Krumping is “equal parts break dance, pantomimed battle and demonic possession. As break dancing did 25 years ago in the South Bronx, krumping arose spontaneously some time in the last decade in neighborhoods in Long Beach and throughout South Central Los Angeles. And, just as break dancing was confined at its beginnings to a fragment of a New York borough then in ruins, krumping is still mostly unknown beyond the freeways that border these ragged areas of L.A. Over the past five years or so, though, a phenomenon that began with a handful of dancers has grown to include perhaps a thousand dancers and at least 80 independent crews, loosely organized and all part of a network connected informally but intricately by word of mouth.”
Tag: 06.20.05
Study: US Authorities Have Asked Libraries For Records 200 Times
“The Bush administration says that while it is important for law enforcement officials to get information from libraries if needed in terrorism investigations, officials have yet to actually use their power under the Patriot Act to demand records from libraries or bookstores.” But a survey by the American Library Association reports that “agents are coming to libraries and they are asking for information at a level that is significant, and the findings are completely contrary to what the Justice Department has been trying to convince the public.”
Baywatch On The Boards
Catherine Tate has an unlikely new project. “I’ve been approached by a man who wants to know if I’d be interested in writing Baywatch: the musical. The idea is so off the wall that I agree to meet him to discuss it further. Presuming that if the show were to happen it would be a camp extravaganza, I fully expect to find an equally camp extravaganza waiting for me at a bar in Soho. But the man looked surprisingly like a supply teacher. He talked about his vision with such confidence that Baywatch: the musical didn’t seem like such a ridiculous idea after all. I left feeling quite buoyant.”
Of Venice And Basel…
Two major events in the art world this month – Art Basel and the Venice Biennale. But though one’s a commercial art fair and the other’s an “aesthetic” exercise, they’re not so different. “While Venice is about discovering and appreciating new art and is ostensibly aloof from the market, commercial interests are never too far from the surface. Reputations are made and deals are done behind the scenes that impact directly on the market. Basel, on the other hand, is unquestionably about money, but aspires more and more to be about culture and education, to be like a biennale.”
Canada Considers Tougher Copyright
Canada’s government is introducing new copyright legislation that could significantly change online habits. “Dubbed Bill C-60, the proposed legislation is a package of amendments to the Copyright Act. It covers file-sharing, downloading and burning copies of CDs and movies. Under the changes, making a CD for personal use would remain legal. However, a so-called “make available” clause would criminalize putting songs into shared online directories such as Kazaa or BitTorrent.”
Fokine, Romantic
“In the shadow of the 1905 Russian Revolution, the tardy Romantic Michel Fokine rejected the ballet spectacle of Marius Petipa, with its numbers and entries, for a new kind of ballet that would “restore dancing its soul,” he wrote in a manifesto. “We must abandon fixed signs and devise others based on the laws of natural expression.” He made the dreamy mind the protagonist of three of his most enduring works…”
Do Writing Workshops Kill Good Writing?
“In the workshop, the students critique each other’s writing and as the comments are bandied about, a “consensus” develops about what does and doesn’t “work” in a story. The writer then meshes the “popular” opinions of the group into his or her work, slowly removing the unpopular parts, until the work is readable and accessible to all. More often than not, this process destroys the writer’s initial vision, leaving behind a work that is void of passion and anything that is different, new, or creative. Many of world’s greatest novels would have never made it through the workshop process.”
Public Broadcasting Fights Back
Last week a US Congressional committee voted to cut money for public broadcasting by 25 percent. This week, public TV and radio is fighting back. “Faced with their biggest budget battle in a decade, public broadcasters are waging local campaigns through the Internet and on-air advertising to oppose legislation that, some claim, would weaken their ability to produce local programming and cripple their sister stations in rural areas of the country.”
Networks Look Outside The Building
US TV networks are increasingly turning to outside producers for their shows. “No one in Hollywood expects the networks to stop favoring their own. But at a time when some conglomerates like Viacom are reassessing the benefits of bigness – and when a hyper-competitive ratings race makes closing off any possible advantage foolhardy – most network and studio heads have come to realize that an overreliance on their own fare can lead to creative and financial trouble.”
Dismantling Iraq
A new book details the cultural history of Iraq and its pillaging. “Conceived as an educational tool and a plea for help, the book offers a history of the region and its art, as well as an account of the devastation that occurred in April 2003, when looters ran rampant through the museum in Baghdad.”