entertainment

See also Entertainment (disambiguation) and The Entertainer (disambiguation)

For a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of entertainment.

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A mime working for tips entertaining crowd in Paris, France

Entertainment is an activity designed to give people a diversion. It is usually conducted in one's free time. An audience may participate in the entertainment passively as in watching opera or a movie, or actively as in games.^[1]

The playing of sports and reading of literature could be considered a form of entertainment, but these are more often called recreation, because they involve some active participation.

The industry that provides entertainment is called the entertainment industry.

Examples of entertainment

Animation

An animated cartoon horse

Animation provides moving images that are generated by an artist, in contrast to the live action normally used in motion pictures. It is typically accompanied by a sound track consisting of recordings of live actors. Animation is often used in computer-based forms of entertainment.

Cartoons are a comedic form of animation.^[2] Anime or TV manga refers to animation originating from Japan in the Occidental use of the word. In Japan the word refers to all animation. It may contain adult themes and futuristic locations.^[3]

Cinema

Cinema provides moving pictures as an art form. Cinema may also be called films or movies.^[4] A film produces an illusion of motion by presenting a series of individual image frames in rapid succession. Films are produced by a crew that handle the cameras, sets and lighting. The cast consists of actors who appear in front of the camera and follow a script. After the film has been shot, it is edited then distributed to theaters or television studios for viewing.

Theatre

Theatre encompasses live performance such as plays, musicals, farces, monologues and pantomimes.

Circus act - fire breather

Circus

Circus acts include acrobats, clowns, trained animals, trapeze acts, hula hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists.^[5]

Comedy

Comedy provides laughter and amusement. The audience is taken by surprise, by the parody or satire of an unexpected effect or an opposite expectations of their cultural beliefs. Slapstick film, one-liner joke, observational humor are forms of comedy which have developed since the early days of jesters and traveling minstrels.^[6]

Comics

Felix the Cat Comic Strip

Comics comprise of text and drawings which convey an entertaining narrative.^[7] Several famous comics revolve around super heroes such as Superman, Batman. Marvel Comics and DC Comics are two publishers of comic books. Manga is the Japanese word for comic and print cartoons.

Caricature is a graphical entertainment. The purpose may vary from merely putting smile on the viewers face, to raising social awareness, to highlighting the moral vices of a person being caricaturised.

Dance

Dancing

Dance refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music,^[8] used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting. Dance includes ballet, cancan, Charleston, Highland fling, folk dance, sun dance, modern dance, polka and many more.^[9]

Reading

Reading comprises the interpretation of written symbols.^[10] An author, poet or playwright sets out a composition for publication to provide education or diversion for the reader. The format includes paperback or hard cover books, magazines, periodicals, puzzle books, crossword magazines and coloring books. Fantasy, horror, science fiction and mystery are forms of reading entertainment.

Games

Playing Bingo

Games provide relaxation and diversion usually following a rule set. Games may be played by one person for their own entertainment, or by a group of people. Games may be played for achievement or money such as gambling or bingo. Racing, chess or checkers may develop physical or mental prowess. Games may be geared for children, or may be played outdoors such as lawn bowling. Equipment may be necessary to play the game such as a deck of cards for card games, or a board and markers for board games such as Monopoly, or backgammon.^[11] A few may be ball games, Blind man's bluff, board games, card games, children's games, croquet, frisbee, hide and seek, number games, paintball, and video games to name a few.

Music

Musical Piece: Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony no. 5 in C minor

Music is an art form combining rhythm, melody, harmony for entertainment, ceremonial or religious purposes.^[12]

Other forms of entertainment

• Concert
• Lecture
• Magic
• Sports
• Mass media
• Revue
• Television
• Radio
• Storytelling

A juggler entertains outdoors in Devizes, Wiltshire, England

See also

Main list: List of basic entertainment topics

Wikipedia:Books has a book on: Entertainment

• Broadway theatre
• History of film
• Leisure
• Escapism
• Literature
• West End theatre

Footnotes

External links

Look up entertainer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Category:Entertainment

• Entertainment at the Open Directory Project