Tag Archives: dance

Music, Dance, and Theatre groups recipients of national arts medals

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3 Academics and a Student Chorus Are Among Recipients of National Medals
Chronicle of Higher Education
By REEVES WIEDEMAN
Tuesday, November 18, 2008

“…the Fisk Jubilee Singers were among four organizations honored [with National Medals of Arts]. The group, a student chorus at Fisk University, received an arts medal for preserving African-American spirituals.

The Presser Foundation, which provides grants to undergraduate and graduate students of music, also received an arts medal. The other organizations honored were the José Limón Dance Foundation and Ford’s Theatre Society.

The individual winners of the arts medals were the actress Olivia de Havilland; the jazz pianist Hank Jones; Stan Lee, a comic-book writer and former president of Marvel Comics; Jesús Moroles, a sculptor known for monumental works in granite; and the brothers Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman, a songwriting team.”

Dance Education (K-12) article

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A Nonverbal Language for Imagining and Learning: Dance Education in K–12 Curriculum
Judith Lynne Hanna
Educational Researcher, November 2008

“Dismissive views of dance and few resources for developing and scientifically evaluating dance programs generally have kept dance education out of, or marginalized in, the K-12 curriculum. Yet dance has long had a significant role in the education, religion, ethnic identity, gender marking, and social and political organization of many cultures.”

From Paris, an ad hoc, urban ballet

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From Paris, an ad hoc, urban ballet
by Simon Marks
International Herald Tribune
October 14, 2008

“The idea was to travel across the urban landscape as gracefully, intelligently and dynamically as possible. The practitioners – “traceurs,” from the French verb “tracer,” meaning to trail – were supposed to adapt to their environment in order to manipulate it in creative ways. Sixteen years on, they can be seen pulling off anything from gutsy leaps from roof tops to sublime balancing acts on metal railings.”

Death by Dancing

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‘Dancing Plague’ and Other Odd Afflictions Explained
Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News
Aug. 1, 2008

In July of 1518, a woman referred to as Frau Troffea stepped into a narrow street in Strasbourg, France and began a fervent dancing vigil that lasted between four and six days. By the end of the week, 34 others had joined her and, within a month, the crowd of dancing, hopping and leaping individuals had swelled to 400.

Authorities prescribed “more dancing” to cure the tormented movers but, by summer’s end, dozens in the Alsatian city had died of heart attacks, strokes and sheer exhaustion due to nonstop dancing.

YouTube and Research

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It comes as no surprise that students use YouTube for fun and for research, because it’s easy to use and has a lot of content. Respected music writer Norman Lebrecht writes about how he too has been pulled into YouTube.

While he’s writing about music specifically, there is also a lot of dance content. Looking for a demonstration of how a dance move goes (especially popular dance)? Try searching YouTube. Theatre researchers can also use YouTube to their benefit. Of course, as with any tool, you have to evaluate what you find here critically. But, YouTube can be very useful.

How YouTube shrank the classical world
By Norman Lebrecht / June 25, 2008
the Lebrecht Weekly in LaScena Musicale

New journals area

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You might have noticed the new journals display area near the reading room on the first floor. We’ve selected several dozen of the top journal titles in music, dance, and theatre, and will display current issues face-out (recent issues are in the shelves beneath). Older issues and journal titles not in this display (we have hundreds) can be found in the journals area in the northwest corner of the first floor.

Theatre and Performing Arts blog

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A thought-provoking blog focusing on theatre and the performing arts from the UK’s Guardian. I think this source is useful for several reasons, not least for its international perspective. Here are a few recent entries to illustrate:

Is Ballet’s Future in America?
San Francisco Ballet’s New Works Festival has been warmly received by an eager public. It makes English ballet look secretive and cautious
May 2, 2008 8:15 AM Judith Mackerell


Where are our black ballerinas?
Britain’s ballet companies must start to look further than the white middle classes for their talent
April 10, 2008 12:30 PM Judith Mackerell

You can’t have community theatre without a community
The postponement of a £100,000 flagship project at the Brighton festival raises urgent questions about who the work was actually for
May 2, 2008 6:00 PM Lyn Gardner


Should theatres listen to consultants?
An American consulting firm is offering statistical advice to programmers. Should playwrights be worried?
May 1, 2008 4:00 PM George Hunka

PS The Guardian also has a separate music blog here.