Gennadi Nedvigin: “I will be looking for a strong base in classical dance and, at the same time, the ability to free themselves into performing different styles. Not every dancer has that. It needs to be developed.”
Teenagers Leave Paint Splashed All Over 1,300-Year-Old Monument
“Youths on their Passover vacation vandalized the archeological site Ashdod-Yam citadel … with paints on Tuesday as part of a ‘color party.’ At their festivities, they threw paint over each other and the site” – and, of course, posted photos of it all on social media so they could get busted.
Fire Destroys India’s National Museum Of Natural History
“A fire swept through the National Museum of Natural History in New Delhi early Tuesday, spreading downward from the top floor and possibly destroying the 160-million-year-old bones of a dinosaur … The building sustained major damage, and most of the museum’s exhibits were destroyed.”
Banff Centre Lays Off 8% Of Its Staff
“The Banff Centre is immediately eliminating 33 positions as part of an organization-wide restructuring. … In June 2015, the centre put on hold an ambitious $900 million expansion after former president and CEO Jeff Melanson suddenly left the organisation.”
Is This The Real Reason You Procrastinate?
“Some researchers have viewed procrastination largely as a failure of self-regulation – like other bad behaviors that have to do with a lack of self-control, such as overeating, a gambling problem or overspending. Others say it’s not a matter of being lazy or poor time management, as many smart overachievers who procrastinate often can attest. They say it may actually be linked to how our brain works and to deeper perceptions of time and the self.”
This Poet’s Words Are All Over Beyoncé’s New Album
“In the days after her work was proclaimed by one of the world’s most influential black female artists, Ms. [Warsan] Shire laid low. She did not promote ‘Lemonade’ or even tease its existence on social media.”
London Has Lost A Third Of Its Music Venues In Ten Years. What Can Be Done?
“We found it fairly easy to answer the question of why so many venues are closing; the problem is similar to that plaguing other cultural and community-led spaces across the capital. Artists are being turned into cultural commuters, unable to sustain themselves in the capital because of a lack of spaces – adequate housing, studios and rehearsal spaces – and, now, stepping-stone venues.”
Adrian Ellis: A Recipe For Vibrant Cultures In The Big City?
“Traditional audiences accessing traditional forms of culture in traditional ways are under threat throughout Europe and North America. Increasingly, people are enthused by experiencing the arts in new spaces and contexts, particularly ones where they can socialise, hang out and come and go according to their own timetable.”
Wexford Festival Opera, Recovered From Great Recession, Will Return To Three-Weekend Format
“In yet another sign of a recovering economy,” the festival, renowned for reviving obscure and forgotten scores, will from 2017 “be extended from a 12-day event to an 18-day event, a return to the pre-Recessionary format.”
The Race For Mayor Of London – Who’s Best For The Arts?
Zac Goldsmith (Conservatives), Sadiq Khan (Labour), Caroline Pidgeon (Liberal Democrats), and Sian Berry (Greens) make their cases.
Britain’s National Theatre Should Go Back To Being A Repertory Company, Says Ian McKellen
“I think it’s a great shame that the National Theatre, which has enough money to do it, doesn’t have, at the centre of its work, a company that stays together for a period of time.”
Newfoundland Is Closing More Than Half Of Its Libraries
“The library board in Newfoundland and Labrador announced sweeping changes to its services Wednesday, adopting a regional library model which will see 54 branches close in the next two years. The board met Tuesday to discuss how best to deal with a $1-million loss in its annual budget, a cut announced in the provincial budget.”
London’s National Gallery Needs More Space, Says Director
Gabriele Finaldi said the floor space of the gallery “hasn’t actually changed pretty much in a generation and we are now having 50% more visitors, and potentially that is going to grow in the future”.
Will We Ever Be Able To Send Smells Through Our Smartphones?
It’s certainly possible: inventors have been working on ways to add aromas to telecommunications for 25 years or so. Yet the products have never caught on with the public. One part of the problem is “olfactory illiteracy”; another is for inventors to understand why and how users would use scents to communicate.
Gay-Themed Bollywood Films Challenge Indian Taboos
“Bollywood has a long history of portraying gay characters with clichés or using them as an ostensibly comic sideshow. Often they are sexual predators whom the male leads, epitomes of heterosexual masculinity, must be wary of. But several recent movies have challenged those stereotypes, suggesting that attitudes in India’s movie industry, or at least within an influential section of it, may be changing.”
Is This How The Civil War At Romania’s National Ballet Got Started?
The conflict over Johan Kobborg’s job as artistic director of the Bucharest National Opera’s ballet company has spun out of control. Craig Turp traces the seeds of the trouble to a right-wing nationalist website, and he gives a solid recap and analysis in English of how the mess has unfolded so far.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 04.27.16
My Q&A with President Daniel Weiss–Part II: Financial Impact of Met Breuer & Planned New Wing
While implicitly faulting the Metropolitan Museum’s administration for not having managed its operations “in a way that’s financially sustainable,” Daniel Weiss, who has been the Met’s president since July, diplomatically avoided … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2016-04-27
The Beyoncé challenge
We live in such a varied culture. Hard for anyone to keep track of more than a small part of it. But sometimes something comes along that you just can’t miss, and don’t want … read more
AJBlog: Sandow Published 2016-04-27
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French Billionaire Francois Pinault To Build New Museum In Paris
In a deal struck with the city, Pinault will take over the historical Bourse du Commerce (commodity stock exchange) building, which is close to the Louvre. The opening is scheduled for the end of 2018.
Counterintuitive: The Rise Of Pirate Radio Stations In The Age Of The Internet
“Helped along by cheaper technology, the rogue stations can cover several blocks or several square miles. Most broadcast to immigrant communities that pirate radio defenders say are underserved by licensed stations.”
Bones Found Under Orchestra Pit In Cincinnati (Musician Worked To Death?)
“The bones were discovered March 29 by Aztec Services Group employees. Archeological group Gray and Pape examined the bones and confirmed that they were human skeletal remains, they said in a press release.”
English National Ballet Gets A New Executive Director
Patrick Harrison is currently executive director of the Cambridge Arts Theatre. Prior to which he was director of commercial operations at the National Theatre.
Romania’s Culture Minister Resigns Over Ballet Crisis (Yes, Crisis!)
“Vlad Alexandrescu announced that he would be stepping down in a posting on his Facebook page Wednesday, after he failed to solve a conflict at the Bucharest National Opera that has seen three shows canceled so far.”
Here’s The First Zaha Hadid Building To Open Since Her Death
“Cruise ships regularly disgorge thousands of passengers to visit attractions beyond the docks, but in the case of Salerno, this ancient and gracious Italian city of 133,000 people south of Naples, the first must-see site may soon become the maritime terminal itself.”
Anna Netrebko Decides Not To Sing Norma After All, Leaving London And New York In The Lurch
New productions of Bellini’s Norma built around Netrebko were planned as season opening galas at Covent Garden this fall (her debut in the role) and the Met in the fall of 2017. However, she has announced, “I have come to the unfortunate conclusion my voice has evolved in a different direction.”