Archive for June, 2021

Performing Arts Degree Programs

June 4th, 2021

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.

National Center for the Performance Arts

June 4th, 2021

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.

To allow each audience to fully and comfortably appreciate each performance, the National Center for Performance Arts has makes great effort in its design of the opera house, concert hall and theater. The materials used in the construction of the opera house were chosen for their ability to control sound. The ceiling of the concert hall is designed so that each audience member will enjoy an unforgettable experience. The theatre, the place with the most distinctive Chinese characteristic, has the most advanced stage facilities and the largest auditorium. Each seat in the National Center for Performance Arts is placed over an air vent which will allow each audience member to enjoy perfectly controlled temperatures, and each seat is designed with a muffling devise so that no sound will be made when audience members stand up,or sit down. These many different features of the center has been put in place to insure each audience member will receive the most from each performance they see.