For me, it was easy to see what was unusual about this dancer’s fouettes – because of my long ballet background which includes some teaching. The narrator explains somewhat, but I’ll add that holding the arms above the head increases … Continue reading →
Tommy Smothers has died at the age of 86. I was an early fan, having seen him and his brother on some variety show or other, doing their number, “Chocolate.” I was a kid and I howled with laughter. They … Continue reading →
Commenter “huxley” had AI perform an interesting exercise. He asked ChatGPT 3.5 to do the following: Write song lyrics like “Why Can’t a Woman Be More like a Man” based on “Why can’t a Nothing be more like a Something.” … Continue reading →
On YouTube there are a series of interviews of survivors of 10/7, done by the USC Shoah Foundation. The interviews are long, and I’ve only watched a few. But – unlike Holocaust survivor interviews, which I’ve also watched – these … Continue reading →
I don’t know the year, but I estimate this to have been filmed about 100 years ago. Pavlova had a poor turnout and weak ankles; her technique would be utterly unacceptable in a professional ballet dancer today. But she sure … Continue reading →
First, the old Eddie Murphy sketch. On watching it again after many years, I’m struck by the fact that, although I had remembered the first two bits – in the store; and the party on the bus – I had … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is a heavily revised version of a previous post.] This is the first night of Chanukah, and I wish everyone a happy one. Chanukah is about a successful revolt and a miracle of light: The miracle of the … Continue reading →
Whether or not you think the hostage deals are a good thing for Israel’s goal of defeating Hamas, I don’t think anyone here doesn’t take joy in the family reunions and in particular the release of the children. I’ve watched … Continue reading →
Women’s rights organization are basically wholly-leftist boilerplate operations at this point. Maybe they always were, but whether or not that’s the case, it’s become abundantly clear as time has gone on that their principles are utterly changeable, and depend almost … Continue reading →
Kids these days love unicorns. Unicorns are almost their emblems, their mascots. I’m not sure why, but I’ll go with it. Unicorns are a beautiful escape from reality, and a benign one. Even adults can use that now and then. … Continue reading →
Evolution? More like devolution. Maybe the technique gets better, but who cares? The incomparable Fracci, the first on the video (1971), is the only one whose dancing really interests me. Notice also that she dances faster than the others. Over … Continue reading →
I haven’t been feeling especially upbeat lately, and that’s an understatement. This is that time of the year when it gets dark early, especially up north where I live. Gloomy. October 7 and its aftermath have been horrendous. Tuesday’s election … Continue reading →