"Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher." Japanese Proverb Inside The Lines As far back as 1945 education specialists have cast doubt on children's coloring books. They say that it stifles creativity and, somehow, it is an affront that a kid would be coloring in someone else's … Continue reading Inside The Lines →

"In the end, postmodern art is obscene not because it is offensive, but because it is boring." Gregory Benford The Post Modern Hurdle I've often said that the television killed Art. People stayed home to watch Jack Benny instead of going to the local theater or club or exhibit. Today, when we go to the … Continue reading The Post Modern Hurdle →

"It is not so much upon the number of exercises, as the care with which they are done, that progreses and skill depend." August Bournonville Some More Light Let us look at another piece by the same group, Jiri Kylian and the Nederlands Dans Theater. Before we saw emphasis on detail, we wanted to see … Continue reading Some More Light →

"Every teacher will tell you that you cannot dance classical technique with perfection, there is no such thing, there is no way. So you have to adapt the technique to your abilities or to your deficiencies. Learn to cheat!" Jiri Kylian Looking at some Light Have you ever found yourself in the parking lot at … Continue reading Looking at some Light →

"and the pinches from the stagehands, it's the only quiet thing they do!" Applause Ready Follow One Today we embrace the passing of old knowledge. Little bits and details and tricks that were learned before technology improved our situations and are no longer needed. Back in the olden days, I ran a follow spot for … Continue reading Ready Follow One →

"You play the way you practice." Pop Warner Points of Pride I remember my Mom telling me that I marched to the sound of a different drummer. She didn't make it sound negative. It was years before I figured out that I wanted to tell her that even though I might march to a different … Continue reading Points of Pride →

"Come Fairies, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame!" William Butler Yeats Writing for Trade I've been published in magazines three times. It is not a big deal, the thing that I'm proudest of is that I never … Continue reading Writing for Trade →

"Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid." Frank Zappa The Dead Set Getting older has one cool advantage, you've seen things. And, in some cases, you can say "I was there" at an event that can no longer happen. For … Continue reading The Dead Set →