Re-awakening the wonderland of Allee Willis
Allee Willis. Heard of her? She was a woman of color in so many ways. Born to a Jewish family in Detroit, she grew up loving Black music. Not too many years later, Willis made an awfully lot of people happy as the composer, or co-composer, of marvelous, burbling, and dance-able pop tunes of irrepressible ...
To Untermyer Gardens with Duncan dancers!
The dancers trained in the technique and philosophy of modern-dance pioneer Isadora Duncan (1878 – 1927) already danced at Untermyer Gardens! Having missed both opportunities (first in 1922, then in 1932), I’m so grateful to be attending an update of this essential American modern-dance history on Labor Day weekend. That’s this Sunday evening at six ...
Cinecon 58: Stars of yore to twinkle once more Labor Day weekend
Aug
26
2022
I’m in New York having a ball — except for the sob sessions that I won’t be in Los Angeles over Labor Day weekend when the annual Cinecon Classic Film Festival blasts off Thursday September 1. Gracing the Fest in its celebratory 58th year (a return to ‘in person’ with masks encouraged) will be the ...
Italy’s Kilowatt Festival: dancing an ‘ethic of living’
Detail from Piero della Francesca’s “Virgin and Child Enthroned with Four Angels” In the hometown of Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca, the Tuscan borgo of Sansepolcro, the Kilowatt Festival, in its 20th year, examines how contemporary performance can foster “urban regeneration.” This year’s theme, “Excess of Reality,” entrusts performance with reformulating “a forgotten ethic of ...
REVIEW: Kyle Abraham/A.I.M. at Lincoln Center ‘Summer for the City’ 1
Aug
14
2022
To take a summer break by visiting New York City (as I am), at a time when dance is mostly happening at bucolic out-of-town festivals, and to run into the prodigious choreographer Kyle Abraham‘s newest work for his Cadillac of a dance company, Abraham in Motion (A.I.M.) — is to luck out. The 70-minute, intermission-less ...
To unfold once more! My Miyake
Ed. note: It’s not every woman who can rock a high-fashion ensemble like the one above designed by Issey Miyake (1938-2022), whose immense trail of creativity left our world this past week. One lady who can is the London-based author and arts journalist Candace Allen, who writes about the inimitable look here: I’d been gifted ...
Rejoicing to be Joyce’ing!
Aug
8
2022
rennie harris LIFTED – photo nikki lee Who in their right mind comes to New York in August? Well, that would be your friend artsmeme. Yes, it is a blazing inferno here. But that doesn’t stop the dance presentation. We’re mostly “off” season, but there’s still so much to see. There’s a three-part program presented ...
Plethora of Vail Dance Festival ballet premieres livestreamed
Limón Dance Company in ‘The Waldstein Sonata’ 2022 Vail Dance Festival. Photo Christopher Duggan The bountiful convergence that is the Vail Dance Festival is now in high gear, and along with forming new partnerships and taking on new roles (Roman Mejia performing Jose Limon’s Chaconne was one of this year’s intriguing expansions of a major ...
artsmeme newsletter will see you in september!
brigitte bardot, 19, hits the beach at cannes artsmeme newsletter will see you in September! As we approach out 15th anniversary (that’s next May 2023) we’re saving all our energy to report on the coolest and funnest arts happenings when the season opens — in September. Just like our pal Mlle Bardot, above, we do ...