“Ms. Abrera, 41, joined Ballet Theater in 1996. Five years later she was promoted from the corps de ballet to the rank of soloist. A serious injury in 2008 made further advancement difficult, but she fought her way back to health and was made a principal dancer in 2015. Ms. Abrera, who was promoted on the same day as Misty Copeland, became the company’s first Filipino-American principal.” – The New York Times
Tag: 10.21.19
Liberating Stereotypes Of Indigenous Americans From Children’s Tales
“From the dull art of crafting Thanksgiving turkeys out of handprints to the bad politics of making headdresses out of turkey feathers, the point of contact between Indians and non-Indians begins and ends (for the most part) in grade school. It could be said that the primary place where Natives continue to exist for most Americans is in childhood imagination.” – The New York Times
US Army To Create New “Monuments Men” Unit To Try To Save Artifacts
The Army is forming a new unit with a similar mandate to be composed of commissioned officers of the Army Reserves who are museum directors or curators, archivists, conservators and archaeologists in addition to new recruits with those qualifications. They will be based at the Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C. – The New York Times
Studies: Acting Changes Actors’ Brains
“Until recently, this debate over whether actors literally lose themselves in their roles was largely a matter of conjecture. However, a pair of research papers in psychology published this year has provided some concrete evidence, and results suggest that actors’ sense of self is changed profoundly by their characters.” – Aeon
Recent Listening: “New” Ones By Anne Phillips And Roger Kellaway
Until recently, it may have seemed that the singer and songwriter Anne Phillips had resigned as a performer. She had not. Coincidentally, one of her colleagues on her most recent album, pianist Roger Kellaway, has a new disc of his own. – Doug Ramsey
The twenty-five record albums that changed my life (5)
After watching Leonard Bernstein’s “Bach Transmogrified” Young People’s Concert (back when I was a young person), I went to Smalltown USA’s local music store the very next day hoping to find a recording of one miraculous piece. I did, and I’ve been listening to it ever since. – Terry Teachout
Reversal: WNYC Decides Not To Cancel “New Sounds”
“It has become clear to me that John and Caryn Havlik’s work is distinct, inimitable, and intrinsically New York—and that this beloved team must stay with us. A show like New Sounds can only be produced by public radio, and specifically at NYPR,” station CEO Goli Sheikholeslami wrote in her email. – Gothamist
Who Are The Bots Watching Us (And Our Stories)?
Bots worm their way into everything, including the once much more intimate Instagram Stories. Why? To get more engagement back. (There’s a Russian “secret app” for this social media marketing tool. Truly.) “This mass viewing strategy exploits our tendency to take an interest in people who appear to take an interest in us, a phenomenon social psychologists call reciprocal liking.” – Slate