Lesley Stahl does a 13-minute segment on the star choreographer. (video plus transcript)
Meet The Dancers Who Live And Breathe Martha Graham
“The company features dancers from all over the world who have had varying entry points into the Graham organization. Yet each was pulled in by the force of Graham, who died in 1991 at 96, and by her technique, which is rooted in the breath; movement is initiated in the pelvis and concentrates on the oppositional force of contraction and release.”
Ben Whishaw Promises He’s Not Damaged Like The Characters He Plays
“It’s weird, isn’t it? Because I don’t see myself that way and I’m not that way. But I agree that obviously I’ve played a lot of people like that. I don’t know why it’s come about to be like that.”
‘Car Talk”s Ray Magliozzi Checks Out The Famous Old Cars Of Cuba
“What we saw were beautiful cars. The 1957 Chevy taxi we rode in was beautifully maintained. But it was not original by any means. A lot of cars had Hyundai diesel engines. … That’s part of their ingenuity – to rip out [original] engines and create something more reliable and newer and something you can get parts for.”
Preserving Disappearing Languages By Setting Them As Music
“A growing number of [composers] are turning their attention to languages that are extinct, endangered or particular to tiny groups of speakers in far-flung places with the aim of weaving these enigmatic utterances into musical works that celebrate, memorialize or mourn the languages and the cultures that gave birth to them.”
The Paris Venue That Became A Musical Theatre Powerhouse – What Will Happen To It Now?
Over his 11 years as general director of the Théâtre du Châtelet, Jean-Luc Choplin made the American comédie musicale the heart of his programming, producing one critically praised hit after another, even exporting productions to Broadway and winning Tonys. Next January, Choplin steps down and the Châtelet closes for a 2½-year renovation. What then?
Could Theatre Be The Cure For Ailments Of The Digital World?
“In acting classes, students grapple with the effects of technology on their brains, bodies, and social selves. Cellphones must be turned off and put away. The goal is to disconnect with technology and to connect with one another and themselves.”
16-Foot, 50-Pound Contrabassoon Stolen From Concert Hall
Buffalo Philharmonic musician Martha Malkiewicz returned from a weeklong break to find that her instrument had been taken from atop a row of lockers backstage at Kleinhans Music Hall.
A New Trove Of Letters Reveals A Lot More About A Mysterious Poet
The poet Adrienne Rich’s “radical feminist beliefs had a curiously distancing effect, often thought too blunt, too simplistic. It seems hard for people to imagine that these ideas could be the result of a complex mind, a complicated experience. And like many artists, Rich was wary of those who wanted to connect her work too closely to the shape of her life. When she died, she asked that her friends and family refrain from participating in any full-length biography; many of her archived letters to close friends are sealed until 2050.”
The Woman Who Knows How To Rebuild Syria
“I had no illusions of being the next Zaha Hadid. … Nevertheless, hope is blind, and always manages to find its way into the human heart, mine included.”
The New Jersey Orchestra’s First Woman Music Director Is About To Take The Baton
“Zhang and the orchestra will be playing a mix of Russian and American music this weekend — a program that will obviously getting a bit more scrutiny than was originally intended. ‘We programmed this two years ago — we just thought it was beautiful music. No one thought it would have this much attention at all,’ she said.”
When Should A Great Artist Retire?
“This delicate question hovers over the Metropolitan Opera’s revival of Verdi’s ‘Simon Boccanegra,’ conducted by James Levine and starring Plácido Domingo in the title role.”
Judi Dench Walks Away With An Olivier Theatre Award Record
“No-one has won as many Oliviers for acting since the awards began 40 years ago.
As she collected her award she joked that she was ‘livid’ because she had lost a bet with her grandson.”
Just How Terrifying *Are* Our New AI Overlords, Or Servants, Or Whatever They Are?
“As they grow smarter and more capable, they will routinely surprise us by making our lives easier, and we’ll steadily become more reliant on them. Even as many of us continue to treat these bots as toys and novelties, they are on their way to becoming our primary gateways to all sorts of goods, services, and information, both public and personal.”
A Guy Stacked His Books All Over Manhattan To See Who Would Take Them
“Would people ignore the stacks, bump into them, see them as pile of rubbish? He has no idea what the immediate reactions have been, because he doesn’t stick around.”
The Cellist Who Serves As Putin’s Best Friend – And Helpful Money Launderer
“A few weeks later Roldugin told a New York Times reporter that he ‘didn’t have millions’. This may have been modesty. Or it may be that he is unaware of what is being done in his name. It was certainly untrue. The documents suggest, however, Roldugin may have been playing a passive role – he did not even have personal control of the account.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs For 04.03.16
Another Magazine Puts the Met Under the Microscope, Unfortunately
The Metropolitan Museum wanted attention this spring, this year, what with the opening of the Met Breuer–and it’s sure getting it. Another magazine has had its crack at interpreting the Met’s renewed attention to contemporary… … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear ArtsPublished 2016-04-03
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What Is Greatness? – Six Highlights From This Week’s ArtsJournal 04.03.16
A number of stories this week tackled the meaning of greatness in art (even if they didn’t explicitly frame it that way). A changing culture requires changing definitions of greatness, but defining “great” has often been problematic.
Who Won Big At The Olivier Awards?
Lin-Manuel Miranda, as a matter of fact – but not for Hamilton. (Full list of winners at the link.)
What ‘French Cinema’ Means In An Era Of Migrants And Refugees
“I had this idea of people coming to France who had no connection with the old colonial empire, so had no reference points in terms of language or culture.”
The Most Overlooked Pop Art Icon In The U.S. Was A Peace-Loving Nun Forced Out Of Her Order By The Archdiocese
Corita Kent, at the time Sister Mary Corita, “used the 1960s’ social and cultural revolutions as the catalyst for her messages about hope and love, drawing inspiration from scripture, pop culture and contemporary logos.”
Women-Only Art Shows Are Back
“While some artists are ambivalent about being viewed through the lens of gender, the all-women’s group show, which fell out of favor in the ’80s and ’90s, is flourishing again. At least a dozen galleries and museums are featuring women-themed surveys, a surge curators and gallerists say is shining a light on neglected artists, resuscitating some careers and raising the commercial potential of others.”