"(With performers) wearing colourful inflated suits and roaming across streets, parks and city centres, La Grande Phrase (The Big Phrase) is a dance-work series by Montpellier-based Campagnie Didier Théron that explores ways to upend stereotypes of what a dancer should look like or do." - ArtsHub (Australia)
“We’re not start-ups. We have massive long-term responsibilities. And for that, we really need to have sustainable long-term funding, rather than the short-term injections.” - The Age
The idols themselves are typically made of plain stone or metal alloy, but part of Hindu worship is adorning the statues with clothing, flowers, jewels, and, sometimes, even weapons. Here's a profile of a former computer scientist in Chennai who gave up his career to follow his calling. - AP
Smart Questions are, typically, kind of dumb. And, just as typical, questions that might initially seem dumb or underinformed, or downright unintelligent, are the smartest way to learn stuff if you’re a journalist, an academic, or anybody else. - The Atlantic
Laura Miller: "At its best, (Spare) reads like one of those popular late-1990s novels about British singletons blundering their way out of solipsistic immaturity into self-awareness and true love: if not quite Bridget Jones's Diary, certainly High Fidelity or About a Boy." - Slate
Those voters can never quite decide how much heed to pay to a movie’s popularity or accessibility. That’s how you wind up with absurd best picture races like the one in 2010 between “The Hurt Locker” and “Avatar.” (“The Hurt Locker” won.) - The New York Times
"For many in the indie film world, the drama surrounding Jihad Rehab (now titled The UnRedacted) marks a new status quo. ... (There's) a new, unspoken modus operandi in which festivals — once the bastion of provocative, button-pushing fare — are desperate to avoid controversy and the wrath of any identity-focused Twitter mob." - Variety
Some tech experts argue that the sudden explosion of the bans, coupled with doubts over TikTok’s actual harm, is more a reflection of government groupthink — and an overreaction to an app they don’t entirely understand. - Washington Post
"He is mathematical like Balanchine, but there's more of a lightness, an everyday quality that feels playful, even when the steps are technically arduous. … In honor of this peak Peck moment, we asked Peck and his collaborators to decode his artistic tics." - New York Magazine
"Twenty-two Indigenous dancers move as one in a circle with a man dancing in the middle. They call him 'el general.' Lazaro Arvizu has dedicated his life to promoting Danza Azteca, a spiritual Indigenous tradition from Mexico, in Los Angeles for more than four decades." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
"The United Nations cultural organization is training law enforcement and judiciary officials from countries on Ukraine’s western borders, seeking to prevent the trafficking of looted cultural objects from Ukraine amid Russia’s war against its neighbor." - AP
WNET, one of the flagships of the entire PBS system, will pay $100,000 for WEER, an FM station in Montauk on the eastern tip of Long Island. The WNET Group already owns WLIW television and radio, the established PBS and NPR affiliates on Long Island. (sixth item) - Inside Radio
"(The venue) has told the Philly Pops that unless it immediately comes up with rent from its just-finished holiday run, as well as advance payments for upcoming concerts in February, the Pops will have to vacate the Kimmel and will no longer be allowed to perform there." - The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Actor Alec Baldwin, who fatally shot a cinematographer on the set of the Western movie Rust in 2021, and the film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors said Thursday." - CNN
"Equity is calling for a pay increase of 17% in year one, and a further 10% in year two. Other demands include a five-day rehearsal week as opposed to the current six days, and an increase in holiday entitlement from 28 days to 34." Any walkout would happen around Easter. - BBC
