“A Russian company called Siberian Swan has just announced the debut of the first pointe shoe model specifically designed for men, named ‘Rudolf’ (after Nureyev, of course). It will be released next month, giving men an alternative to custom orders.” – Dance Magazine
Author: Matthew Westphal
London Theatre To Focus On ‘Research-Driven’ Performance
University College London’s Bloomsbury Theatre, now back in action after a 3½-year renovation, aims to re-examine “traditional ideas about the role of theatre in a research-intensive university.” UCL’s new Performance Lab “will explore how live performance and research can inspire each other, bringing artists and organisations into the theatre to work with researchers from fields including science, technology, art and design.” – The Stage
Mel A. Tomlinson, Who Danced With Three Of America’s Great Ballet Companies, Dead At 65
A performer “of powerful, regal demeanor,” Tomlinson was a member, in turn, of Dance Theater of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and New York City Ballet. He was most celebrated for his performance in the Balanchine-Stravinsky ballet Agon, which he learned from its originator, Arthur Mitchell, at DTH and from Mr. B. himself at NYCB. – The New York Times
Europe’s Famous Serial Art Thief Has Been At It Again
“Stéphane Breitwieser, the serial art thief who raided museums around France, Switzerland, Germany and other countries on the continent from 2004 to 2011, has been arrested again in his native region of Alsace. He had been under surveillance since 2016 when he offered a 19th-century paperweight on eBay.” – The Art Newspaper
Why Was Zhang Yimou’s Latest Film Pulled From The Berlin Film Festival?
“The phrase ‘technical reasons’ is both a euphemism and a reality for Chinese filmmakers, none of whom can ever be said to have completed their movie until regulators sign off on every detail. … In the case of One Second, it is possible that the subject matter, rooted in Mao Zedong’s 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, was the problem.” – Variety
John Mason, 91, Pioneer Of Abstract Ceramic Sculpture
“[He] was one of a group of artists who … blew past utilitarian definitions of what clay was good for and made experimental, often very large works that ended up in galleries and museums rather than craft shows. A dramatic example was Blue Wall, an abstract clay wall piece 21 feet by 7 feet, created in 1959. – The New York Times
Ron Hutchinson, Who Restored Sound To Early Films, Dead At 67
“[This] ebullient film buff … led a campaign to restore scores of largely forgotten short sound films from the 1920s and ’30s that featured comedians, vaudevillians, opera singers and musical acts. … Those early shorts used Vitaphone, a Bell Labs technology, which synchronized the speeds of the film projector and a turntable that played 16-inch sound discs.” – The New York Times
Why We Keep Falling For Lying Memoirs
“While [Dan] Mallory’s story seems remarkable — a con man using a sob story to sashay his way to literary power — it’s actually extremely common. … The reason these frauds happen is because of the publishing industry’s and the audience’s hunger for authentic voices, particularly voices of suffering. Apologies to Barthes, but the author didn’t die; she became the text.” – The Outline
What Language Do They Speak In The Balkans? The Birth, Life, And Death Of Serbo-Croatian
“Imagine a situation in which an American defendant hires a British lawyer for a trial in an American courtroom. The accused then demands that a British interpreter be found. British-American legal interpreters are hard to find, so the demand could delay the case for years, … despite the fact that, obviously, a British lawyer is perfectly capable of being understood in an American courtroom. This actually happens on a regular basis in the countries that once made up Yugoslavia.” – Atlas Obscura
Abridge Too Far — Is It Ever Okay To Perform An Opera Cut Down By Half Or More?
Taking as a jumping-off point an 80-minute Idomeneo in Pittsburgh last month, Jeremy Reynolds and several opera professionals discuss whether and when cutting an opera to half its length or less is a good way to serve 21st-century audiences. (“Never in Verdi, of course, no one’s that barbaric.”) – San Francisco Classical Voice