Despite the fact that ballet’s breakout superstars tend to be male (Nureyev, Baryshnikov), US companies have to bring in most of their male principals from abroad, and boys are reluctant to study ballet. Why? Exactly the reason you think. But a few teachers in Southern California are working to change this.
Tag: 11.29.09
Seattle’s Destination Bookstore Confronts Uncertain Future
The Elliott Bay Book Co. “is facing the likely choice of either moving across town or closing altogether when its lease is up Jan. 31. In some ways it is the familiar story of an independent bookstore getting hammered by book chains, online retailers and big-store discounters. But there are peculiar Seattle wrinkles.”
In An English Village, A Phone Booth Becomes A Library
“Villagers from Westbury-sub-Mendip in Somerset can use the library around the clock, selecting books, DVDs and CDs. Users simply stock it with a book they have read, swapping it for one they have not.” Says a parish councillor: “This facility has turned a piece of street furniture into a community service in constant use.”
Could Ombudsmen Curb The Excesses Of Reality TV?
“Maybe it’s time networks investigate the idea of creating positions for reality TV ombudsmen — executives whose sole job would be to keep track of reality show ideas and rules, and to speak up if any lines were crossed.” That way, “at least the process would include a somewhat objective third party.”
Change Agent – Reforming Communities From The Inside
“Positive deviance” is “an approach to behavioral and social change. Instead of imposing solutions from without, the method identifies outliers in a community who, despite having no special advantages, are doing exceptionally well. By respecting local ingenuity, proponents say, the approach galvanizes community members and is often more effective and sustainable than imported blueprints.”
Critics Wonder: Is Art Gallery Of Ontario Serious?
“It’s been a year since the gallery reopened with a rejuvenated space designed by superstar architect Frank Gehry. Along with that came a promise: That this AGO would be different. It would re-commit to contemporary art. It would embrace connections in the local art community many felt it had shirked. It would be, in its own words, transformed. A year later, with Tut, the question now is, into what?”
A Record Weekend At The Movie Box Office
“Domestic box-office receipts from Wednesday through Sunday totaled an estimated $275 million, beating the previous mark set in 2000 by 12%, according to Hollywood.com. Although no new pictures drew big audiences, a number of existing ones continued to generate big ticket sales, while the sheer diversity of solidly performing pictures drew every segment of the populace.”
Susan Boyle’s First Album Sets Sales Record
“Entering the music charts in the top spot on Sunday, Boyle’s “I Dreamed a Dream” sold more than 410,000 copies — the biggest first week sales for a debut album in UK chart history, the Official Charts Company said.”
Denver Art Museum Says Goodbye To Its Transformative Leader
“Under Lewis Sharp’s leadership, the museum’s collection has more than doubled to 68,000 objects, and its annual budget has shot up from $6.5 million to a high of $24 million in 2007-08. In addition, the museum added three new curatorial departments to the six existing ones, significantly broadening its scope: architecture, design and graphics; Western American art; and photography.”
The Science Of Reading In The Brain
“What changes take place inside our head between kindergarten and second grade, when most of us start to take literacy for granted? How do we go from sounding out syllables, carefully parsing the phonetics of each word, to becoming fluent readers? And how does this incredibly complicated act become automatic, so that evn ths sntnce cn b quikly undrstd?”