Investigating more than 70 key concepts relating to the performing arts in more than six non-European languages, this volume provides a groundbreaking research tool and one-of-a-kind reference source for theatre, performance and dance studies worldwide.

The Companion features in-depth explorations of and expert introductions to a select number of performance-related key concepts in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Yorùbá as well as the Indian languages Sanskrit, Hindi and Tamil. Key concepts—such as Furǧa فرجة in Arabic, for example, or Jiadingxing 假定性 in Chinese, Gei 芸 in Japanese, Ìparadà in Yorùbá and Imyeon 이면 in Korean—that defy easy translation from one language to another (and especially into English as the world’s lingua franca) and that reflect culturally specific ways of thinking and talking about the performing arts are thoroughly examined in in-depth articles. Written by more than 60 distinguished scholars from around the globe, the articles describe in detail each concept’s dynamic history, its flexible scope of meaning and current range of usage. The Companion also includes extensive introductions to each language section, in which internationally renowned experts explain how the presented key concepts are situated within, and are constitutive of, distinct and dynamic epistemic systems that have different yet always interlinked histories and orientations.

Further information can be found on the publisher’s website.

Torsten Jost, a co-editor of the book, is a member of EXC Research Area 2 ‘Travelling Matters.’ His research project explores the material, intermedial, and interlingual foundations and dynamics in the formation processes of historical and contemporary discourses on ‘spectating as an epistemic practice.’ The other co-editors, Erika Fischer-Lichte and Astrid Schenka, are from the former International Research Center 'Interweaving Performance Cultures' at Freie Universität Berlin.