“English National Opera does not tour, which makes a mockery of its name, though it does sing in English and employ overwhelmingly English talent. English National Ballet certainly does tour, and at affordable prices, but it’s hard to see quite how its largely foreign stars make it an English national company.”
Tag: 08.14.10
Who Was Li Cunxin, ‘Mao’s Last Dancer’?
He was more like Mao’s Nureyev: When, at the end of a 1981 cultural exchange program at Houston Ballet, Li decided to marry an American and stay in the US, Chinese communist officials literally dragged him to an interrogation room and grilled him for 20 hours. Only afterwards did he become an international ballet star.
Yes, Power Corrupts – But How?
“Psychologists refer to this as the paradox of power. The very traits that helped leaders accumulate control in the first place all but disappear once they rise to power. Instead of being polite, honest and outgoing, they become impulsive, reckless and rude.” One expert compares the effect to a certain type of brain damage.
Cleveland Music Critic Ruling Is Bad For Music Criticism
“With newspapers round the US shrinking at best, disappearing at worst, critics have become an endangered species. Some may thrive on bloggers’ websites, although these tend to confuse fans with professional commentators and the concept of expertise is blurred. The Rosenberg saga represents an alarming sign of the times.”
Gelsey Kirkland Opens A New School
“On Monday, Ms. Kirkland and her husband, choreographer Michael Chernov, will open the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, a pre-professional dance school designed to compete with intensive courses like the School of American Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, which feed students into top companies.”
The Mysterious Alchemy Of Song Lyrics
“Divorced from a song, words on a page look like poetry–usually bad poetry.” But “without lyrics, the human voice would be just another instrument, yet the process of creating them is one of the most mysterious aspects of composition.”