I’ve been wondering if we’re not just kidding ourselves, either from our comfy seats or in our onstage ‘we take risks’ rhetoric. What does it take to make truly radical work, that builds on the past, and that opens up genuinely new spaces?
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In the Roman Arena a highly crafted skill was to severe an opponent's head and have it land so precisely it would form the dot of the 'i' in the word 'Caligula', written in blood in the sand.
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Elite (noun): A small group of people within a larger group who have more power, social standing, wealth, or talent than the rest of the group.
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The proudly masturbating Emperor Tiberius would shoot his sperm down upon the heads of sex-crazed spectators sat around and beneath him in the amphitheatre.
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Elite (adjective):
Belonging to an elite, especially in being more talented, or highly trained than the rest, with a membership that is restricted, especially to the rich or privileged.
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Welcome to Equity, the UK Trade Union for professional performers and other creative workers from across the spectrum of the entertainment, creative and cultural industries. Equity helps you can get involved in helping theatres and companies at risk.
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A public Roman atrocity was to cut off the hands and feet of a person and leave them to die slowly. The Gauls would publicly kill with a stab wound to the chest and then foretell the future from the convulsions of limbs and the pouring of blood.
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Four horses were tied to the limbs of a poor soul, then forced to gallop away so quartering the victim. Foucault asserts that when spectacle ceased to be performed in public the formation of institutional imprisonment filled the void.
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Bourgeois (adjective):
According to Marxist theory, relating to the social class that owns most of the wealth and is regarded as exploiting the working class. Typical of affluent middle-class people, who are often characterised as conventional, conservative, or materialistic in outlook.
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The first recorded gladiator fight occurred in 264 B.C., but, in all likelihood, the roots of the contest date back to a much older tradition - the Etruscan tradition of sacrifice. The Romans called the games munera literally meaning "duties" or "obligations".
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This notion of ‘duty’ suggests that the first "gladiators" were really just slaves who were sacrificed at the tomb of a recently-deceased noble. In many cultures, blood is believed to be the distillation of the life force. Thus, the sacrifice of slaves at a funeral was essentially a ceremony through which the living gave blood to the dead.
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Diversion (noun):
A mock attack aimed at drawing enemy attention and troops away from the place of the intended main attack.
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Heliogabalus was one of the most reviled Roman emperors to early historians. Edward Gibbon wrote that he "abandoned himself to the grossest pleasures and is branded in history above all others" because of his "unspeakably disgusting life.” Apparently the Emperor’s effeminacy was proof he was unfit to rule.
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The Romans were quick to realise the political potential of the munera. By sponsoring the games ambitious nobles could solicit votes. There was only one problem: the games were still associated with funerals. Thus, it was only a question of time before the games became secularised.
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Distraction (noun):
1 - Something that interferes with concentration or takes attention away from something else.
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The Roman games had other uses. They were still good PR. Moreover, one must not overlook the fact that these spectacles were an important stimulus for the economy. There were also certain "diplomatic" merits.
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Distraction (noun):
2 - Something providing entertainment or amusement, especially something that takes the mind off work or worries and helps relaxation
3 - A state of great mental or emotional upset.
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The Olympic Games bring people together in peace to respect universal moral principles. The London Games will feature athletes from all over the world and help promote the Olympic spirit. Register now for Games-related tenders and London 2012 contract opportunities.
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What does it take to make truly radical work, that builds on the past, and that opens up genuinely new spaces?
Renegade (noun):
Somebody who abandons previously held beliefs, or indeed loyalties.
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