W pogoni za bykiem. Fenomen corrida de toros

The corrida de toros, or bullfighting in the plaza de toros, belongs in Spain to the tauromachia tradition (from Greek tauros - bull, and mache - battle). According to the fairly numerous groups of opponents of the corrida, this tradition should be de-legalised instantly and unconditionally, but there are still enthusiasts who view the historical, tauromachic elements of Spanish culture, particularly the corrida, as a cultural good, an artistic preformance conveying special content. In the case of the corrida all the elements defining a performance can be detected: a specific place, a set time frame, a beginning and an end, an ordered course of action, a group of performers (the team of toreadors and the bull) and a public (the aficionados). If we ignore themost controversial moment of the play - the real death of the bull - in essence such elements as the stage sets, the actors, the costumes, the props, the gestures, the steps, the bows, the applause and the spectators bring the corrida de toros spectacle within the sphere of art.