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As far as the performing arts go, there is perhaps no other continent which provides as much variety as well as intensity of activity as does the continent of Asia. The range of performing arts in the continent is quite staggering. A better appreciation of the performing arts--theatre, music and dance--can be best achieved by examining first the specific genres and distribution patterns for these genres, and then an examination of their performance techniques as well as functions. For the theatre genres several convenient labels such as proto-theatre, dance-theatre, opera and puppet theatre have been adopted. These work quite well for much of the traditonal theatre of Southeast Asia. Asian performing arts can also be examined in terms of whether they are active in the folk stuation, are the beneficiaries of court patronage, function in the popular urban environment, or yet again according to their functions as media for entertainment, education or ritual. The traditional performing arts, and theatre in particular, are not unconnected with the region's literary heritage as well as with its spiritual and religious environment. This site attemps to examine Asian traditional performing arts in such a broader cultural context.