“Hailed by some as the new capoeira, passinho is a lightning-quick dance style that evokes 1980s b-boy battles in the Bronx, as performers push their physical limits in exhilarating head-to-head contests. Within the space of a decade, it has gone from a side attraction within the bailes funk – those raucous, illicit parties that light up Rio’s outer neighbourhoods – to a national phenomenon with primetime TV slots, lucrative sponsorships and star status for a lucky few.”
Orlando Ballet Names Fourth Executive Director In Four Years
Jim Mitchell “served five years as executive director of the Arkansas Arts Council … [and] has direct management experience in every major arts discipline including dance, opera, symphony and theater, as well as capital campaign and strategic planning experience.”
American Schadenfreude (Not Exactly An Oxymoron, But ….)
“What I find interesting is that no such word or phrase exists in American English. … Certainly, there is no piecing together ‘shame’ and ‘joy’ to make ‘shamejoy,’ as in German. Shame and joy are antithetical, distant, never meant to share the same bed. That’s because schadenfreude does not square with America’s national obsession with the comeback story.”
Cultural Divide – Los Angeles Versus San Francisco
“The Bay Area has such a superiority complex that it’s been blinded to the reality of what Los Angeles is really about – and, lately, to just how far San Francisco has moved from its own professed values.”
Harper Lee Withdraws From Deal With Museum
“A settlement between To Kill A Mockingbird author Harper Lee and a museum in her Alabama hometown which used her name on souvenirs has failed.”
On Opera And The Critic’s Responsibility
Anne Midgette: “As the discussion [about critics’ unkind comments about a mezzo’s appearance onstage] continues to rage online, and the glee of the critic-bashers mounts, I feel the need to make three more points” about larger issues involved.
We Now Have A Frontrunner For The Cannes Palme d’Or
Actually, we have any one of three, depending on whom you ask …
Maybe Laughter Really Is The Best Medicine
“Several new studies exploring the effects of laughter are contributing to a fast-growing body of research that finds just how important it is to keeping us happy, healthy, and sane.”
Conductor Franz-Paul Decker, 90
“Possibly the last living musician to have met Richard Strauss” and particularly respected as an orchestra builder, Decker served at various times as the chief conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony, Barcelona Symphony, and New Zealand Symphony Orchestras.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 05.21.14
Bach in a Bar
AJBlog: Creative Destruction | Published 2014-05-22
A performance for the present day
AJBlog: Sandow | Published 2014-05-21
Magnets and Oysters
AJBlog: Engaging Matters | Published 2014-05-21
The Corcoran Saga: Strange, Sad
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-05-21
What Literature and Rock n Roll Have to Say to Each Other
AJBlog: CultureCrash | Published 2014-05-21
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Kids Arrested In Iran For Posting “Happy” Online Are Relesed
“The video showed three men and three unveiled women dancing on the streets and rooftops of Tehran. Pharrell Williams, whose song was nominated for an Oscar earlier this year, had protested at the arrests.”
Orange County Museum Of Art Gets A New Director
“The Newport Beach museum announced that it has named Todd DeShields Smith as its new chief executive and director. Smith has served as executive director of the Tampa Museum of Art in Florida for the last six years.”
Here Are The Popular Culture Words That Finally Made Merriam-Webster Dictionary This Year
“The US encyclopaedia has unveiled a series of terms destined to enter their collegiate dictionary in 2014. Those include many pop-culture phrases including hashtag, catfish, freegan, selfie and steampunk.”
Iran Arrests Kids For Posting “Happy” Video
“The song has sparked similar videos all over the world, with people dancing down streets and smiling in choreographed crowds. But in Iran, some see the trend as promoting the spread of Western culture, as laws in the Islamic Republic ban women from dancing in public or appearing outside without the hijab.”
Arthur Gelb, 90, New York Times Editor And Critic
“By sheer force of personality, [he] was a dominant figure in the newsroom at The New York Times for decades, lifting its metropolitan and arts coverage to new heights.”
‘Imagine A Cross Between ‘Opera News’ And BuzzFeed’
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra musicians’ website, full of interesting, varied, and playful stuff, “was recently overhauled by a group of its web-savvy younger players: an Internet start-up born in the orchestra. But right now it is as notable for what it does not dwell on as for what it does” (meaning the contract negotiations).