Bios
Mates, I’m in a big trouble. What does “bios” mean? It must be a Latin word, right? (And I tell you it has nothing to do with computer’s BIOS.) i.e. “...enablig the performer’s “presens” or scenic bios to attract the spectator’s attention...” [Eugenio Barba, The Paper Canoe: A Guide to Theatre Anthropology, p. 9. bios is Italic in the original text] you can check this as well.
I'll save you! :D
It's the Greek word for "life." You can see it used, for example, in the phrase "skene pas ho bios," or "Life is a stage." The writer of the article was trying to sound over-educated, and succeeding rather markedly.
(Since when did this become "Pain in the Non-English?" Ha, ha.)
speedwell2 Dec-07-2004
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Well Speedius,
So we can just simply say "scenic life" instead of "scenic bios" and not be marked as hillbilly, right?
goossun Dec-12-2004
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I got the impression that the writer was trying to use it in some specialized sense, but I didn't get the impression that he was using it in a well-understood sense (like a technical term). My best guess is that he was trying to "fudge" a specialized meaning out of the word. If I was editing the passage, I would ask if the author meant to refer to the performer's "presence," or to a certain convincingly realistic quality in the performance.
speedwell2 Dec-13-2004
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P.S. The proper Latin for "Speedwell" is "Veronica spp."
speedwell2 Dec-13-2004
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Here is a possibility:
bio - abbreviation for biography (plural bios) - a short description of a person's career
Example: "The company web site includes bios for the management team."
thomas2 Dec-16-2004
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No, no, no, Thomas! You better read the post and other comments before answering.
goossun Dec-17-2004
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You just need to read the earlier paragraphs to know what this means
"These new tensions generate a different energy quality, they render the body theatrically "decided", "alive", "believable" and manifest the performer's "presence", or scenic bios, attracting the spectator's attention before any form of message is transmitted. This, of course, is a matter of a logical, and not chronological before."
This sentence and the preceeding ones indicate this means how the performer is carrying himself—his posture, etc.
Ruth_Ebeling Jan-03-2005
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Ruth, I know theatre. I didn't know Latin! ;-)Thanks anyway.
goossun Jan-03-2005
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I need info on Barba's training. All the stuff about balance and space gets confusing after a while
aima3 Apr-13-2005
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Aima Akhazemea, you gotta read Barba's books then. And see some of the videos fron Odin Teatret.
goossun Apr-13-2005
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