- Terpsichore
:"For the
fern genus , see "Terpsichore (fern) .In
Greek mythology , Terpsichore (pronEng|tərpˈsɪkəri) (Τερψιχόρη) "delight of dancing" was one of the nineMuses , ruling overdance and the dramatic chorus. She lends her name to the word "terpsichorean" which means "of or relating to dance". She is usually depicted sitting down, holding alyre , accompanying with her music to the dancers' choirs. She is sometimes said to be the mother of theSiren s byAchelous . Her name comes from the Greek words τέρπω ("delight") and χoρός ("dance").Historical references
*Terpsichore figures among her sisters in
Hesiod 'sTheogony .
*"Terpsichore" is the title of a large collection of dance tunes collected byMichael Praetorius , some originating withPierre-Francisque Caroubel .
*Terpsichore is also found inCouperin 's "Second Ordre" from the "Pieces de clavecin".
*Terpsichore is also found in the third version (HWV 8c) ofHandel 's operaIl pastor fido . This opera is sometimes referred to as "Terpsicore and Il pastor fido".Popular culture
*Terpsichore is the title of the first EP by popular Italian electronic artist
Gadi Sassoon , best known asMemory9 .
*Terpsichore is the name of the elite dance group atKnox College .
*Terpsichord is the name of the elite dance group atGirls Preparatory School inChattanooga ,Tennessee .
*Terpsichore is the name of the premiere all-femalea cappella group atBoston University .
*Terpsichore is the name of a street in uptownNew Orleans .
*Terpsichore is mentioned in the lyrics to the song "Come Dance With Me" written bySammy Cahn andJimmy Van Heusen forFrank Sinatra .
*Terpsichore is the name of a work of music for Wind Ensemble byBob Margolis .
*Terpsichore was portrayed byRita Hayworth in the 1947 film "Down to Earth".
*Her name is also used as one of the weapons inSoul Calibur III . The dancer class's third weapon is called the "terpsichore".
*TheJohn Cleese character inMonty Python 'sCheese Shop sketch claims "I am one who delights in all manifestations of the Terpsichorean muse."
*In Frank Zappa's song 'Mudd Club', a line goes "Parametric digital whole-wheat inter-faithGeo-thermal terpsichorean ejectamenta", whatever that means.
*The Jellicle Cats inT. S. Eliot 's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats " and inAndrew Lloyd Webber 's "Cats" musical are said to have "terpsichorean powers" which they reserve "to dance by the light of the Jellicle Moon".
*Tony Award winnerLaChanze provided the voice for the muse Terpsichore inWalt Disney Pictures film "Hercules".
*InDaniel Quinn 's "My Ishmael ", the fictional planet Terpischore is a land ravished by dancing, with dancing paralleling the rise of agriculture on Earth. Dancing (in an unspecified manner) speeds up the growth of the natives' "favorite foods."
*Kurt Vonnegut 's character Rabo Karabekian briefly makes reference to Terpsichore in Bluebeard (1987).
*In the anime seriesCowboy Bebop two characters' names are taken from the muse; Valeria Terpsichore and her unseen, but alluded to, husband Ural Terpsichore.
*In the movie Xanadu (1980),Olivia Newton John plays the embodied muse Terpsichore (aka: "Kira"). She lends her inspiration to a dance club/nightspot called "Xanadu". At the end of the film, she and her sister muses leave, their work done, in the same way they arrived.
*Terpsichorean was a popular adjective in Victorianmusic hall hyperbole . The long-runningBBC TV series "The Good Old Days " recreated this style, withLeonard Sachs as a compère with a notable fondness for the word.
*In theChina Miéville book "The Scar ", the main characters travel on a ship called the Terpsichoria.
*Another reference in popular culture to the term "terpsichorean" is from Frank Zappa's "You Are What You Is" album, from the song "Mudd Club". Included herewith is the following lyric, "And all of the rest for whom to which to when so ever partially indeterminite biochemical degradation seek the path to the sudsy yellow nozzle of their foaming nocturnal parametric digital whole wheat interfaith geothermal terpsochorean ejectomenta".
*In the Broadway MusicalXanadu , Terpsichore is played by Andre Ward
*In the filmTopsy Turvy byMike Leigh the learning of the Japanese movements is referred to as terpsichory
*Terpsichore (TERP) is the name of a patent pending wireless broadcast system for designing, directing, and driving human movement without rehearsal created by choreographer Patrice. M. Regnier.
*(81) Terpsichore is the name of a 119km diameter minor planet (asteroid).
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