“The results revealed that beat preference, when graphed, looks like an upside-down U on the scale of rhythmic intricacy. Overly simplistic beats are boring, it seems; overly complicated ones are befuddling. A mix of both, however, makes a sound that’s just off-kilter enough to be exciting.”
Category: dance
Two Ballerinas Take On The Mythology Of Dance
“Providing a behind-the-scenes look at the glory and gore of ballet, both books, in their own way, uncover unjust practices in ballet which for decades have tended to be tolerated, if not excused, in the name of art.”
Ballet’s Most Difficult Moves, Dissected
“What can pass in just a few musical beats during a performance – the corkscrew jumps, the ballerina who seems to fly apart in the air only to land with perfect poise – is dissected here for the speed, timing and calibrated force that audience members might miss if they blinked.” (video)
Studying Ballet In Iraq
“In American and European cultures, ballet is typically viewed as a respectable art form, and you wouldn’t think twice about teenage girls taking lessons.” In Iraq, ballet lessons might get a girl killed. (includes video clip)
What The Heck Are Dance Critics Looking For, Anyway? A Choreographer-Turned-Critic Explains
“Love us or hate us, we need each other.” Lauren Warnecke (who’s still a bit surprised to hear herself called a critic) understands where choreographers and dancers are coming from – and explains for them her new point of view. (She really is on your side. Most critics are.)
In Defense Of Aerial Dance
Lindsey Butcher, artistic director of Gravity & Levity: “Audiences don’t quite know what it is. Circus aficionados tend to think it waters down aerial skills and feel excluded because it is contemporary dance, but equally I’ve had dance buffs tell me I’m ‘selling out’ to circus. The truth is that aerial dance borrows from both disciplines but aims to forge its own artistic identity.”
Choreography From The Dancer’s Viewpoint
“It’s not always discussed, but dancers are as integral to the creative process as choreographers. That notion gives Sara Mearns, the fearless and ravishing principal at New York City Ballet, reason to pause: ‘I think I’ve had maybe two questions before about my point of view.'”
The Penguin Dance Is Sweeping Saudi Arabia
“In a land where a strict interpretation of Islamic law means movie theaters and many other diversions are banned, nightclubs are unthinkable and the weight of tribal custom is heavy, Saudis in large numbers are discovering the thrill of a little sidekick-sidekick bunny-hop.”
Going Backstage With Paul Taylor
“On days that Paul was not in the studio, … the camera could get right up close to the dancers. For visual continuity, the dancers agreed to wear the previous day’s sweaty dance clothes all over again.”
Stephen Petronio Company Celebrates 30 Years
“When I hit 50 I stopped dancing for a while because the memory of how I used to dance was too painful for me. But there are things I can do now that I couldn’t then. When you’re young it’s all about how fierce it feels. Now it’s about how deep it feels, and I’m really enjoying that.”