“As the music critics disappear, so too does the public’s awareness of what we make, why we make it, and who we are. So as the bad reviews roll in, I try to seek a modicum of Zen, grateful that — at least for the time being — when my tree falls in the forest, it doesn’t fall on deaf ears.”
Tag: 06.30.14
The Yorkshire Boy Who Joined The Mariinsky Ballet
Xander Parish “mov[ed] from ballet class in a salmon-pink-painted former church school to the gilded grandeur of the old Imperial Theatre, named after an empress and home to the most famous stars in dance … 1,222 miles as the bird flies – and an entire world away.” (includes video)
Hans Christian Andersen, Innocence, And The Truth
“Hans Christian Andersen believed in an untouched innocence at the core of every person. … Innocence could be hidden and emerge, or it could be apparent and then corrupted. .. To be wholly innocent was rare. To be wholly innocent, for Andersen, meant to be wholly yourself. It meant that you were free from the distorted reality of the devil’s mirror.”
How Tracey Emin Feels About Her 16-Year-Old Dirty Bed
“It is strange because it still has that same smell that it had 16 years ago. Obviously the stains and everything else are touching me, and it’s like being touched by a ghost of yourself.”
After Almost 1,000 Years, The Bayeux Tapestry Is Completed
“The tapestry, chronicling the Norman conquest of England and that battle in 1066, is regarded as a marvel of medieval Europe. However, since it was ‘rediscovered’ by scholars in the 18th Century, its original final scene has been missing. … Now, a team of embroiderers on Alderney, a small island just off the coast of William’s native Normandy, have ‘finished’ the job.”
Study: Dancing Improves Mobility In Seniors
“By the end of the 12 weeks, those who danced had less pain in their knees and hips and were able to walk faster, said Jean Krampe, an assistant professor of nursing at Saint Louis University and lead author of the study. The use of pain medicines fell by 39 percent among seniors in the dance group but rose 21 percent among those who did not dance, she noted.”
New Wave Of African Writers Making An International Noise
“Black literary writers with African roots (though some grew up elsewhere), mostly young cosmopolitans who write in English, are making a splash in the book world, especially in the United States. They are on best-seller lists, garner high profile reviews and win major awards, in America and in Britain.”
Think You Can Practice Your Way Into Musical Talent? Sadly, Researchers Say No
Even after taking practice out of the equation, “over three-quarters of the genetic variance in music accomplishment remained,” they report. This means that the aforementioned “genetically influenced propensities” to practice “are not sufficient to explain all of the genetic influences on accomplishment.”
New York’s Art World Has A Huge Diversity Problem (Here Are The Numbers)
“New York City’s population is 33% white, but 74% of people in the city with arts degrees are white and 74% of people who make a living as artists are white.”
What’s Wrong With Music Streaming Services (So Many Things)
“The dominant music services act as if songs were commodities, more-or-less interchangeable digital files designed to be consumed and quickly forgotten. But if the sellers treat their products with such disdain and disrespect, why should consumers do otherwise?”