Alicia Alonso At Not-Yet-90

The legendary (and polarizing) Cuban ballerina “is either a sly fox of the highest degree or an endearing old lady who wears a scarf – ears covered – with the élan of Little Edie in Grey Gardens. In all likelihood she’s both; her demeanor can turn on a dime. … [She] is quite sharp with what seems to be a selective understanding of English depending on the question.”

When Russian Poets Did Stadium Tours

“The death on Tuesday of Andrei Voznesensky, a stirring poet of the post-Stalin ‘thaw era’ in the 1950s and early 1960s, caused many to recall a time when [poetry’s] reach was enormous. Voznesensky’s generation of poets, which included Yevgeny Yevtushenko and Bella Akhmadulina, declaimed their work in sports stadiums to overflow crowds.”