Since the advent of films in the early 1900s, theatres have been trying to optimize their viewing quality. During the 1920s, movie producers began to incorporate silver because of its reflective qualities, which delivered a better image. Eventually, the use of silver lenticular screens would fall out of fashion as alternatives became available. But because of the early prevalence of …

Zorro is a charismatic legend, which changed through 90 years of cinema. Zorro’s origin lies in Baroness Orczy’s 1905 novel ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’, where the hero helped scores of French aristocrats escape from France and avoid the guillotine. Johnston Mc-Culley first introduced the character of Zorro. In 1920, Douglas Fairbanks Sr brought fame to McCulley, by starring as Don Diego …

It is a spectacular dance with several dancers wearing bright, colourful costumes, accompanied by merry music. It is always held in open terrain, such as a square, street etc. This dance is a traditional art form combined with a magical show or trance dance. The Reog dates back to the Hindu period in East Java in Indonesia.

The Peking Opera, which originated in the late 18th century, is a synthesis of music, dance, art and acrobatics. It is the most influential of all operas in China, and can be divided into ‘civil’ pieces characterized by singing, and ‘martial’ ones featuring acrobatics and stunts. Some operas are a combination of both. The operatic dialogues and monologues are recited …

The circus can be dated to ancient Egypt. It started with the exhibiting of exotic animals. As armies conquered distant lands, they would bring the animals back to entertain crowds. So the start of the circus went hand-in-glove with empire-building. The term is derived from the ring or circle in which rope-dancers, jugglers and acrobats performed. The displays were supplemented …

The horo is a folk dance in which participants form a circle or a straight line while holding hands. They perform special step patterns – hops, leaps, crossing of the feet, going forward, going backward – which are repeated according to the musical accompaniment. The dance is found only in the Balkan Peninsula in the far southeastern part of Europe. …

Flamenco is a form of dance and music practised in Spain. It evolved over gypsy, Moorish and Latin American influences, the latter being the effect of its colonization of the American continent for four centuries. It combines instrumental music and dance in three settings, namely, small scale cabaret, concerts and theatres. It may use flute or saxophone, or guitars and …

The Betawi dance form or ‘Topeng Betawi’ is an art form of the people living in Java and Bali in Indonesia. The name comes from Batavia, the old Dutch name for the city of Jakarta. It can be used to describe both theatre and dance, with the performers sometimes wearing masks. A performance can include a mix of dialogue, song, …

Benga is the predominant style of popular music in Kenya performed in Swahili. It combines indigenous dance rhythms with guitar music. Daniel Owino Misiani was a musician from Kenya and was known as the “the grandfather of Benga”. In 1989, D O Misiani and Shirati Band produced an album called Benga Blast! This was a compilation of older material and …

Located in Yokohama, Japan, the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise is an amusement park consisting of an aquarium, mall, hotel, marina and amusement rides. Also known as the ‘Aqua Museum’, it has thousands of varieties fish and other aquatic life forms, rides featuring sea animals, besides exotic gardens. It is a top attraction in Yokohama, besting even the temples and zoological gardens …