduced on the blog had strong similarities in their definitions. Both words, in a sense, have something to do with showing or displaying, to reveal e.g. "premiere" or to expose "exhibit". A performance, then, pretty much does all of these things - it is showing something, displaying, and not just itself (what is on stage, for example) but also representing something outside of the theatre. To fall back on a cliche, it makes real what is not there, but also illuminates what is absent. Taking the definition of tanghal as v. to proclaim e.g. Itinanghal siyang kampeon - He is declared a champion, and palabas as adv. aloud, plainly; performance also lays bare or names something in a manner that allows the audience to better understand something larger outside of itself.

While there are obviously rich similarities between these two terms, there are also discrepancies that delineate one from another. Tanghal, for example, includes in its definition "to exalt," which is absent from palabas. This slippage between the two words illustrates how necessary a precise lexicon is, when it comes to articulating our thoughts and ideas about performance and its consequences (social, political, etc.). The nuance that one term captures is omitted from the other, even though the two, upon initial inspection, appear to be synonymous (and share a linguistic background).

In order to cultivate the more expansive, accurate lexicon, we think it is important to be more flexible when it comes to incorporating phrases and terms from a multiplicity of sources, cultures, and linguistic backgrounds. A systematic reconsideration of how we represent and recognize abstract concepts might be more frequently associated with the methodology of the sciences, but it also has the potential to enhance scholarship. In many branches of the physical sciences, taxonomies are introduced as systems of classification that allow us to name things so we can think about them. In a similar fashion, scholarship depends on our capacity to develop a creative, precise, and provocative system of classification and representation.

Having said that, we also acknowledge that are inherent complications and problematic elements embedded in our suggestion for a more expansive, flexible lexicon. For example, it would be quite problematic if the terms and phrases from non-Western backgrounds being incorporated into academic discourse get appropriated by that Western environment and alienated from their original context. Such a scenario would subjugate non-Western languages in the name of recognizing their value and potential.

AMSTERDAM: Keyword Challenge - ETHNICITY

Group members:

Gargi Bharadwaj
Loreto Leonvendagar
meLê yamomo


Download the challenge (in powerpoint file) here: http://meleyamomo.com/MAIPR/ethnicity1.ppt

Helsinki\Tampere - Tory, Ua, Hetta

Word: “It”.

"[T]here are certain actors who have only to step on the stage and the public is already enthralled by them. Why?"

Stanislavski, Constantin. Building a Character. Trans.

Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood. New York:
Theatre Arts Books. 1979.

“Self-confidence and indifference whether you are pleasing or not – and something in you that gives the impression you are not at all cold. That’s IT.”

Elinor Glyn, Author of “It” – the novella.

Provisional definition adapted from theory of Joseph Roach:

It: (in this case of usage, a noun, and capitalized).
The “precondition of celebrity.” (pp 555) Not necessarily an innate essence, nor reducible to talent, It is the “easily perceived but hard-to-define quality possessed by abnormally interesting people.” (pp 555). Broadly: the intangible, un-self-conscious charm of a person or performer’s “whole being…that attracts both sexes.” (pp 558) A person with It gives the illusion of “absolute presence” (pp 557) and exerts endless fascination over audiences and society at large, seeming to simultaneously and yet effortlessly, embody various antipodes, or contradictory qualities. (Ex: “innocence and experience; strength and vulnerability; modernity and timelessness; stigmatized and revered”; etc). While having It is not a guarantee of fame and success, “no one stars without it.” (pp 555)

Often alternatively referred to as: charisma, charm, presence, stuff, spunk, moxie, etc. (pp 556)


Roach, Joseph. “It.” Theatre Journal. Volume 56. Number 4. December
2004. pp 555-568.

Dictionary Definition:

it: (pronoun) 1) used to refer to an animal or thing that has already been mentioned or that is being talked about now.

charisma: (noun) 1) The powerful personal quality that some people have to attract or impress other people.

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 7th Edition. Ed. Sally Wehmeier. Oxford
University Press. 2005.



Challenges:

1) As the “pre-condition of celebrity”, is it relatable to Barba’s “pre-expressivity”? Does It cut across cultural and ethnic boundaries? While It appears to operate on a very subtle level of recognition, it must also work in tandem with numerous and intricate culturally specific codes. Would I, as a Westerner and a Caucasian, be able to recognize It in, for example, an Eastern performer of Khon (traditional Thai dance theatre)?
2) Where does It reside, if not in the person or performer them self? Is It a product of the inter-relationship (the “public intimacy”, as Roach describes it?) between the performer, the part they play, and the spectators? If so, does the selection of role alter/affect a performer’s It-ness, or can they transcend/slip past the role regardless? How much of a role does the spectator play in It?
3) Is It a performance? What is the difference between the consciousness of doubleness that gives actions the quality of performance, and the “self-consciousness” that Roach posits as the killer of It?
4) Does the person/performer and spectator relationship require the visual to access It? Can It be perceived through radio transmission?
5) To what extent do media and economic filters between person/performer and spectator alter and/or enhance the quality of It?

Group A (Helsinki) - Slavica, Zhenya, Minjo

Keyword: Transcultural

Definition:
- notion of universality of culture or cultural aspects that are common to all cultures. It transcends of notion of cultural difference.

Contexts:
Just a few web-browsing results:
"transcultural exchange"
"transcultural health care"
"transcultural mental health"
“transcultural education”
“transcultural media studies”
“eating disorders: transcultural perspective”
“transcultural synergy”

Challenge:
From all this it seems that in almost every aspect of society or culture there is something "trans". So, if there is transculturality in everything, where is the place for cultural-specific? Is transcultural education really possible? And transcultural mental health?!
If transcultural is a notion of UNIVERSALITY of culture, then why we just don't say UNIVERSAL?
If transcultural refers to something common to all cultures then what's there to "exchange"? Isn't it just an oxymoron?

Keyword: Culture
Etymology:
latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning to cultivate

Challenge:
During our discussion we realised that, although we speak different languages, there is the same expression in our countries containing the adjective 'cultural.' Literally translated into English it would be: “Behave culturally!” which means behave properly, politely or just behave yourself. So, if by culture we consider “morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man”, as to what extent can we consider this behaviour as 'cultural':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idAngmb6Cqw

Keyword: Litsedeistvo (RU)

Etymology:
2 roots: 'litso' – face
'deistvo' – action/acting
Word-to-word translation: 'acting in faces', 'face making'

2 meanings:
1. Old Russian, now almost obsolete: acting, theatre, performance (any)
2. hypocrisy, dissembling

In Saint Petersburg Russia, there is a theatre called “Litsedei” (Face makers).
Link: http://www.licedei.com/

Challenges:
1. Isn't 'making faces' ('litsedeistvo') the path to globalization or globalization – the way to lose your face?

2. Has a cosmopolitan his/her own face?

3. Isn't a face just a make-up?

4. Facebook – are we all actors/face-makers ('litsedei') there?

Keyword: "DIVADELNY ZAZITOK" (SVK)

Context: PERFORMANCE RECEPTION/AUDIENCE

A word-to-word translation: "THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE" (EN)

Definition:
- a pleasurable feeling and/or impression of the spectator, which occurs as a result of watching, experiencing the good performance,
- arises from an aesthetic effect of the performance, not necessarily cathartic,
- the word is commonly used in reviews, or by people who want to express their affection for the quality of performance and report on it to others. They might say: "It was a real 'divadelny zazitok' for me."

ETYMOLOGY of the roots of the words:
"DIVADLO" (SK) = THEATRE (EN)
"divat sa" = look at, watch
"divit sa" = wonder at/about sth, feel surprised

"ZAZITOK" (SK) = EXPERIENCE (EN)
"zit" = live
"prezit" = survive/relive
"zazit" = experience, live sth through

English word "exprerience" lacks the subjective quality of emotional involvement, and association with the word "live". It might as well be just an ordinary thing to have "an experience", such as in the sentence:
I have been to London twice. (meaning that "This is my experience").
Or, "experience" understood as a skill, eg. I am experienced in needlework.

A word-to-word translation "THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE" is therefore not an appropriate one. Moreover, it digresses from its original Slovak meaning, and thus can have negative, even comic connotations.

For further illustration of the English meaning, please see the below QUIZ...

! WARNING !
If you want to avoid reading stereotypes, do not continue.

Imagine a situation when a tired wife comes home from work and finds out that there's someone in the bedroom with her husband (not sure what makes it being worse - man or woman).
Depending on her character, she can either watch them secretly or fly into the room and make a really bad scene.

The question is: Who has just had/caused a "theatrical experience"?

a) The desperate woman, trying hard to regain her lost dignity.
b) The ignorant husband, having forgotten the working hours of his wife (married for 25 years).
c) The Man/Woman, i.e. LOVER (depending on the context and the level of theatricality) who happens to be the third one in the room, presumably in the bed.
d) In case that woman watches them secretly before she flies in, it is her who's just had it.

We are waiting for your answers to be posted and/or discussed below.
Thank you in advance!

Yours,

Cosmopolitan nationalistic MAIPR Slavic group

(raised as Communist Christians)

Helsinki/Tampere - Group C -- Tory,Ua,Hetta

Khrob Kru Challenges

- can one culture really be trasmitted and evolved into another culture, or being explicitly exported and embraced by another culture. For example, Japan and Korea are growing and growing economically, due to the power of mass media. They claimed that they are exporting their cultures, thus resulting in the unstoppable country income fluxation. (see attached photo as reference)

- the fact that the use oh 'head' as a symbolic meaning of knowledge for being a master of performing arts, does ot implied that the knowledge lies all in head or not embodied knowledges, despite the fact that it is traditional dance or performance that requires all physical movement from the whole body?

Helsinki/Tampere - Group C -- Tory,Ua,Hetta

Keyword : Khrob Kru

Definition and Meaning
Khrob : putting on, covering or in a negative sense means dominating
it also means giving knowledge to
Khru : teacher/ master , the other meaning is heavy

Although Khru is a Thai word, its root comes from Sanskrit , Guru, which is composed of the syllables 'gu' and 'ru', the former signifying 'darkness', and the latter signifying 'the destroyer of that [darkness]', hence a guru is one characterized as someone who dispels spiritual ignorance (darkness), with spiritual illumination (light) -as per Advaya-Tãraka Upanishad (verse 16),
The syllable gu means shadowsThe syllable ru, he who disperses them,Because of the power to disperse darknessthe guru is thus named.
– Advayataraka Upanishad 14—18, verse 5
As a noun the word also means the imparter of knowledge .As an adjective, it means "heavy," or "weighty," in the sense of "heavy with knowledge," "heavy with spiritual wisdom," "heavy with spiritual weight," "heavy with the good qualities of scriptures and realization,"[or "heavy with a wealth of knowledge."

**When combine these 2 words Khrob and Khru together, it creates a new meaning that signifies a special performance enacted by an art teacher / master as an initiation and acceptance to pass on his knowledge to his student / apprentice, by using his hands to cover (khrob) the latter’s crown while giving blessing to the new student. The hand covering is seen as a symbolic protection from all evil spirit.

**Later on, when Indian civilization and Brahmanism were introduced to Thailand, the hand covering the head part would be replaced by the sacred masks of Hindu Gods and deities.

Khrob Khru as Trans-cultural performance
The Indian civilization started assimilating to South-East Asia through navigation and trade expansion from the sixth century onward. And ethnic tribes in this area, the Mons, the Khmer and the Thai tribes embraced and blended Buddhism and Brahmanism with their own culture and beliefs. There are evidences everywhere, architectures, arts, language, literature, music, dances, rituals and religions.
**The Indian influences have transformed many native rites to more elaborate ceremonies, among them, the Khrob Khru rituals. Instead of simple offerings, which can be performed in everyday life, the Indian influences and Brahmans have enlarged the spiritual act and moved it up to the level of the sacred ceremony. They introduced Hindu Gods and Deities and enhanced the Hinduism belief that these Gods are the supreme artists or the Khru of all Khrus. The Gods are represented with the masks and therefore, instead of just using both hands to cover the heads of students, as a symbolic protection of evil, the sacred masks of Gods and Deities was now used. And as ,according to Hinduism, the monarchs is a direct descendent of Gods, this ritual therefore is strictly limited to them. Only with the royal permission that the ceremony can be performed elsewhere.

Helsinki\Tampere - Tory, Ua, Hetta

'Cosmopolitan'

Definition:

1) Having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope or bearing.

2) Having wide international sophistication.

3) Composed of persons, constituents, or elements from all or many parts of the world.

Source: Lecture, Merriam-Webster Online. 18 September, 2008.

Challenges:

A) 'Cosmopolitan' as a word in popular culture, has become steeped in sexuality and sexual connotations (ie: Cosmopolitan magazine, Cosmopolitan cocktail) - the preferred drink of HBO's 'Sex and the City' characters). As a word, it has become (perhaps inextricably?) linked with associations of 'jet set' free sexual practise, promiscuity.

B) Knowing a little bit about a wide scope of topics\issues...if this preferable to a deep knowledge on a few select subjects? Knowing a little about something is potentially dangerous.

"A little learning is a dang'rous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:"

-Alexander Pope.

C) Gaining Cosmopolitan knowledge - is this knowledge to our own purposes, to raise our 'culturally hip' status? Aside from ourselves, does this benefit anyone else?

D) Economically linked: 'the jet set elite' - as described in lecture. It takes a certain amount of wealth to fulfill the image of a 'cosmopolite'. Refugees, for exmaple, while perhaps having experienced life in different parts of the world, are not generally considered 'Cosmopolitan'.

Helsinki Group B Challenges (Kristina Jocelyn Ira)

1) Cosmopolitan

- Definition:

adj. 1): having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope or bearing 2) having wide international sophistication : worldly 3) composed of persons, constituents, or elements from all or many parts of the world
Source: Merriam-Webster Online

adjective 1 consisting of people from many different countries and cultures: a cosmopolitan metropolis. 2 familiar with and at ease in many different countries and cultures.
Source: Compact Oxford English Dictionary Online

- Challenge(s):

· Where does information about cosmopolitan ideals, lifestyles etc. come from? Ideas about what constitute cosmopolitanism inevitably come through the media – so we need to consider whose values exactly are we subscribing to, when we claim to be “cosmopolitan”
· Is cosmopolitanism a state of mind or based on action? i.e. can one never travel and experience other cultures, yet consider oneself “cosmopolitan”? If so, where does one get one’s perceptions/values from? (see above point)


2) Ethnicity

- Definition:

N. 1. ethnic quality or affiliation 2. a particular ethnic affiliation or group
Source: Merriam-Webster Online

(Ethnic) adjective 1 relating to a group of people having a common national or cultural tradition. 2 referring to origin by birth rather than by present nationality: ethnic Albanians. 3 relating to a non-Western cultural tradition: ethnic music.
Source: Compact Oxford English Dictionary Online

- Challenge(s):

· The word “ethnic” has connotations of the “exotic” and unknown, associated with imperialism and superficial cultural tourism (especially in the third definition from OED above). We thus have to be very careful when talking about a person or performance, for example, being “ethnic” – what kinds of values may we be ascribing to them?
· Is ethnicity important at all in today’s globalised society, given assertions that globalisation leads to homogeneity and renders the local/specific less significant?




3) Medium

- Definition:

(N.) 1. Environment
2. Means of communication
3. Physical material or form used by artist, composer, etc.
4. Person claiming to communicate with the dead
Source: Little Oxford Dictionary

We find this a very interesting word to examine in relation to performance and performativity, not least because of the many different meanings it has. Taking sense 2. above for example, the performer can be understood as a medium – for interpreting a play’s text, transmitting a certain message to the audience etc. In a very broad sense, the examining of different mediums of performance would of course be pertinent to performance studies.

As much as a performer can be said to be a medium, a medium (in sense 4. above) is also very much a performer. In many Southeast Asian rituals involving mediums, the costumes, props and music used are highly performative in that they serve to invoke the spirit that the medium is being possessed by, and indicate clearly the transition of the medium between this world and the “otherworldly”. Spirit-mediums and their associated rituals thus constitute some of the most interesting case studies for those interested in anthropological approaches to theatre and performativity, since such rituals are at the heart of the beliefs and traditions of many cultures.

A video clip of a Taoist medium ritual can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LE5xPoHBJM


- Challenge(s):

· What can mediums (in the fourth definition above) teach us about performativity?
· Are there mediums in all cultures and how different are they? What could the similarities and differences mean for intercultural studies and exploration?

Catherine's Keyword

KEYWORD: Gule
Language: Chichewa. A Malawian Language

In loose english translation this word means 'traditional dance'. it refers to music (drummijmg, whistling e.t.c) song, and dance. However Gule also involvesdance drama. as the dances go on, a drama with identifiable characters and a clear narration becomes part of the dance

'Popular' from the oxford english dictionary

Popular

1. Of a belief, attitude, etc.: prevalent or current among the general public; generally accepted, commonly known.

2. Of, relating to, deriving from, or consisting of ordinary people or the people as a whole; generated by the general public; democratic.

3. Of cultural activities or products Intended for or suited to the understanding or taste of ordinary people, esp. as opposed to specialists in a field; spec. (of literature, etc.) intended for and directed at a general readership.

4. Designating forms of art, music, or culture with general appeal; intended primarily to entertain, please, or amuse.

From the Oxford english dictionary
http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50255727

Keyword: Tanghal [meLê yamomo - Philippines]

Tanghal [Tagalog]

Tanghal (verb)

1. To show

2. to exhibit

3. to premiere

e.g. Itatanghal ang bagong dula sa bukas. The new play will open tomorrow.

Tanghal 2 (verb)

1. to exalt

2. to proclaim

3. to exhibit

e.g. Itinanghal siyang kampeon. He is declared a champion.

Tanghal (noun) /--an/ (TANGHALAN) (gerund form)

1. place where a show or program is exhibited/performed

2. Also, a theatre group

e.g. Tanghalang Pilipino (the theatre company based at the Cultural Centre of the Philippines)


Note:
In the 1970s and 80s, there was a popular television singing contest called "Tanghalan ng Kampyon" which used the word Tanghalan in a very clever way. It was used as [1] a venue (actual physical space and the airtime space on television) where singers perform and [2] the TV program proclaims and exalts the champion (winner of the competition).