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500 BCE
Ancient greece and Rome
The first theaters are formed in ancient Greece and Rome as well as the first incorporation of choreography into plays by Euripides. This is incredibly significant because this was the very beginning of performance art in the world that we know. -
1576
The first theatre
The Theatre, the first commercial theater in the world opens in London, England by the English actor and entrepreneur James Burbage, father of the great actor and friend of Shakespeare. -
Shakespeare
The first reference to Shakespeare as a London playwright came in 1592,but in ths year the company had performed the classic Shakespeare plays Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. -
The first broadway show
The Elves was the first ever long run musical that played in New York as it played for 50 performances. Other long-run entertainments include The Seven Sisters, a musical burletta by Laura Keene. What can be considered the modern musical, with dance and original music, did not appear on Broadway until 1866 with the opening of The Black Crook. -
Swan Lake
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake was composed in 1875 after he received a commission from Vladimir Petrovich Begichev, the intendant of Moscow's Russian Imperial Theatres. -
Modern dance
Martha Graham, the American pioneer of the modern-dance revolt, gives her first New York performance, which features 18 barefoot, evocatively costumed dancers. -
Dance Theatre of Harlem
The first major ballet company to prioritize black dancers. It was founded by Arthur *Mitchell, who was himself a principal dancer with New York City Ballet during the 1950s and 1960s and who, after the assassination of Martin Luther King -
Odin teatret
Odin Teatret was founded in Oslo, Norway, in 1964. Previously, its director and
founder, Eugenio Barba, had spent four years in Poland, three of which with
Jerzy Grotowski at his “Theatre of 13 Rows” in Opole, later renamed TeatrLaboratorium. -
National Endowment for the Arts
United States Congress creates the National Endowment for the Arts. This is “an independent federal agency that funds and promotes artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities -
Cique du soleil
Originally composed of 20 street performers in 1984, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group completely reinvented circus arts and went on to become a world leader in live entertainment. Established in Montreal, the Canadian organization has brought wonder and delight to over 180 million spectators with productions presented in 450 cities in 60 countries.
