I was really inspired by all the young people I saw demanding change, whether in how they were taught dance history, the shoes they were given the option to wear in class, who got hired or admitted into ballet schools and the teachers they would be learning from. – Pointe Magazine
Great Storytelling? Try America’s Mass Market Novels
To take a genre or mass-market work seriously means recognizing the quiet skill in its pages. – The Atlantic
Eliot Feld’s Successor At Ballet Tech Named
Dionne Figgins, a former Dance Theater of Harlem lead and Broadway performer, will be the new artistic director of the free-of-charge ballet education program, which grew out of Feld’s professional ballet company in the 1970s. – The New York Times
The Battle For 1776: America Struggles With, And Over, Its Founding Myths
“For scholars, the rosy tale of a purely heroic unleashing of freedom may be long gone. But does America still need a version of its origin story it can love? … In civic life, where we stake our beginnings matters.” – The New York Times
The Toll COVID Is Taking On Opera
There was “great appetite when we reopened,” but “it’s been a little bit flat now,” whether because of the health pass requirement or the good weather and the reopening of cafe terraces. – The New York Times
How Is It That Gamers Are Better At Detecting Fraud Than Scientists Are?
Does it strike you as odd that so many people tuned in to hear about a doctored speedrun of a children’s video game, while barely a ripple was made—even among scientists—by the discovery of more than 80 fake scientific papers? – The Atlantic
Can You Still Play A Violin After Cutting It Up? For This Guy, The Answer Is Yes
A visit to the dungeon (that’s what he calls it) of Tyler Thackray, proud proprietor of the Instagram account @violintorture, dismemberer of instruments, creator of Franken-fiddles, and champion troll of self-serious string players. – The New Yorker
Actors’ Equity Removes Mask And COVID Testing Requirements For ‘Fully Vaccinated’ Shows
Any Equity production where everyone backstage has had their shots may now let those folks do their work more or less as normal, though some safety rules are still in effect. But no meeting audience members at the stage door! – Playbill
Tik Tok – Now Three Times As Long?
Rather than 60-second video limit, TikTokkers will have three minutes. Will that make them more or less creative? – The Hollywood Reporter
Hollywood Battles With Insurers Over COVID Claims
Fireman’s Fund gives the example of a nonessential crewmember having face-to-face contact with a movie director and then reporting infection, requiring a costly shutdown for 14 days. Who pays? – The Hollywood Reporter
Does It Matter Where Arts Funding Comes From?
It seems artists are now welcome to protest about funding arrangements. But this is a no-win situation for the artists. – ArtsHub
Discovered: Evidence Van Gogh Was A Founder Of A Brass Band (Still Playing Today)
In 1884 Vincent van Gogh helped set up a band in the village of Nuenen, where he was living with his family and developing his skills as an artist. – The Art Newspaper
Daniele Gatti To Succeed Zubin Mehta In Florence
Fired from Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2018, Gatti then had a stint as chief conductor at the Rome Opera. He now succeeds the 85-year-old Mehta as music director of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, which includes the city’s opera house and orchestra as well as the famous May festival. – Opera Wire