[When it rains, it pours: After a slow month here at Foot in Mouth, my contributors have both sent me posts. So, after reading this one, keep reading! You know how I've been harping on the need for context in criticism--that without it we confine dance to specialists and fanatics? Well, here--this present from my friend and colleague Paul Parish, of Berkeley, about "The Nutcracker's" place in the … [Read more...]
Archives for December 2006
Eva responds to Clare Byrne: Yes! to art that sheds our usual selves
Clare Byrne's November 29 letter to this blog deeply resonates with me, and I look forward to partaking of the sacraments and rituals she and other dance artists will be creating in the coming years. She asserts a number of things that I know in my gut to be true: that dance "plucks our very flesh-and-spirit lifestrings" and that on a cellular--and I believe, spiritual--level, observers dance with … [Read more...]
Apollinaire: neighbors Doug and John over at Diacritical
Finally I understand why we call it a blogosphere. Because it goes around and around. When, a few days ago, I searched the Internet for other responses to the Time Out critics survey, what did I find but a bunch of posts that linked back to me. I could have cut my search time in half by just googling myself. That said, my Artsjournal neighbor Douglas McLennan has been raising all sorts of … [Read more...]
Apollinaire: the critics of the critics of the critics
The arts consultant who goes by the alias "August Savage" wanted to know whether others have complained about the Time Out New York issue Judgement Day, in which artists, arts publicists, and artistic directors rated New York arts critics. So I went a-googling. August will be happy to learn that though people may not agree over whether there's any point to the exercise in the first place, they are … [Read more...]
An arts consultant responds: The Time Out survey is “deplorable”
Appi, I read your blog on the recent TONY article rating critics. I want to say congratulations on writing about the survey and am surprised others have not done so. What a sham of a poll! Though I agree with some of the comments on the critics who made the list, there seems a clear agenda, with results skewed towards TONY readership. For example, the person designated top food critic writes the … [Read more...]
Apollinaire: the critics critiqued (with new, incendiary commentary!)
Time Out New York's current issue is devoted to critiquing the critics. Artists, curators, and publicists weigh in on reviewers in all fields: books, theater, dance, art, etc. I think the idea is GREAT, its execution less so. First, though, this full disclosure: they included ME! [Insert jig around the apartment here.] And no one said anything mean about me! So, seriously, how much can I … [Read more...]
Apollinaire: We interrupt this program…
... to tell you about a program: choreographer Mark Morris interviewed about his "Mozart Dances," which premiered this August at the Mostly Mozart Festival, on the BBC program Close-Up. They interviewed me and the wonderful dance critic Nancy Dalva (me, her, me--about 5 minutes into the 30-minute radio piece, for a couple of minutes; it was interesting, and nervewracking, to be in the … [Read more...]