“Not only is dance big in TV and film, but membership in the United States Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association has doubled in the last decade, to 22,000, and dance studios are thriving across the country. Inquiries are up 35 percent since the start of the year, and attendance at group classes is up 10 percent.”
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Stereophonic History (Well, That’s Two Ways To Look At It)
The Society for Historians of the Early American Republic has a decidedly different take on American history than the popular historians. “Whereas popular historians like David McCullough and Richard Brookhiser turn out bios of the old white guys who stare back at us from our money, SHEAR members present papers with titles such as “Self-Help and Self-Determination: Philadelphia’s African American Community and the Abolitionist Challenge”, and “Hawking Hallowed Ground: Utopianism and its Discontents in Philadelphia’s Rural Cemeteries”. Is this a happy form of stereo – on one side, the founders, founders and more founders mantra of the media; on the other, the from-the-bottom-up social history of professional scholars? Or is it sheer dysfunctionality in the field of early American history?”
A History Of Architecture In Denver Branch Libraries
Want an architecture tour of Denver? You could do worse than tour the city’s branch libraries. “Virtually from the beginning of Denver’s library system, its leaders have believed that form was as important as function, more or less consistently investing in high-quality architecture.” It’s “a surprisingly comprehensive lesson in 20th and 21st century architecture from arts and crafts and other historic styles through modernism and post-modernism.” Radical or not, all the libraries have been accepted by patrons, and most have become local landmarks.
Chicago’s Corkscrew To The Sky Catches On With Public
Architect Santiago Calatrava’s proposed twisty spiral skyscraper has caught the imagination of the public. “Whatever it expresses, the twisting tower clearly has struck a chord with the public. Consider the nicknames already given to Calatrava’s skyscraper — the drill bit, the big screw, the twizzler, the birthday candle. The twisting tower also is a hot topic today among architects and architecture students. As designers explore new ways to break out of the old box, they prize buildings that suggest motion and feeling. Calatrava’s design promises to bring to the skyscraper the same Baroque exuberance with which Frank Gehry has infused fresh vitality into the once-staid world of art museums and concert halls.”
From SASE To The Steppenwolf Stage
Unsolicited plays never make it to the Steppenwolf stage, even though thousands of scripts get submitted each year. But John Wells’ play did. “In a matter of months, Wells’ play “Men of Tortuga” has gone from “self-addressed return envelope enclosed” to a gripping full production, currently running through Aug. 28 as part of Steppenwolf’s new First Look Repertory festival in the Garage Theatre. There, Wells’ first play sits alongside “The Sparrow Project” by the nationally established author Melanie Marnich and “A Blameless Life” by Joel Drake Johnson, a fairly prominent Chicago scribe known for his warm humanism. Actually, “Men of Tortuga” doesn’t just sit. It blows its companion pieces out of the garage.”
How One Of The “Worst-Ever” Shows Got To London’s West End
“Behind the Iron Mask” had some of the worst reviews ever seen in London’s West End. “One theme running through many of the reviews was summed up by Sheridan Morley in the Daily Express: “How did Behind the Iron Mask get as far as a first rehearsal, let alone a first night?” How did a production that the nation’s critics could see in an instant wasn’t fit for public consumption end up doing battle on one of the theatre world’s most fiercely commercial markets? How did a script littered with potholes end up being accepted at one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s theatres and how was anyone persuaded to work on it? The answer, according to one person close to the company, is with a great deal of money and naivety.”
A Revival For Aussie Film Industry?
Australian movies have had a tough time at the box office in recent years. “After last year’s record low box-office share of 1.3 per cent, the struggles of even huge budget Hollywood movies this year make finding an audience seem even tougher. A release that triumphs in the multiplexes and revitalises the film industry has proved desperately elusive since the Hollywood-backed Moulin Rouge took $27.4 million and Lantana made $9.8 million four years ago.” But some big-budget movies about to be released give Australian movie-makers hope.
Artist Charged With Million-Dollar Theft
Prominent Australian artist Richard Dunlop has exhibited in galleries around Australia and has lectured at universities. “On Friday police raided his house, seizing prints, oils and sketches.” He’s being charged with stealing artwork worth up to $1 million “from a gallery in Brisbane in 1994 and from a Sydney gallery owned by the prominent dealer Ray Hughes between 1996 and 2003. Hundreds of pieces are believed to be involved.”
The Subtle Art Of Literary Hoaxes
“In recent years, scholars have begun pursuing a more nuanced approach to discussing literary hoaxes than the knee-jerk disgruntlement of a reader scorned. Instead, literary scholars like Ohio State University professor Brian McHale and the Australian critic K.K. Ruthven are concentrating on the productive and beautifully unpredictable effects of hoaxing. Are all hoaxes the same? Should they all be judged by the same ethical standards? Do some hoaxes rise above being trifling pranks or bogus facsimiles to become serious acts of cultural criticism? What of an author’s intentions?”
Charlotte Looks For $150 Million In Arts Funding
Charlotte (NC) arts leaders are looking to pass a major package of funding support. “Discussions on a series of new and revamped museums and theaters began four years ago. For much of the past two years, executives at the Arts & Science Council, the umbrella group for most local arts groups, have lobbied city leaders for funding while constantly revising and reshaping their proposal. Under the current incarnation, all but $10 million of the $150.5 million proposal would be paid through various taxpayer revenue sources.”