The statue and me
As most readers here are well aware, I’m a person who likes privacy. So I suppose it’s odd that I’ve put myself out there as a blogger. Of course, I’ve hidden behind that apple. Every now and then I’ve posted … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Arts
Interlude
It’s been raining today.
Continue reading →You’re the Piano Man
One of Billy Joel’s most famous songs – his first big hit, “Piano Man” – was released when he was twenty-four years old. It was based on his real-life experiences: “Piano Man” is a fictionalized retelling of Joel’s own experience … Continue reading →
Inquiring minds want to know: do ballet dancers ever have large busts?
This post was sparked by this question from commenter “IrishOtter49”: This is a serious question. Can women with an, er, “ample” bust be ballet dancers? Commenter “om” replied thusly: If you are jumping, spinning, bending at the waist, rapidly at … Continue reading →
Laurence Tribe on yesterday’s SCOTUS decision
Laurence Tribe is a law professor at Harvard specializing in the US Constitution. But leftism and partisan Trump-hatred so blinds Tribe that he sounds incredibly stupid here. Maybe he really is incredibly stupid, but I doubt it – at least, … Continue reading →
Another ballet palate cleanser
I’ve recently discovered a YouTube channel featuring two sisters, dancers who speak about ballet. They are delightful as well as knowledgeable, in their very early twenties, and I’ve been having a good time watching their videos. I was going to … Continue reading →
Presidents’ Day poetry
[NOTE: Today is Presidents’ Day, and this is a repeat of a previous post.] I’m not that old, but pedagogical practices in my youth seem absolutely archaic compared to whatever passes for education these days. For starters, we had Washington’s … Continue reading →
Enjoyment of movement in ballet
Natasha and Andrei dance
Same scene, two versions of War and Peace. Hollywood, circa 1956. Ferrer and Hepburn were married in real life at the time: Here’s the Russian version made in the 1960s, which I saw in movie theaters long ago. I found … Continue reading →
Walpurgis Nacht in competition
This “Bacchante” variation from Walpurgis Nacht was Maya Plisetkaya’s forte, and nobody else is Plisetskaya or even close. But many give the variation a try, especially in dance competitions where they face a particularly daunting task: to perform the variation … Continue reading →
The dread “Esmeralda” variation
First of all, I dislike this particular ballet variation even when adult soloists perform it. It’s herky-jerky and show-offy in a sharp and to me unpleasant way. There’s a tendency for the women to look as though they’re ferociously looking … Continue reading →
This 13-year-old ballet dancer …
… named Chloe Helimet has a lovely lyrical upper body for her age, and a calm presence. The variation she’s dancing is harder than it looks because the slow tempo requires so much control. Her feet are unusually flexible, which … Continue reading →