Other than New York, the most important and vital dance center in the U.S. is… Minnesota? So says former Dance Theater Workshop executive director David R. White, who moved to the Twin Cities last year. “In terms of the work that emanates from the Twin Cities, the receptivity of the community to dance and people’s perception of the area as a progressive place where dance can take root, the Twin Cities always have been perceived as a strong community for people in dance who also care about their living environment.”
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Is The Pop Critic Irrelevant?
“Thanks to fan blogs, artist Web sites and legal (and not so legal) downloadable music that’s often peer-reviewed, a music fan can get instant information – and opinion – about an artist without ever turning to the pages of Rolling Stone. Or a fan’s daily newspaper, for that matter… With so many new outlets for music fans to connect with artists and vice versa, and with the days of hanging with the band on the tour bus for a week more often than not replaced with a 15-minute phone interview of say-nothing sound bites, has the pop music critic become as outdated as an eight-track tape?”
Lloyd Webber’s Secret Life Of Grime
Last week, theater mogul Andrew Lloyd Webber suggested that it might be time to let some UK theaters (not any of his, it should be stressed) close, rather than spend public money to repair or refurbish them. It may be a legitimate point of view, but to actress Nichola McAuliffe, it’s a joke coming from Sir Andrew. McAuliffe has worked in several of Lloyd Webber’s West End theaters, and from rotting windows to audience-assaulting chunks of plaster to rodent infestations, she encountered deplorable conditions at every one of them. So where does such a man get off complaining about other people’s theaters being in disrepair?
Little Island, Big Hollywood Dreams
When the British government announced that it was closing a tax loophole long used to finance big-budget movies being shot in the UK, industry observers warned that it would spell the death of the nation’s film industry. And indeed, movie production has ground to a virtual halt since the loophole closed. But on the tiny Isle of Man (seen by countless American moviegoers when it stood in for Ireland in Waking Ned Devine), two films are ready to roll, thanks to new subsidies from the island’s own film commission. It may not be the saving grace of the entire UK industry, says David Gritten, but it’s a start.
Godzilla To Take A 10-Year Break
Many Americans are probably unaware of it, but Japanese movie studios have never actually stopped making Godzilla movies. In fact, the monster that stomped Tokyo has been the star of 28 full-length features over the last 50 years, including this year’s Godzilla: Final Wars, slated for a December release. But according to Japan’s Toho Studios, this really will be Godzilla’s final war, at least for quite a while. The studio plans to make no new Godzilla movies for at least ten years, regardless of how well the latest installment does at the box office.
Sales Of Classical Music Up In 2003
Sales of “classical” music CDs were up last year in the UK. “Classical sales increased by one million copies to 14 million in 2003. New Zealand’s Hayley Westenra, 16, had the top-selling classical album of the year with her debut Pure, which has sold almost 600,000 copies in the UK. Welsh singer Bryn Terfel came in at number two, with Andrea Bocelli and Aled Jones also in the top 10.”
Personal Music – Prime Choice
Why have portable music players become so popular? Yes, they’re cool. But there may be a deeper psychological reason. “Choice is the key factor. By choosing the music, you reclaim some of the world – it’s no longer dominated by messages pointed at you.”
Weak-Ankled David To Be Unveiled In May
The cleaning of Michelangelo’s David is more than half completed, and the scrubbed statue will be unveiled in May. “But tests will continue to explore one problem that emerged in the restoration – an apparent fragility of the statue’s ankles, which support more than six tons of dead weight.”
At Maastricht – High Expectations
This year’s European Fine Art Fair opens in Maastricht. It’s the world’s top bazaar for prized paintings. Expectations always run high because the dealers exhibiting here are among the best in the world. Experts consider the fair a barometer of the art market, and many visitors come for the sheer fun of enjoying beautiful art and objects.”
Pavarotti Lumbers Through Farewell
Luciano Pavarotti began his last set of performances at the Metropolitan Opera Saturday. How’d he do? “There is an honored protocol for opera buffs and critics to give great artists a pass for their farewells, and Mr. Pavarotti has been one of the greatest vocal artists of our time. Still, he has invited comment with his sadly prolonged and hapless exit.”