“How these dancers are cast is not always based on merit. It’s about who you are loyal to and who you butter up, and who patronises you. That’s the legacy of a communist past. … I asked [Bolshoi Theater chief Vladimir Urin] once if he believed in democracy and he just laughed at me, which is a sort of communist disposition. People of his generation are quite, shall we say ambivalent about democratic principles.”
Tufts Univ. To Take Over Museum Of Fine Arts Boston’s Art School
“The agreement, which has been initially approved by both institutions’ boards, would become effective June 30, paving the way for the art school’s more than 700 students and roughly 145 faculty members to come under the Tufts banner.”
This Theater Thought It Had Two Years Of Surpluses; It Actually Had A $1 Million Deficit
“On Monday, [Carolina Theatre’s] leaders announced they had run up an additional $800,000 in debt since July 2013, when they and the rest of the board thought the city-owned theater was making a profit. The city [of Durham] pays Carolina Theatre of Durham Inc. $654,000 a year to run the complex on Morgan Street.”
Okay, So We’re All Doomed – Now What? Making Meaning, That’s What
“Humanity’s keenest evolutionary advantage has been its drive to create collective meaning. That drive is as ingenious as it is relentless, and it can find a way to make sense of despair, depression, catastrophe, genocide, war, disaster, plagues and even the humiliations of science.
From a 12,000-Year-Old Turkish City to a Finnish Airport, Europe’s 14 Most At-Risk Heritage Sites
“Some, like the Venetian Lagoon in Italy, are widely familiar, while others – ever heard of Estonia’s Patarei Sea Fortress? – are not. Each was nominated by members of Europa Nostra’s network and voted on by a panel of experts in disciplines including history, archaeology, architecture, and conservation.”
Chicago’s Redmoon Theater Shuts Down
“Redmoon, an unusual performance company specializing in public theatrical spectacles and a part of Chicago’s cultural fabric for 25 years, is going out of business, effective immediately.” The trouble began in earnest with a festival commemorating the Great Fire.
Fort Worth Symphony Cancels Tour Of Spain Because Venues Can’t Afford Them
The six-city trip, which was to have been the orchestra’s first overseas tour in 27 years, “was canceled last week after several concert halls dropped out of the tour, partly due to the lack of government funding and the falling value of the euro.”
Ruckus Over Color-Blind “Harry Potter” Casting Shows Where Theatre Is
“Having Hermione be played by a black actress onstage is both an acknowledgement that the Harry Potter universe has long been lacking in this regard, and an affirmation of theater’s historically progressive attitude toward actors of color.”
The Cruel Power Inside The Bolshoi
“The world of the theatre is cruel,” the ballet master Boris Akimov says at one point, with a fatalistic shrug. Akimov has spent his entire career at the Bolshoi since joining the corps de ballet, in 1965; for a couple of years in the early two-thousands, he even directed the company. He has seen it all: the dashed ambitions and bitterness, as well as the fleeting triumphs.
The City Of Rome No Longer Works. Fixing It Is A Big Problem
“Until a few years ago, the ancient city wasn’t well integrated with the modern city. Above all, it was as if one city existed below and another above; these cities didn’t create dialogue with one another.”
Time To Abandon Wall Text In Museums?
“Controversy over wall text today might be said to have dawned with the age of heightened sensitivities to other cultures, races, and sexual proclivities a few decades ago.”
How Much Harrison Made For The New “Star Wars”
“Ford has reportedly been paid £16.7 million for reprising the role of Han Solo and will also get 0.5 per cent of the film’s gross earnings, estimated to be £1.3 billion.”
Why America Needs A National Theatre (But It Might Look Different Than You Think)
“Why doesn’t the United States have a national theatre? On its face, the question seems ridiculous. After all, we’ve only just arranged for national health care. …The U.K. has a national theatre. So does France, Germany, even China. So why don’t we have one [here]? We put some theories to the test and came up with a solution to America’s arts problem.”
Aix Festival Director To Step Down
Bernard Foccroulle, the Belgian organist, composer and administrator who has run the Aix-en-Provence Festival since 2007 “and has led it through a number of artistic successes, said in a statement that he felt ‘the need to start a new chapter’ after spending nearly a decade in his position, and 15 years at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels before that.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 12.21.15
Not Who We Were
You know, continuing the thought from last post, my generation of composers (Downtowners at least) was the “no guilty pleasures” generation. … read more
AJBlog: PostClassic Published 2015-12-21
Motley & Oller (Part I): Whitney & Brooklyn Museums Embrace Black & Latino Cultural Forebears
Notwithstanding the latest spike of interest in diversifying museums’ displays and personnel, the problem of stimulating greater inclusiveness is nothing new: It has been a source of periodic discussion and sporadic action for decades. … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2015-12-21
John Lewis For Christmas
As promised in early December, the Rifftides staff will not load these pages with jazz takes on Christmas music, traditional or otherwise. We noted that there would be exceptions. Today’s exception is “England’s Carol,” … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2015-12-20
Misreading
Please don’t read this unless you read me regularly. I had gotten my blog readership down to about 150, 200 hits a day, and the commenters are almost all regulars, and I’m comfortable with that, … read more
AJBlog: PostClassic Published 2015-12-20
[ssba_hide]
”What Would It Be Like To Have Sex With Raffi?’ Flashed Through My Mind’
“A tremendous volt of electricity went through my body, and my body said yes. In effect, it said, Yes, Sheila, you are a pervert.” Sheila Heti talks with the world’s most famous children’s singer about his life, his approach to music, and his relationship to his fans, children and grown-up.
Actually, Suicides Don’t Spike Around the Holidays
“According to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate is at its lowest in December. And studies dating back to the 1980s and conducted across the globe have … [found] again and again that Christmas is associated with a decrease in suicide.”
Congress Is Investigating Private ‘Museums’ That Get Tax Breaks But – Sometimes – Don’t Actually Let The Public In
“Museum lovers rely on the benevolence of elite collectors who give their artworks and collections up for public consumption. The law encourages collectors to give to museums. What concerns Congress is the prospect of tax shelters that do little more than flatter wealthy collectors.”