Celebrations of Merce Cunningham’s choreography (and life) spread across the globe this year, cand horeographers who were part of his company at some point are dealing with “the anxiety of influence” as they make works for the celebrations. Four of the choreographers “spoke of Cunningham’s example as a life-changing liberation. They all spoke of gratitude and ambivalence.” – The New York Times
Author: ArtsJournal2
Twenty-Five Years After Daughters Of Africa Changed The Game, A New Generation Arises
It’s been 25 years, but not much time at all. “In many ways 1992 seems much longer ago than a quarter century; yet, while much has changed, many challenges remain to the publication of work by women of African descent.” – The Guardian (UK)
The Next Big Social Media App
It’s TikTok (you might know that already) – but what is TikTok? Whew: “A free-for-all. It’s easy to make a video on TikTok, not just because of the tools it gives users, but because of extensive reasons and prompts it provides for you. You can select from an enormous range of sounds, from popular song clips to short moments from TV shows, YouTube videos or other TikToks. You can join a dare-like challenge, or participate in a dance meme, or make a joke. Or you can make fun of all of these things.” The New York Times
As A Chaotic Brexit Approaches, Britons Buy Record Numbers Of Self-Help Books
The owner of City Books in Hove says the record-breaking £30 million self-help book business is new, but not confusing. “In 25 years of business, [Paul] Sweetman says he’s never known customers more in need of uplifting reading than they are now – a result, he believes, of the political climate both here and abroad.” – The Observer (UK)
Why Do We Care Who Actually Wrote Nancy Drew?
Carolyn Keene didn’t exist; nor did Franklin W. Dixon, purported author of the Hardy Boy series. Who the writers actually were isn’t germane, really. “What was important was the author as a brand—a shortcut for readers to know that they were getting a consistent product—and arguably, in the case of Nancy Drew, a more consistent product than they might have received if Carolyn Keene had been a single individual. A real Carolyn Keene might have become bored of the project, she might have died, she might have decided to alter Nancy—make her older, marry her off, or gasp, even have her meet her end with the roadster plunging off a cliff.” – CrimeReads
The Saga Of ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ Adds A New Chapter As Publisher Of Older Play Sues Harper Lee’s Estate
The older production, familiar to millions, is the one threatened by the Broadway play and planned national tour. The problem? Too many agreements. “The latest dispute, over whether and when the Sergel adaptation can be staged now that the Sorkin adaptation exists, pits an agreement Ms. Lee signed with Dramatic Publishing in 1969 against one she signed with Mr. Rudin in 2015.” – The New York Times
Action on diversity, instead of talk
Stuart Murphy isn’t hiring consultants, just making immediate change at the English National Opera. – Greg Sandow
Mexican Cinema And TV Have A Long History Of Making Fun Of Indigenous People
Last week’s utter foolishness over Oscar-nominated Roma star Yalitza Aparicio (Yeka Rosales, a TV personality for the Mexican-based Televisa network wore a prosthetic nose and thick lips to make fun of Aparicio) isn’t new to Mexico. In fact, one professor says the mocking of indigenous peoples is “as old as film” – Los Angeles Times
Struggling to Understand
“We come to know the choreography’s codes, if not always certain what they conceal.” – Deborah Jowitt
Some Directors Get A Second Chance With The Same Movie
No, not with director’s cuts, but with literal remakes of their own earlier movies. “For the studio heads tasked with squeezing as much money out of the project as possible, it’s a can’t-fail proposition even safer than sanding off all of a foreign hit’s edges to prep it for Stateside viewers.” – The Guardian (UK)