“But increasingly, community outreach is just the tip of the iceberg, and artists and social justice organizations are finding mutual benefits to deeper and more prolonged partnerships. That deliberate choice of engagement, as opposed to outreach, seeks to erase some of the traditional hierarchies between dancers and community members.”
Month: May 2012
Using Dance To Help Treat Senior Dementia
The Black Widows, a group based at a Belfast elder care facility, are made up of women aged 85 to 102. Their rehearsals and occasional community performances provide exercise to muscles – physical and emotional – “that may have lain dormant for some years.”
Diagnosing The Demise Of Toronto’s Dancap Productions
Dancap chief Aubrey Dan “blamed a tough economy and a shortage of Broadway ‘product’ … but he was somewhat the author of his own misfortune … Multiple sources say the problems were as much internal as external – that while Mr. Dan hired knowledgeable professionals, he frequently spurned their advice.”
Liverpool’s New Arts Center (Named After The Beatles’ Manager)
“The Neptune Theatre, a [380-seat] cultural gem in Hanover Street, has been renamed following a £1.2m refurbishment and is now called the Epstein Theatre. More than just a theatre, it will host live music, dance, exhibitions and comedy.”
Unlocking The Wealth Of The World’s Wikipedias
“But have you read all there is to know about UFOs in Spanish? Or Hebrew? To unlock such strange information, Brent Hecht of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and colleagues have created Omnipedia, a software system that lets users browse topics from up to 25 Wikipedia language editions at once.”
Danish Orchestra Forms Flash Mob On Copenhagen Metro
“Oh, Copenhagen. … Now you’ve one-upped every philharmonic in the world with video of your orchestra (Sjællands Symfoniorkester) making an entire subway train weak in the knees with a flash mob performance of Grieg’s Peer Gynt on a Copenhagen Metro train.”
Remember: Gutenberg Did Not Invent The Printing Press
“Though the Gutenberg Bible was certainly the first mass produced printed work, it was hardly the first printed book – nor was it even the first made using movable type. Chinese and Korean inventors had been producing printed books for centuries before Gutenberg was born.”
What Made Bill Viola Into A Video Artist?
“Falling into a lake aged six, when I was on holiday in the mountains. I went straight to the bottom and saw the most beautiful world I’d ever seen: fish, shafts of light, plants waving in the breeze. I thought I was in heaven. I’d have stayed there had my uncle not pulled me up. That’s why my art has so much to do with water – because I dream about going back to that place.”
This Chamber Orchestra’s Name Isn’t The Only Thing That’s Like A Rock Band
David Osborne, founder of the Raga Dolls Salon Orchestra, “doesn’t care when people clap, ‘or try to make anyone feel uncomfortable if they fail to conform to classical music’s quasi-religious ritual. We tell jokes. We laugh at ourselves.'”
Which Is Australia’s Artiest State?
“It has no world-famous Opera House, let alone an opera company. It misses out on most touring music acts and exhibitions. … [Yet] Tasmania has the highest per capita rate of people working in the arts sector and attending arts events, based on figures provided by the Australia Council.”