The Problem With Critics

“My objection isn’t so much to the idea that it’s wrong to use your own experiences as a guide to explain how you interact with the items under review as it is to the fact that so many of the critics who are doing it are boring, grasping people whose experiences are mundane at best and often comically overvalued given how empty and insignificant they are.”

Romanian Prime Minister And Culture Minister Say They’ll Intervene In Kobborg Crisis At National Ballet

Responding on Facebook to an open letter from Alina Cojocaru, prime minister Dacian Cioloş said he hopes that “the ensuing dialogue of today (which will continue in coming days) with Culture Minister Vlad Alexandrescu will find a solution to the situation at the [Bucharest National] Opera.” Alexandrescu, also writing on Facebook, said, “The Ministry of Culture wishes to continue working with Johan Kobborg and Alina Cojocaru … [and] is currently looking for solutions that … respect artistic quality, creative freedom, and the international nature of the projects at the Opera … The Ministry intends to use this opportunity to re-launch and re-calibrate the relationship between creators and administration within the institutions under its authority.” (Emphasis added.) (in Romanian; Google Translate version here)

Miami City Ballet, Reborn

“MCB is also one of the most diverse companies in the United States without us trying to be. One thing is saying I believe in diversity and I’m going to seek it out and another thing is saying it is who we are. When you look at the roster of MCB, half of them are from Latin America, the other half is from the US and we have a few from Europe.”

Advertising Company Starts Recording Label For Street Musicians

“Passersby can film a short video of a street musician they like and post it to the Sound of Change website with the hashtag #soundofchange, including a geotag and the musician’s contact information in the description. Hungry Boys monitors the most popular musicians on the site and connects them with recording opportunities at nearby studios, the output of which is distributed through channels like iTunes and Google Play.”