Interesting editorial from Dr. Christopher Allen, national art critic for The Australian, suggesting “an act of resistance to dehumanisation.”
Working toward including more dance, here is yet another excellent article from The Washington Post’s Sarah Kaufman, this time about dancer/singer/actors in the DC area, including Signature Theatre’s current “Hairspray.”
Sadly, Vaclav Havel died during the holidays. For those unfamiliar with this author, playwright, and politician, click on the links below for summary articles.
Christian Science Monitor’s article
The Guardian’s (U.K.) article
For those interested in reading some of Havel’s work in English, many things are translated on his web site.
From Italy, via Málaga, is this from Maestro Riccardo Muti, in Italian (English translation on YouTube).
Background, for those unfamiliar with the long tradition of this chorus from opera: “Va, pensiero” (Hebrew slaves chorus), from the opera Nabucco, by Verdi.
In the United States today is dedicated to the late Dr. Martin Luther King and his mission that all men be free. Havel was a living example of what an artist can accomplish. Muti conducted that same chorus on the floor of the Italian Senate in support of the importance of Italian culture. Previous posts illustrate how entire countries have used singing to gain democracy.
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