The subject of interest in this paper is the topic of social features of the fashion show, treated as an important ritual and institution of the clothing industry. The first aim of the article is the analysis of the structure of the fashion shows, treated as a specific art form and social organisation; second - an indication of the most important social functions of fashion shows in modern Western societies.

Article is an attempt to approximate the anthropological interpretation of Pamplona’s bull run (encierro) in Spain. Article is based on two main aspects related to the traditions of bullfi ghts: Carmen by Georges Bizet and Basque topic. Based on the analysis of the texts and my own fi eld research I would like to refl ect on whether encierros can be regarded as a theatrical spectacle. For this purpose I will try to indicate the proper theater criteria and ascertain whether they occur in relation to encierros and corrida de toros as well.
 

Self-immolation is understood in this text as a public act of self-sacrifi ce and a type of altruistic suicide. In order to capture its specifi city it seems necessary to employ a compound category of ‘act-performance’ because – on the one hand – it is an act of sacrifi cial suicide, and on the other – it is carried out publicly and demonstratively, like a performance (i.e. with attention to every element of the event, just as happens in other types of public performance). Acts of this type have become a part of the arsenal of peaceful protest activities since the second half of the twentieth century. Th is happened aft er the media publicized act-performance (11 June 1963) of Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Th ích Quảng Ðức, which becomes the main point of focus in this study.

This paper, based on the results of a field research, presents an intercultural folklore festival, along with the world of cultural heritage and folkloristic traditions, as a dynamic and self-updating sociocultural construct, that despite the strong institacutionalization, mythologizing and hegemony still has a large potential for emancipation. This event is not entirely artifi cially created by widely understood experts, activists and leaders of folkloristic movement, according to presumed needs and preferences of festival audiences, but it is also an immanent reality, constantly being created by all participants. It is a metacommentary of contemporary folk actuality, constructed and negotiated in the course of interactions, activities and meaningful social practices which have highly performative character.

Circle dances are observed in various cultures and times. The paper indicates certain social, political and situational contexts of the phenomenon of communal circle dances in remote territories: Catalonia, Balcans, Sakha (Yakutia), Buriatya and USA. The author offers an interpretation of chosen cases in terms of Victor Turner’s concept of communitas. During the communal dances – sardana, corlu mari, yokhor, osuokhai and ghost dance – the idea of community, equality and unity is dominating over social structure divisions and resulting in forming the psychological and social communitas. This is why all analysed circle dances arise in the context of serious menace and destruction of ethnic integrity. Being together in a very literal sense through physical closeness during the same motoric behaviours, common singing produces feeling of power and unifications, reinforcing social identity and affirmation to a group. Circle dances are analysed in association with attempts to preserve group cultural and oft en even biological integrity.

Concheros are one of the most interesting examples of the cultural and religious syncretism of modern Mexico. The main aim of this article is to present the theoretical basis for the possibility of interpretation of this phenomenon and its interpretation in anthropological terms. In this context, the analysis has been subjected to the phenomenon of magic, ritual and cultural memory in relation to danza de la conquista. The authors present a brief history of the tradition of the ritual dance in the colonial and modern communities, trying to understand their meaning and significance as a cultural activity and religious syncretism.