The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, located just minutes northwest of downtown Atlanta in the Cobb Galleria area, is one of the newest performing arts venues in the Atlanta area. It opened in the fall of 2007, and quickly became the new performance home of the Atlanta Opera after they moved from the Atlanta Civic Center. The acoustics are exceptional, and there is not a bad seat in the house.

The core of the Performing Arts Centre is the striking John A. Williams Theatre. The theatre seats 2,750 people on three levels: orchestra, mezzanine, and grand tier. It was specially designed to attract touring Broadway productions. The orchestra pit is large enough to hold 84 musicians, and there is plenty of room backstage to store scenery. The Gas South Broadway Series will present several touring shows at the theatre during the 2010-11 season. Their presentations range from touring productions of musicals such as Oklahoma! and A Chorus Line, to a Cirque Dreams holiday show. In addition to the Atlanta Opera, the Performing Arts Centre is also used by the Atlanta Ballet for several of their productions every year. Many top name performers from a variety of musical genres have also performed there.

The outside of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center is striking and futuristic looking. It sits on a hill with a view south toward the Atlanta skyline. The soaring main entrance contains an impressive alabaster staircase and massive contemporary chandeliers made of Murano glass. The top of the building is asymmetrical and appears to be three giant gray metallic waves.

In addition to the theatre, the Performing Arts Centre contains the 10,000 square foot Kessel D. Sterling, Jr. Ballroom. This facility can be rented for special events such as weddings, conventions, banquets, corporate events, and gala balls. The onsite full service catering and fine dining services can provide everything necessary to host dinner parties, receptions, and buffets. The executive chef is M.G. Farris. The Cobb Energy Centre’s kitchens also oversee all of the concessions for the theatre.

The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center is an easy venue to get to in Atlanta. It is located on Cobb Galleria Parkway, close to the intersection of I-75 and I-275. There is plenty of parking available in the parking garage and surrounding lots. A number of excellent restaurants are located nearby. It is an outstanding venue in which to enjoy a performance of any kind.

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Performing Arts Degree Programs

Earning a degree in performing arts is not an easy task, nor is finding a job after graduating in certain fields. Those who choose to study performing arts have often been participating in their interest since they were very young, and have grown up practicing their art daily. Performing arts degrees allow students to major in performing arts such as dance, music, music education, acting, and design/technology.

Those who choose to work in this industry usually possess the following qualities: outgoing, hard working, detail oriented, ambitious, and passionate. Performers understand the need to have a great stage presence, work very hard to be perfect in their routine, and try to earn the lead role. Even performing art majors who do not choose to dance or perform for a living understand how cutthroat the entertainment business can be. Most individuals are looking to rise to the top of their field/performance status, not stay in a lower position. Employers find these characteristics very appealing because it means these employees will typically work hard, complete detailed tasks quickly, and strive to receive promotions and take on more responsibility.

By majoring in dance, participants are preparing themselves to learn various types of dance, and how to carry out dances while developing performance skills. Students will study dance techniques such as modern, classical, and ballet, among others. In order to be accepted into one of these programs, students will need to audition for faculty. Audition pieces usually require applicants to perform a ballet or contemporary routine.

Students who are interested in becoming an actor will study courses that will prepare them for careers in the theatre and other related areas. Individuals in this major need to be extremely outgoing, dramatic, well-spoken, and creative to become successful in this position. Students will learn about fundamental vocal and physical skills, perform in chamber theatre, cabaret, and community performances, and hone their skills in both solo and group work.

Individuals may also simply earn a Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts. This will give them a general understanding of the many skills involved in music, drama, and dance. Sample courses may include musical theatre, dance technique, dramatic literature, music performance, theatre history, and dance and culture. Those who earn this degree can work in positions such as dance performance and choreography, film and theatre direction, talent management, and the entertainment industry business, to name a few.

Some students choose to minor in performing arts and major in business or English. This will give them a fundamental background in a subject area of interest, while establishing skills more suited to a non-performance career. For example, individuals who wish to write screenplays would more likely major in English, and take courses that would show how to create screenplays and how the writing would translate to the stage.

Some of the top performing arts schools include American Conservatory Theater, The Actors Studio at Pace University, Carnegie Mellon, Calarts, and DePaul. These schools have supplied the entertainment industry with some of the best performers of the past and present. Students have to work very hard to be accepted to a top school, and continue laboring to perfect their art, and earn their performing arts degree if they are accepted. Students should research schools very carefully when applying, as location, course offerings, and internships or partnerships decide how much weight earning a degree will carry.

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Contemporary Ghanaian Performing Arts

Contemporary Ghanaian performing arts have been influenced by foreign culture, technology, and education. It is a synergy of the indigenous performing arts with the Western cultural forms of performing arts. There are three main forms of performing arts practiced by the Ghanaians today. These are music, dance, and drama.

Music

Ghanaian contemporary music has been influenced by foreign music styles and concepts though there is not a total eradication of the indigenous music styles. Some contemporary Ghanaian musicians blend the indigenous and foreign music styles in composing their songs. The foreign music styles that have influenced Ghanaian music today include jazz, pop music, Blues, Rock and Roll, Reggae, Ragga, R&B, Indian and Arabic songs. Contemporary Ghanaian music includes highlife which has more of the indigenous music elements, the hip-life which fuses slow lyric choruses with Ragga or rap music. Currently, there is the hip-pop music that is an exact rendition of the Western style of music though the lyrics and language are mostly Ghanaian in nature. There is also the church or choral music, brass band music, regimental or military music as well as the classical music.

Several foreign musical instruments are used hand in hand with the indigenous musical instruments. These include guitars, pianos, trumpets like the saxophone, foreign drums, cymbals etc. Unlike indigenous Ghanaian music, contemporary Ghanaian music is recorded in high technological recording studios where other artificial elements are added to the originally composed music to bring it to foreign standards. They are then copied on Compact Disks, DVD’S, VCD’S, EVD’S etc.
Contemporary Ghanaian music is played at theatres, church services, parties, concerts, dance halls, and parks. They are played during religious services to enhance praises and worship. They are also played during social functions like marriage feasts, sporting activities and the like to entertain those in attendance. During workshops, talks, and seminars, music is played to relieve stress and boredom during intermissions of the program. They are played to boost the morale of competitors in various forms of competitions. Others are played to educate us on morality, patriotism and nationalism. There are various music contest and competitions held in Ghana to promote music. These include TV3 Mentor, X-Factor, etc.

Popular contemporary Ghanaian music stars include Dr. Ephraim Amu who composed various Coral songs for the Ghanaian community. Others include Agya Koo Nimo, Cindy Thompson, Yaw Sarpong, Daddy Lumba, Kojo Antwi, Nana Acheampong, Obrafo, Sarkodie etc.

Dance

Contemporary Ghanaian dance, like music, has been influenced by foreign dance styles. Some of these foreign dance styles include cracking, electric boogie etc. Dance is performed to entertain people and to express their sentiments towards one another. Contemporary Ghanaian dance forms include quickstep, mambo, waltz, foxtrot, salsa, boogie, cha-cha-cha, robot movement, twist, break and now, Azonto. These dance styles are performed at various functions such as church, weddings, funerals, parties, durbars, and festivals etc. Several dance competitions are held today in Ghana to promote dancing such as the Malta Guinness Street Dance contest. Dancing is now a very lucrative enterprise in contemporary Ghana.

Drama

Contemporary Ghanaian drama is performed on a stage in a theatre. Unlike the indigenous Ghanaian drama where the audience sometimes interact with the audience while the performance is in season, contemporary Ghanaian drama is performed uninterrupted by the actors and actresses who play the various roles in the story depicted in the performance. The audience, however, participates by clapping, booing and shouting in a bid to express their sentiments towards the performance. Contemporary Ghanaian drama includes plays, comedies, operas, and cantatas.

Popular contemporary Ghanaian drama groups include the Abibigroma drama group, the National Dance Ensemble, Osofo Dadzie drama group, Adabraka drama Troupe and the Tsadidi drama group. Popular drama themes in contemporary Ghana include the ‘The Black African Slave Trade, by the National Dance Ensemble, ‘Ananse and the gun man’ by Joe deGraft, ‘The dilemma of a ghost’ by Ama Ataa Aidoo and the celebrated ‘Marriage of Anansewaa’ by Efua Sunderland.

Contemporary Ghanaian drama is staged in churches and mosques to illustrate some Christian themes to educate members about the Christian and Muslim doctrines and the relevance of leading a good moral life in line with the principles and regulations of God. During social gatherings, parties, and festivals, drama is performed to entertain those in attendance. Others are staged to educate the general public on social issues such as healthy living, personal hygiene, laws and norms of the land, patriotism and the like.

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National Center for the Performance Arts

The newly opened National Center for the Performance Arts, formerly named the Chinese National Grand Theatre, is the largest performing art center in the world. It is shaped like a massive, silvery dome in the heart of China’s capital that offers Chinese and international art performances of the highest standards. It hosts opera, ballet, musicals, dance, dramas and traditional Chinese performances.

Situated west of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the National Center for Performance Art occupies an area of over 149,500 square meters. There are three gigantic halls located inside: a 2,416-seat opera house, a 2,017-seat concert hall and a 1,040-seat theater. Its goal is to become the center of Chinese performance art culture. The National Center for the Performing Arts took nearly five years to build at a cost of over 2.69million RMB.

Designed by the famous French architect Paul Andreu, this imposing building is a fine example of modern architecture. It has been thought of as resembling an eggshell, a baozi (Chinese steamed bread), or even a giant bubble. The National Center for Performance Arts has been listed among the top ten architectural miracles by the USA, for its energy-saving and environmentally-sound design. The center has three firsts: it is the largest sky dome in the world, the deepest building in Beijing, and is home to the largest pine organ in Asia. As its prompters have said, the National Center for Performance Arts has a lush dazzling interior, sophisticated acoustics and a design that that is superior to most of Europe’s or America’s performing arts centers. This building is so unique that it stands out amongst the nearby government buildings in central Beijing and the imperial grandeur of the centuries-old Forbidden City.

The interior design of National Center for Performance Arts, it is quite spectacular. The dome’s interior is paneled with long Brazilian mahogany spans, giving the expanse an amazingly warm feeling. While the walls of the theater, the smallest of the performance spaces, are covered in thick padded silk which is divided into red, purple and tangerine strips. The ceiling of the grey-white color-schemed concert hall consists of undulating waves of acoustical panels that resemble abstract art. On the exterior shell of the center, there are over 500 lights that shine like the stars in the sky, making the National Center for Performance Arts looks like a visitor from the outer space.

Even though the exterior appearance of National Centre for Performance Arts is futuristic in design, it does not clash with nearby buildings. Surrounded on one side by a large pool of water, the reflections in the water form an impressive sight day or night. For this reason, National Centre for Performance Arts is said to appear like a “bright pearl resting in a lake.

Most visitors to the National Center for Performance Arts, come for the performances, but there is much more to this beautiful building than just the three gigantic halls. There are also many smaller places located inside the National Center for Performance Arts such as: an underwater hallway, an exhibition hall, olive hall, library center, Press-release hall, souvenir shop, and a coffee house. In these locations, visitors or audience members can enjoy other aspects of this amazing building other than just performances.

The Center’s management has hired the best performers from throughout China to perform. Musicians such as pianist Yundi Li, and Lang Lang are regulars to the National Center for Performance Arts’stage. Many foreign troupes are vying for a chance to perform during the center’s opening season. The first foreign troupe to perform on the stage of the National Center for Performance Art was the Mariinsky Ballet Troup of St. Petersburg(still marketed in the U.S. under its Soviet-era name, the Kirov Opera and Ballet). Although the center’s musical groups,ballets, symphony orchestras, and Chinese opera have received far less attention, they are also performed by some of the best artists in China.

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Performing Arts and Its Branches

Dance, drama and music that are performed in front of many people or audiences are known to belong in performing arts. This type of art is different from plastic arts which only involve several artworks made from different type of materials like clay, paint, wood and metal. These artworks are often created by many artists and are displayed during exhibits but unlike performing arts, the presence of the artists is not required or is not necessary at all. When it comes to performing arts, the artists themselves together with their performances are the ones that the audiences are interested in. These people are then commonly known as performers.

This type of art is not new to the society because this has been around for so many years now. It actually started centuries ago. This type or art is even more common in schools all over the world and it often involves a number of people who all have the passion to please the crowd by showcasing their talents. By wearing a huge variety of costumes, wigs, masks, foot wears and other accessories, an artist becomes/transforms to a totally different person in front of the crowd and then performs.

As mentioned earlier, there are three branches of performing arts – the dance, drama and music. The first type of performing arts is dance which basically refers the movements of the human body using a particular rhythm. Performing a dance is not only intended to please the crowd but it is also a way to express the performer’s sentiments. It is also a way of showing the people different types of cultures or telling them about the history of a certain place. A dance can be in several forms like folk dance, ballet and many more.

Another branch of performing arts is the drama which is mainly about acting in front of the people. In a drama, the performers act out a particular story in order to entertain their audience. Aside from acting, music, dance, sound, speeches and other elements of performing arts are used for the best performance.

And the last branch of performing arts is music. Music does not only refer to the musical instruments or the sounds that they make, it also involves the people who play the instruments and the voices of the people singing. Music basically started several years ago and from then it became one of the most popular ways to entertain people. Usually, there are four things which make music complete – the pitch, rhythm, dynamic and the timbre.

Each of the branches of performing arts plays a very important role in the entertainment world. All these things make performing arts complete and very interesting. Not only because it is a very good way to entertain people but because this is also a way for other people to see the skills and talents of the performers. It is also a very good way to let the whole world know on what are the things that the performers can do and offer.

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