Arts

The Arts

Ashton Edwards dancing outside

With A Leap Across Gender Norms, Northwest Ballet Student Looks To Rewrite Rules Of Dance

The way that ballet dancer Ashton Edwards leaps through the air is pure art. The fact that he does it in pointe shoes is a rare feat. Edwards is an 18-year-old ballet student with the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s elite Professional Division in Seattle. He has been studying classical ballet since he was 4 — but always in male roles. Continue Reading With A Leap Across Gender Norms, Northwest Ballet Student Looks To Rewrite Rules Of Dance

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Book cover - Outlawed, by Anna North

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Outlawed’ Frontiers Of Gender And Sexuality Beckon In This Sly Western

Outlawed opens in an alternative America of 1894 that was torn asunder by a flu epidemic some 60 years earlier. West of the Mississippi, centralized government has been replaced by a patchwork of Independent Towns. One of the few things this fragmented America agrees on is that women are put on Earth to bear children. That’s it. Continue Reading BOOK REVIEW: ‘Outlawed’ Frontiers Of Gender And Sexuality Beckon In This Sly Western

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You Might Be Ready To Forget 2020. This Short Film with ‘Auld Lang Syne’ Reminds Why You Shouldn’t

Produced by a diverse group of filmmakers assembled by 1504, a studio based in Birmingham, Ala., For The Sake Of Old Times pairs the performance of “Auld Lang Syne” with archival footage from 2020, particularly of the summer’s racial justice protests. Continue Reading You Might Be Ready To Forget 2020. This Short Film with ‘Auld Lang Syne’ Reminds Why You Shouldn’t

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Annye Anderson poses for a picture

‘Brother Robert’ Book Reveals True Story Of Growing Up With Blues Legend Robert Johnson

Blues legend Robert Johnson has been mythologized as a backwoods loner, his talent the result of selling his soul to the devil. Wrong and wrong again, according to Johnson’s younger stepsister, who lives in Amherst, Mass. She tells his true story in Brother Robert: Growing Up with Robert Johnson, a memoir about growing up with her brother she published in June. Continue Reading ‘Brother Robert’ Book Reveals True Story Of Growing Up With Blues Legend Robert Johnson

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A scene from Priya's Mask, a new comic book and animated film that tackles the challenges around the pandemic. It's the latest installment of the Indian superhero series Priya.

India’s Female Superhero And Her Flying Tiger Are Out To Fight The Pandemic

Priya’s Mask is the latest installation in Priya, the hit comic book series targeted to Indian children. This time, Priya and her flying tiger Sahas befriend a little girl named Meena to show the sacrifices made by frontline health-care workers — and why it’s important to be courageous and compassionate during the pandemic. Continue Reading India’s Female Superhero And Her Flying Tiger Are Out To Fight The Pandemic

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Jon Batiste performs during the National CARES Mentoring Movement's 2nd Annual for the Love of Our Children Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on Jan. 30, 2017 in New York City. Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for for National CARES Mentoring Movement

In ‘Soul,’ Jon Batiste’s New Orleans-Inspired Jazz Music Helps Bring Pixar’s First Black Lead To Life

Pixar’s new animated film Soul is the story of Joe Gardner, a middle school school music teacher with big dreams about performing jazz onstage. “Music is all I think about, from the moment I wake up in the morning to the moment I fall asleep at night,” he says. “I was born to play.” Continue Reading In ‘Soul,’ Jon Batiste’s New Orleans-Inspired Jazz Music Helps Bring Pixar’s First Black Lead To Life

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