Psychology Essays (UOP)

Span/110 Cultural Similarities and Differences in the Arts Paper

Cultural Similarities and Differences in the Arts Paper

Team B

Span/110

11/30/2015

Introduction

Cultures play a vital part in countries around the world. This paper will go into the various similarities along with the difference between two Spanish-speaking countries known as Cuba and Peru. Did you know that the word chivo in Peru and many other Spanish speaking countries it means a young goat, yet in Cuba it refers to the term cheat sheet? This can also be the same for esposas which in Cuba means handcuffs but in Peru it refers to wives or mistresses. These countries each have their views on cultural customs, such as how they view family and their beliefs, which will shine a light on how these shape their cultural beliefs. This paper will also highlight how both of these countries view the arts. These arts are known as music, dance, visual arts, and also theater.

Dance and Music

Cubans express themselves frequently through music, and dance which are a cultural heritage. Many Cuban's dance and enjoys performing at parties and for the occasional torrist. Afro-Cuban music is a corner street performance along with living rooms all over the island. Cuba is known worldwide for the National Ballet of Cuba which is supported by public funds, this is so it may be accessible to all citizens, each performance costing around twenty-five cents.

Since pre-Hispanic times, in Peruvian society music and dance have always played a vital role in culture. Ancient Peruvians used random items like sea shells, and animal bones to produce sounds. Panpipes or zampoñas, terracotta trumpets and pututos were some musical instruments used in ancient Peru. Today Peru has a varied folklore and a wide diversity of dancing and music that combines genres with Hispanic influence, as well as modern style that have adapted to the tastes of larger social groups.

Theater

There are similarities between Peru and Cuba when it comes to theater. Both countries have used the drama to share stories of religion with others and those stories incorporated drama, dance, and singing.

For Peru "the 14th century saw a stronghold of religious dramas used to educate the Amerindians ("Peru Theatre", 2011)." The Inca used the practice of drama and theatrics in their religious celebrations; therefore, the new settlers used those same methods to communicate the religion of Christianity to the Inca people. Early settlers from Spain shared their love of theatrical performance that in 1568 the first play shown in Peru's history was performed in the San Pedro Plaza in Lima. Theater in Peru developed in the 1940's as they developed away from the folklore and foreign plays and mostly focused on contemporary Peruvian issues. Many playwrights and directors emerged in the 1970's and by the end of the 20th century the Peru theatre season would see many plays and plenty of small venues for the different theatre groups ("Peru Theatre", 2011). The main theatre today is located in Lima, and it is called the Gran Teatro Nacional del Peru also known as the Grand National Theater of Peru. The great multi-purpose theatre and concert hall had all the latest technology and used for a range of performances from operas, concerts, ballets and Broadway show ("Grand National Theater of Peru", 2015).

Theatre in Cuba was also started with religious ceremonies that expressed their culture including singing, dancing and oral traditions. The Spanish also brought with them their festivities that consisted of religious dramas along with dance and song. The first appearance of theatre in Cuba made its presence between 1730 and 1733 and by 1775, El Coliseum, the first theater on the Island was born. Contemporary theaters began to emerge starting in the 1800's and by 1838 a new theater that was described as one of the best in the world: the Tacón Theater known as the García Lorca today was built. Two companies appeared soon after the Teatro El Público and Argos Teatro who proved to be the most solid theatrical companies. Now theater can be found not only in Havana but all over Cuba with success in sometimes and others not so successful but playwrights and directors continue to work towards the right path to keep theatre alive (Atkins, 2006).

Visual Arts

Cuba and Peru are beautiful countries with different cultures of arts as well as the Spanish language. Visual Arts from these two countries have one thing in common, and that's the boldness of color and style as well as the views of their way of life and the language it speaks through the Artwork. Cuban visual art is more of a diverse cultural blend of African, European, North American and South American style as well as a design that reflects the differences of the demographics of the Island. Cuban artist embraces their European modernism and the early parts of the 20th century with the growth of the Cuban vanguardism movements.

Peruvian Visual art has origins from the Andean civilizations. Their art has many origins. Peru's early art came from the Cupisnique culture, and it concentrated on the Pacific coast and Chevin culture. During the Inca civilization, it was more of art through relics and architectural design that I believe still are in place today. Peruvian sculpture and paintings began to define themselves by the monks that were around through the early periods that influenced the culture of life and art that was expressed and still is through Peruvian Artwork.

Conclusion

In conclusion Cuba and Peru, each offers different cultures. They have similarities and differences like how just words spelled in the same manner can have a different meaning in certain parts of the countries. Music and dance have been used for centuries to tell stories and to bring entertainment to both places and is a way for many to be expressive. The same can be said for the theater. It is a way to tell stories of their cultural past. Visual Arts again is a way for those to be expressive and show life and beliefs through a different outlet without words. Even though there is a common language barrier between Cuba and Peru, there are cultural differences as well.

References

Grand National Theater of Peru. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.limaeasy.com/have-fun-in-lima/theaters-in-lima/grand-national-theater-of-peru

Peru Theatre. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.whatlatinamerica.com/latin-theatre/peru-theatre.html

Atkins, M. (2006). The Theater in Cuba: past and present. Retrieved from