As the Iranian government grows more repressive of artists, director Mohammed Rasoulof was banned from leaving the country and jailed for a year. “Punishment like Rasoulof’s is an all-too common story in contemporary Iranian cinema, a thriving, internationally respected scene. Yet despite the government’s repressive measures — its approval is required for shoots and screenings — he and other directors have grown more emboldened to speak out, in formal letters, on awards stages, through social media and on film.” – The New York Times
Tag: 03.01.20
The Next Stage For Interpretive Dance: The Disney Parade
So of course there are floats and princesses and the requisite Disney Doing Disney Things going on with the Magic Happens parade, but: “The stars of Magic Happens are the dancers, significantly elevated from their traditional role revving up the crowd with upbeat moves between set pieces. The 90-or-so performers are graced with heavily theatrical choreography, which at times borders on interpretive dance. In turn, Magic Happens possesses a keen awareness of dance as a language.” – Los Angeles Times
What The New ‘West Side Story’ Gets Right, And How Much Of The Original’s Stereotyping It Just Can’t Change
Can the musical be redeemed? “Grafting sociological precision onto a musical that, from its start, traded facts for rhyme is tough. … The problem with treating the musical’s stylized representations as documentary realism is that it presents ethnic caricatures as news footage.” – The Atlantic
The Artist Mary Lovelace O’Neal At 78, Fearless And Fierce
The Oakland-based painter, who has a current solo show after a curator saw one of her paintings in Baltimore last year, says that she fought for recognition in New York when she was young. But, she says, “when you achieve stardom early on, you feel you cannot change your style. It was not that way with me. I could follow any thread I found. I could sit on something for months or years; something would come out of that incubation.” – The New York Times
Boris Johnson’s Government Tries To Block Mary Beard As A British Museum Trustee For Her ‘Pro-Europe Views’
That’s not going over well at the Museum. “In response to the first rejection of a proposed British Museum trustee by No 10 for many years, the museum is understood to be planning to take matters into its own hands and appoint Beard without the lengthy and sometimes byzantine process of the Whitehall system.” – The Observer (UK)
Jan Morris, ‘At The End Of Things,’ Takes Stock Of Her Long, Literary Life
“If you are not sure what you think about something, the most useful questions are these,’ she says. ‘Are you being kind? Are they being kind? That usually gives you the answer.'” – The Guardian (UK)
In One Of The Most Expensive Cities In The World, Ballet School Decides To Offer Room, Board
The San Francisco Ballet School is facing an unpleasant reality for its dancers – and (finally, say some) changing up the way it operates. “For the San Francisco Ballet to operate both a school and a full-service dorm — with plans for healthy food service and in-residence physical therapy to meet the needs of dancers — might set a new standard.” – San Francisco Chronicle
How Bob Iger Transformed Disney, And Hollywood
When Iger, who suddenly stepped down as CEO of Disney last week, took over at the top 15 years ago, no one expected much from him – and they said so in the press. He was called “a loyal drone,” for example. But the man who said that also said, “The expectations were so low for Bob. … But no mogul in traditional entertainment has accomplished what he has.” – Los Angeles Times
What A Time To Be Making A Plague Movie In Italy, As Coronavirus Mounts In The Country
The director, calmly: “It’s certainly been strange. … This synergy between what we’re working on and what’s been happening in the world, with the quarantine line getting closer.” – The New York Times