Flamenco Beyond The Stomping

Flamenco is expanding beyond its traditional moves. But “to those who don’t get flamenco, no amount of funky music, smart costumes and crossover choreography will overcome their suspicion that, as a form, flamenco is limited. Compared with classical ballet or South Asian dance, it doesn’t adapt well to the telling of stories or the invention of character; compared with the variety that has evolved within modern dance, it has a very restricted range. Between the stamping, the castanets, and the coiling, undulating arms, non-believers don’t accept there is much to see.”

How The Internet Was Saved (The First Time)

It was ten years ago that Congress passed a sweeping law that would have stunted the Internet (it was later challenged and defeated in the courts). “The Communications Decency Act, or CDA, was passed by Congress as part of the Telecommunications Act and signed into law by President Clinton on Feb. 8, 1996. The law aimed to extend to the internet the same “decency” standard that applies to broadcast TV and radio, and is now most famous for leading to fines for Howard Stern and CBS television for explicit language and a wardrobe malfunction respectively.”

China Becomes Leader In Visual Art Exports

“China has now become the second largest exporter of ‘visual arts’, accounting for 19% of world exports in this category (particularly statuary). World trade in all categories of cultural goods (including visual arts, heritage goods, books, newspapers, recorded media, audiovisual, etc.) almost doubled from $39 billion in 1994 to $59 billion in 2002, representing around 1% of total world trade.”

New Orleans Theatres’ Future In Doubt

“The storm took out all four of New Orleans’ major performing arts theaters, severely flooding two of its oldest — the Orpheum and the Saenger, both listed on the national registry of historic places. But in the five months since Katrina, as renovations have been under way at the Saenger, recovery at the Orpheum — which had no flood insurance — has been all but stagnant. And the future of the 85-year-old theater, which for years has served as home to the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, is uncertain.”

The 80-Year-Old Ballerina

The world may never see a better advertisement for 80 than Maya Plisetskaya. Gliding on to the stage at Moscow’s Kremlin Palace Theatre, at the end of a glittering gala on her actual birthday, the stunningly fresh-faced ballerina dances a lilting solo piece written for her by choreographer Roland Petit. And then, after a standing ovation from the 6,000-strong audience, she does it again.