Blog

  • Mother Denise and the Hula-Hooping Nuns

    “Rarely does one find in one woman both an expert primary teacher and discerning business woman. Add to that combination spiritual leader, public relations woman, adept seamstress, and furniture mover, and you have one woman, Mother Denise Mohr.” Oklahoma Courier … Continue reading → Read more

  • Interest Convergence at the Met: Terence Blanchard’s Champion “Live in HD,” April 29, 2023

    As is my habit I avoided reading any reviews of Terence Blanchard’s Champion prior to attending the “Live in HD” broadcast of the opera this past Saturday. As a rule I like to go in with fresh eyes and ears, … Continue reading → Read more

  • Unanswered Questions at Joyce DiDonato’s Eden

    Saturday evening was the twenty-third stop on the world tour of Joyce DiDonato’s conceptual concert experience called Eden, presented at Zellerbach Hall by CalPerformances (one of the project’s co-commissioners). Begun prior to the disruptions of early 2020, the show has … Continue reading → Read more

  • Balanchine Mythbusters: “But first, a school” Edition

    Dear Dr. Steichen: “I got into an argument with a friend about Balanchine’s famous quote, ‘But first, a school.’ From the materials in your book it seems to me that the school was an idea of Lincoln Kirstein and Edward … Continue reading → Read more

  • Serenade: A Balanchine Fever Dream

    Toni Bentley has a new book out, called Serenade: A Balanchine Story, a title that matches its contents well. Although the book is autobiographical, the author’s personal experiences are intentionally sublimated to the “real” story: George Balanchine’s ascendance as the … Continue reading → Read more

  • Tiny Pretty Things: The Melodrama that Ballet Deserves

    (No spoilers except for one that doesn’t really count but I flag it anyway!) I waited until after finishing the final episode of Tiny Pretty Things to read reviews online, and was not entirely surprised by the reactions. There was … Continue reading → Read more