Dreams shroud the waking world, dazzling and disturbing it with mystery, perplexity, novelty, anxiety, terror, hope, and possibility. – Cultural Weekly
Nancy Stark Smith, Co-Creator Of Contact Improvisation, Dead At 68
“Although [Steve] Paxton is credited with inventing, or initiating CI, it was Stark Smith who became the chief educator and organizer. … Whether springing up out of the floor or boomeranging off another person, she made the pleasure of touch visible. She had a wondrous way of talking/writing about the sensations of momentum that drew people in.” – Dance Magazine
Germany And Austria Want Theaters To Start Rehearsing Again. Directors Are Balking
“Performances in front of an audience are still out of the question for now. But on May 18, Austria will become one of the first countries on the continent where theater troupes can return to rehearsal, with detailed restrictions to limit the virus’s transmission. Actors must stay at least three feet apart, government guidelines say, and performers can come closer only if they wear face coverings or masks. In Germany, an insurance body has outlined similar rules. In interviews, leading theatermakers in both countries said rehearsals would be impossible under such conditions.” – The New York Times
The Debate Over Rebuilding Notre Dame
“I thought it was really bad that they called for an international competition,” says another heritage architect, Charlotte Langlois. “The message it sends is we need international architects to have good ideas on how to restore our heritage and in particular our emblematic cathedral. And it’s very demagogical, to let people think that having well-known architects is the only way not to rebuild in the same way. It’s not true.” – Apollo
The Neuroscientific Explanation For Why You Need A Hug Right Now
Without touch, humans deteriorate physically and emotionally. “We know from the literature that lack of touch produces very negative consequences for our wellbeing,” says Alberto Gallace, a neuroscientist at the University of Milano-Bicocca. He explains that humans are inherently social creatures; studies have shown that depriving monkeys of physical contact leads to adverse health outcomes. – Wired
Sotheby’s Deeply In Debt, Tries To Reopen And Cut Costs
To date, the company’s outstanding debt stands at $467 million (plus interest), according to the latest documents. It has to pay more than one quarter of that—$119 million—in interest and principle this year, and around $84 million for each of the next four years. That debt burden, coupled with an extended period when Sotheby’s isn’t generating the kind of revenue it would in a non-pandemic year, resulted in the release of Deloitte’s “emphasis of a matter” related to Sotheby’s own focus on the business as a “going concern.” – Artnet
Hans Ulrich Obrist: Gaming Out Scenarios For A New Art World
The scenario that pays off in the end is the Leviathan Scenario, where everyone makes sacrifices and is mobilized to develop local solutions, creating bottom-up experimentation with government support. There is a focus on public goods and social welfare, transforming the economy and creating a more resilient and sustainable foundation. This will lead to post-crisis recovery and result in a New New Deal. – Artnet
Time To Revive The Plague Column? (Some Ideas)
Plague columns haven’t been much in fashion for nearly 300 years. But as the horrendous toll of death and suffering from today’s modern coronavirus plague continues to climb, the time may have come to consider reviving this once common genre of public art. – Los Angeles Times
So How’s This Going To Work – Social Distancing In Theatres?
The problem is not audience participation. It may drop, but, as my analysis to follow shows, even if it drops 20, 30, or even 40 percent, that is not the drop we should worry about. What will matter more than anything else in consideration is that, without a vaccine, social distancing measures in large-scale venues must continue for months, potentially years. – The Middle Class Artist
Philadelphia Arts Organizations Ponder A Variety Of New Models
A new subscription plan that’s part virtual, part in-theatre? Fierce scenario planning that projects out the next two years… – Philadelphia Inquirer
Chicago Summer Festivals Cancel – A Collective Loss
The Ravinia and Grant Park cancellations bring this point home in one stunning blow, an entire musical season quashed before it started. We grieve these losses, knowing that they’re slight compared to the loss of human life. But they’re still essential to enduring it. – Chicago Tribune
Before Petipa Became A Great Choreographer, He Was Ballet’s Cecil B. DeMille
“Decades before Cecil B. DeMille sent horse-drawn chariots thundering through the desert, the world’s most famous ballet choreographer created an epic version of Egypt for the stage, and paraded live camels, monkeys and lions through a glitzy Russian opera house. With that ballet — titled The Pharoah’s Daughter — Marius Petipa was just getting started.” – The Washington Post
Philippine Government Orders Country’s Largest Broadcast Network Off The Air
ABS-CBN, for years a target of President Rodrigo Duterte for its reporting, was shut down on May 5 as its broadcast license expired. The network’s application to renew, which must be renewed by the Philippine Congress (dominated by Duterte’s allies, and not currently in session due to the pandemic), has been held up for months, and regulators refused to issue an extension until Congress reconvenes. – The Guardian
Arts Groups File Business Interruption Insurance Claims, And Insurers Are Refusing To Pay
“The claims filed by arts groups, from movie theaters to concert halls, have become a particularly intense battleground, in part because the virus ended a primary source of revenue — ticket sales — and in part because so many were financially vulnerable before the crisis hit. In response, insurance companies have issued a torrent of denials, prompting lawsuits across the country and legislative efforts on the state and federal levels to force insurers to make payments.” – The New York Times
This Dance Teacher Is On A Mission To Bring More Dance To Hospitals — Even In A Pandemic
“To continue offering dance despite the pandemic,” Melissa Turnage, a dance artist in residence at several hospitals in Birmingham, Alabama, “[has] made DVDs for each of the units she works with, and has left a ‘dance mobility toolkit’ — a box of scarves, ribbon sticks, balls, streamers and other props — so that hospital staff can lead classes.” – Dance Magazine
London’s West End Theatres Will Remain Closed At Least Through Late June
“Cancellations [due to the pandemic] have now been extended from 31 May to 28 June. ‘This does not mean theatres will reopen on 29 June,’ [the Society of London Theatres] stressed in its statement. ‘If further cancellations are necessary they will continue to be announced on a rolling basis.'” – The Guardian
Behold The Live-Streaming Fundraising Machine
During the COVID-19 shutdown, live-streamed concerts have grown from a novelty born of necessity into a fixture of cultural life. D-Nice’s dance parties (known to include a presidential candidate or two), Instagram Live’s R&B/hip-hop battles and Fortnite and Minecraft’s virtual festivals have remade live music. Global Citizen’s “One World: Together at Home” event was a veritable live-streamed Live-Aid. Likewise, the Weitz family’s Zooms have become a notable hub for big-dollar fundraising and pop-star appearances. – Los Angeles Times
One Of Sydney’s Major Arts Centers Declares Bankruptcy Due To COVID And The Lockdown
Carriageworks, Australia’s largest arts center devoted to contemporary work, has entered voluntary administration (as it’s called there). A statement from a spokesperson said, “The sudden cancellation or postponement of six months of activities due to restrictions on public gatherings has resulted in an irreparable loss of income.” – The Guardian
Glyndebourne Opera Festival Bows To The Inevitable, Cancels Remainder Of Summer Season
“[Festival management] had previously cancelled all performances up to and including July 14, but the festival was due to continue until August 30. A virtual festival, Glyndebourne Open House, has been announced in its place, which will begin on May 24. Opera fans will be able to stream a free, full-length past production at 5pm every Sunday.” – The Telegraph (UK)