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Delaney, Shelagh

(Encyclopedia)Delaney, Shelagh shēˈlə [key], 1939–, English playwright, b. Salford, Lancashire. Her first play, written when she was only 17, was A Taste of Honey (1958), about a young working-class girl who r...

saraband

(Encyclopedia)saraband sârˈəbănd [key], dance of Asian origin that first appeared in Spain in the 16th cent. At that time it was characterized by alternate 3–4 and 3–8 meter and was accompanied by castanets...

Vitus, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Vitus, Saint vīˈtəs [key], 4th cent.?, Sicilian martyr. Vitus is invoked against diseases including epilipsy, nervous disorders, and St. Vitus' Dance (Sydenham's chorea). He is one of the Fourteen ...

castanets

(Encyclopedia)castanets kăsˌtənĕtsˈ [key], percussion instruments known to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, possibly of Middle Eastern origin, now used primarily in Spanish dance music or imitations of it. Th...

Lingelbach, Johannes

(Encyclopedia)Lingelbach, Johannes yōhäˈnəs lĭngˈəlbäkhˌ [key], 1622–74, Dutch genre and landscape painter, b. Frankfurt am Main. He first went to Amsterdam in 1637 and settled there about 16 years later...

minuet

(Encyclopedia)minuet mĭnyo͞oĕtˈ [key], French dance, originally from Poitou, introduced at the court of Louis XIV in 1650. It became popular during the 17th and 18th cent. In 3–4 meter and moderate tempo, the...

Mahotella Queens

(Encyclopedia)Mahotella Queens mäˌhətĕlˈə [key], South African vocal group formed in 1964 by songwriter Robert Bopape. One of the most popular dance bands in South Africa, they often perform with the support ...

Danilova, Alexandra

(Encyclopedia)Danilova, Alexandra dänēˈlōvä [key], 1904?–97, Russian-American ballerina. She entered (1923) the Imperial Ballet School, St. Petersburg, was a member (1924–29) of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes,...

Rethel, Alfred

(Encyclopedia)Rethel, Alfred älˈfrĕt rāˈtəl [key], 1816–59, German historical painter and draftsman. He gained a reputation in Frankfurt, where he painted Daniel in the Lions' Den and Guardian Angel of Empe...

Bennett, Michael

(Encyclopedia)Bennett, Michael, 1943–87, American dancer and choreographer, b. Buffalo, N.Y. He appeared in West Side Story and Subways Are for Sleeping. During the 1970s, he was one of the most successful direct...