“How does one evoke and honor an iconic figure such as Nelson Mandela through dance? There would seem be plenty of risks.” But Garth Fagan has taken on the challenge, and “[the] resulting work, Madiba, will have its world premiere at the Joyce [next week].”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Steve Reich On Music History
“But for me, music history basically begins with Gregorian chant then goes to the end of 1750 with the death of Johann Sebastian Bach. Then it goes on without me paying much attention until Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, Bartok and so on. The entire classical and Romantic period is filled with geniuses that I don’t listen to and from whom I’ve learned absolutely nothing.”
Dances With Robots: How Pilobolus Is Advancing Technology
Seraph, the company’s piece for two dancers and robotic hovercraft, is more than just a high-tech lark. “Dodging the dancer, for example, is providing insights into how the quadrotors might best fly through forests when they are doing their day jobs. And the lights sported by the robots … are being adapted to give clues to human road users about a robot driver’s intentions in a project that might put a fleet of robot taxis on the streets of Singapore.”
The Great Illumination: When Respectable Folks Took Back The Night
In Europe before the 17th century, most recreation and celebration took place during the day, because the night, of course, was dark and dangerous. Then came the great advances in artificial illumination – most importantly, public street lighting.
For Ambrose Bierce, Cynicism ‘Was His Life Force’
“No doubt, Bierce’s writings were smarter and funnier than the stupid, distinctively silly cynic books of his time. He was a satirist of the first order. But Bierce was angered by these people because he saw himself as … a voice of authority and a harbinger of truth.”
Dancers And Drug Addicts (This Is Not About The Royal Danish Ballet)
“There are echoes of Billy Elliot in the way John Horton describes his move into ballet. Yet one major difference casts the fiction and fact wide apart; John’s journey to the stage started with a battle against severe drug addiction. He is one of several former addicts performing with Chester’s Fallen Angels Dance Theatre.”
London’s White Cube Gallery To Add Enormous New Space
“Even as workmen toil to complete the building, one thing is clear: the new gallery that White Cube is about to add to its empire is vast. When contemporary-art dealer Jay Jopling’s latest venture opens on 12 October, at 5,400 sq metres, it will be the largest commercial art gallery in Britain: the Tate Modern of the for-profit art world.”
The Real Value Of A Liberal Arts Education: It’s Useless
“But uselessness is a good thing. I don’t mean useless in sense that it doesn’t advantage you. I mean studying something you don’t have to so you are focused on the act of learning instead of what you are learning it for. That’s huge. That’s the most important reason why people who have a liberal arts education do well.”
Ladbroke’s Lays Odds On Nobel Literature Winner
Adonis, the 81-year-old Syrian experimental poet, is the current favorite at 4-1, followed closely by Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer at 9-2. Farther behind are novelists Thomas Pynchon (10-1), Assia Djebar (12-1), and Haruki Murakami (16-1).
Kennedy Center To Have New Organ, Two More Years Of Eschenbach
“Christoph Eschenbach, the internationally renowned conductor and music director of the Kennedy Center [and its National Symphony Orchestra], will extend his contract for two years, through the 2014-15 season. And the concert hall will, at long last, be getting a new organ.”