“In eight hours, [three members of the Joffrey Ballet’s wardrobe team] must stitch the bodice, make the sleeves and create the 12-layer tutu – the last task alone normally is given 40 hours of labor.”
Tag: 12.13.10
Restored Tower of Pisa Now Leans Slightly Less
“The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been returned to its former glory after an eight-year restoration project in which it was cleaned and partially straightened … by 18 inches from the vertical, returning it to its 1838 position.”
Warhol Foundation Threatens to Pull Smithsonian Funding Over Censored Video
“The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, one of the principal sponsors of ‘Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture,’ demanded Monday that the Smithsonian restore the David Wojnarowicz video or the foundation would not fund future projects.”
Jenifer Ringer: No Need for Macaulay to Apologize for Jibe About Weight
The New York City Ballet dancer whom NY Times critic Alastair Macaulay described as looking “as if she’d eaten one sugar plum too many” appeared on NBC’sToday Show to talk about Macaulay’s comment and the backlash it provoked. “As a dancer, I do put myself out there to be criticized, and my body is part of my art form.”
Europe’s Most Heroic Theatre Company
“Belarus Free Theatre is an underground group based in Minsk. ‘Underground’ not because it’s cool and edgy, but because Belarus is a dictatorship … The BFT runs plays that tell people what’s going on in their country. It is subject to continual harassment and death threats. But it doesn’t stop.”
Simon Rattle in Defense of Nutcracker‘s Music
“People here play The Nutcracker every Christmas. It’s like the Messiah in England or Beethoven’s Ninth in Japan … [there’s] almost the curse of being too well known. But the minute you go in to the score, you realize it’s an absolute gold mine of new ideas, new sounds, charm, wit and strange, erotic little gurglings.”
Gail Godwin On Writing (And Laying Around)
“When I was a young writer, I would jump-start the next project as soon as I completed the last. Back then I believed it was more productive and honorable to hop into the saddle and strike off for somewhere rather than just lying around. Now I do a lot of lying around. Finally I have accepted that my supine dithering is fertile and far from a waste of time.”
All The Rage – Art “Popping Up” All Over London
“It’s a phenomenon of an era of austerity – pop-up projects are usually self-financing and rarely enjoy the cushion of public subsidy – but it’s also a terrific medium through which young and/or indigent people can show initiative and imagination, garner valuable experience and display their wares without being trampled on by officialdom.”
“Black Swan” Dominates Critics Choice Awards
“Natalie Portman’s ballet drama “Black Swan” led contenders Monday for the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards with a record 12 nominations, among them best picture and actress.”
How “Glee” Is Remaking The Music Business
“As of December, “Glee” now has 102 songs on the chart — and with at least a season-and-a-half to go that has already been guaranteed by Fox, it’s a safe bet that the cast recordings will give Elvis Presley a run for the top spot in the record books with 108 singles. The show has become a single-selling machine the likes of which Ed Sullivan could only dream about.”