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In ancient Greek drama, the chorus was a significant group of performers (usually 15 or 25), originally the main participants, whose singing and dancing played a major function in the production, either by commenting on or advancing the action of the major characters. Their performances took up between a third and a half of the total action, and contributed greatly to the mood and spectacle of the show as a whole. In later Western drama, the term was used to describe an individual who addresses the audience directly, often as a prologue, scene setter, or commentator on the action. Its most common contemporary usage is to describe a group of singers or dancers in music theatre who perform collectively. TRG SS
Further reading Oliver Taplin, Greek Tragedy in Action. |
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