Ta, Robyn. Yes, the Mayerling bedroom pas de deux is quite sexy, but can't hold a candle to the Agon pas de deux (Balanchine choreography, Stravinsky score) we saw at NYC Ballet. There was so much sexuality onstage that darling husband Meccalopolis (when he was still beautiful boyfriend Meccalopolis) and I couldn't keep our hands off each other. It was hot.
I spent much of my young life in ballet class. It's lots of work. Dancers are some of the greatest athletes in the world. I'm very proud to see so many of them unionizing. For most who attain professional status, their careers are short. One of my cousins danced for Mr. B, then went on to be a high school teacher in Queens. Dallas Black should hang their heads in shame for pulling that shit. And that video was freakin' adorable!
If the Ballet Black Theater is smart, they will appeal the ruling and awarding of damages, which will likely take until Trump is sworn in and gets to stack the NLRB with union busters, because former Democratic, now Independents, Senators Sinema and Manchin voted against Biden’s nominees to the NRLB today, allowing Trump to appoint a Republican majority.
Robyn: Thanks for this post. As despicable as the company's behavior may be and as pathetically small the settlement may be, at least there was something on Wonkette to cheer about today. I realize that it is incredibly difficult for you and Rebecca and Doc, et. al. to wade through the firehose of shit emanating from the president-elect's firesale of American decency and constitutional principles, but I'm beginning to be overwhelmed by the constant new triggers of outrage. There are times when I feel my grip on reality actually slipping, and at my age it don't take much for a slip to become a mass bodily casualty event.
Someone tell RiRi and get Fenty on the pointe shoes problem. They'll have dozens of hues and deliver swift embarrassment to the establishment shoe makers.
While I agree with you in principle, it's not simple. There are only a few makers of pointe shoes, which are constructed entirely by hand and artisanal AF. Better to persuade them to expand their palette, IMHO.
Company sounds like it needs to go out of business.
Speaking of things which need to go: any reference to Misty Copeland which portrays that greedy, deeply mediocre, self-serving, self-congratulatory, one-woman social media garbage fire as some sort of ICON. She pushed, shoved, and text/tweeted her way to the top when every single Black ballerina (term used properly and advisedly, to denote a principal dancer, thank you very much) of the past four decades was vastly superior in every conceivable way. examples include Debra Austin, Lauren Anderson, Tai Jimenez, Stephanie Dabney, Lorraine Graves, Virginia Johnson, Alicia Graf Mack, and MANY others.
* I would hope that the Dallas City Council could more creatively use the leverage of their $250,000 grant to effect change in hearts in the management suite at the Dallas Black Dance Theater. Taking the money back and giving it to another seems not only petty, but risks hurting not the management but the dancers and the audience that gets to see those dancers because of that public grant.
* A wider frame on this is an idea that I'm toying with, called (for now) "the confederate mindset." The confederacy was defeated in 1865, but its mindset has, Michael Myers-like, hard to kill. The mindset is the paradox and foil of true American Freedom. The mindset craves hierarchy, overvalues tradition, resorts easily to violence and believes it is the lots of others to produce for them. Hate of the poor in the US isn't an echo of Puritan self-determination or "Protestant Work Ethic." It's the confederate mindset, transmuted from 19th century agricultural Slave Power to contemporary corporate and governmental power. "Evangelical Christianity" isn't the modern, pop-song-inflected version of the Old Time Religion. It's the descendant of the denominations created by the confederate slaveowners.
It is a mindset that surely includes racism, but is even more evil than that -- it says I got mine, and I'm going to get more--but you're doing the work. And if you speak up, you and those you love will be attacked.
Your analysis of the confederate mindset is spot-on. It captures the devotion to hierarchy and domination (enforced by violence) that lies at the heart of modern conservatism. Frank Wilhoit also has profound thoughts about conservatism.
Devotion to hierarchy and domination enforced by violence would be a good description of Christianity, or any other Abrahamic religion. God is no more than a supersized king.
There are several issues I would raise regarding your adoption of the "Confederate mind-set" as the dominant force in today's version of Evangelical Christianity; I'll mention just one.
There was a strong antipathy toward the "poor" in Colonial Christian thinking. Those in poverty in much of New England (and elsewhere) were divided in custom and in law to the "deserving" or "worthy" poor and the "unworthy" poor. The biblical admonition, "He who will not work, let him not eat," was taken seriously. In certain areas the worthless poor were left to starve, as were older poor who could no longer assist in their own family's care. That is part of some Puritan doctrine and thinking and it has not left us. And don't forget it was also part of John Smith's policy that existed in Jamestown before the Pilgrim/Puritan migration. The purpose of the Jamestown colony was to return a profit on the joint-stock investments, and if you could not assist in that endeavor you were worthless to the colony.
The Confederacy was able to borrow from both streams, Jamestown and New England, to build its case, just as Nazi Germany borrowed from the Confederacy's legacy in the 1930s to develop its racism.
I found their video uplifting (no pun intended)
Ta, Robyn. Yes, the Mayerling bedroom pas de deux is quite sexy, but can't hold a candle to the Agon pas de deux (Balanchine choreography, Stravinsky score) we saw at NYC Ballet. There was so much sexuality onstage that darling husband Meccalopolis (when he was still beautiful boyfriend Meccalopolis) and I couldn't keep our hands off each other. It was hot.
I spent much of my young life in ballet class. It's lots of work. Dancers are some of the greatest athletes in the world. I'm very proud to see so many of them unionizing. For most who attain professional status, their careers are short. One of my cousins danced for Mr. B, then went on to be a high school teacher in Queens. Dallas Black should hang their heads in shame for pulling that shit. And that video was freakin' adorable!
For the young dancers (and figure skaters, and actors) in your lives of all colors - some vendors of tights in all colors
https://blendzapparel.com/collections/dance-tights
https://www.mynudeshade.com/collections/nude-tights
https://www.natcodancewear.com/product/pointe-people-skin-tone-convertible-microfiber-tights/8984
(microfiber!! ^^)
If the Ballet Black Theater is smart, they will appeal the ruling and awarding of damages, which will likely take until Trump is sworn in and gets to stack the NLRB with union busters, because former Democratic, now Independents, Senators Sinema and Manchin voted against Biden’s nominees to the NRLB today, allowing Trump to appoint a Republican majority.
Oh fuck !
Robyn: Thanks for this post. As despicable as the company's behavior may be and as pathetically small the settlement may be, at least there was something on Wonkette to cheer about today. I realize that it is incredibly difficult for you and Rebecca and Doc, et. al. to wade through the firehose of shit emanating from the president-elect's firesale of American decency and constitutional principles, but I'm beginning to be overwhelmed by the constant new triggers of outrage. There are times when I feel my grip on reality actually slipping, and at my age it don't take much for a slip to become a mass bodily casualty event.
Someone tell RiRi and get Fenty on the pointe shoes problem. They'll have dozens of hues and deliver swift embarrassment to the establishment shoe makers.
While I agree with you in principle, it's not simple. There are only a few makers of pointe shoes, which are constructed entirely by hand and artisanal AF. Better to persuade them to expand their palette, IMHO.
For the young dancers (and figure skaters, and actors) in your lives of all colors - some vendors of tights in all colors
https://blendzapparel.com/collections/dance-tights
https://www.mynudeshade.com/collections/nude-tights
https://www.natcodancewear.com/product/pointe-people-skin-tone-convertible-microfiber-tights/8984
(microfiber!! ^^)
They do have tights now
That only took 400 years
Good for the dancers, deserved!
Anybody want to watch their latest AI try to dance?
https://bsky.app/profile/labuzamovies.bsky.social/post/3ld2c4wls322j
Yawn. Kung fu movies did it better first.
And thanks to SinaManchin Trump will get control of the NLRB. Well, it was nice while it lasted.
https://substack.com/@mvario/note/c-81092644?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=68h2g
Company sounds like it needs to go out of business.
Speaking of things which need to go: any reference to Misty Copeland which portrays that greedy, deeply mediocre, self-serving, self-congratulatory, one-woman social media garbage fire as some sort of ICON. She pushed, shoved, and text/tweeted her way to the top when every single Black ballerina (term used properly and advisedly, to denote a principal dancer, thank you very much) of the past four decades was vastly superior in every conceivable way. examples include Debra Austin, Lauren Anderson, Tai Jimenez, Stephanie Dabney, Lorraine Graves, Virginia Johnson, Alicia Graf Mack, and MANY others.
Finally. Some positive news. I hope those dancers go on to form their own troupe.
That DBDT video was deeply offensive. I am triggered, shattered, and violated. I'll sue!
As for that Mayerling dance - in the words of George Takei, Oh My. (fans self). Is it getting hot in here?
Mayerling is truly obscene in person. Saw it with McRae (who is hotter than July) and Lamb a couple of years ago. It was stunning.
It could be you.
I think you should file a assault complaint.
Mayerling: everyone involved is completely hatstand and it ends badly. Apart from Franz Ferdinand who says "What the fuck? I wanted a quiet life".
Dance makes me feel weird in my pants, so we can't have that...
I'm always weird in my pants.
Unions are good for workers. Even for the ones that are not unionized.
But workers keep voting for a party that openly expresses its hostility to organized labour.
Because, as someone once observed, I deserve a union; you're just hobbling business and increasing the cost of goods.
"I got mine, fuck you" is no longer the mantra of the republican party.
It is the national motto.
The vertical expression of a horizontal desire. Management appears to know nothing about dance.
A past girlfriend of mine, who was a dancer (naked) wrote a book called, "An Upright Look at My Horizontal Friends".
It was a a worthy read.
Excellent article. Two thoughts:
* I would hope that the Dallas City Council could more creatively use the leverage of their $250,000 grant to effect change in hearts in the management suite at the Dallas Black Dance Theater. Taking the money back and giving it to another seems not only petty, but risks hurting not the management but the dancers and the audience that gets to see those dancers because of that public grant.
* A wider frame on this is an idea that I'm toying with, called (for now) "the confederate mindset." The confederacy was defeated in 1865, but its mindset has, Michael Myers-like, hard to kill. The mindset is the paradox and foil of true American Freedom. The mindset craves hierarchy, overvalues tradition, resorts easily to violence and believes it is the lots of others to produce for them. Hate of the poor in the US isn't an echo of Puritan self-determination or "Protestant Work Ethic." It's the confederate mindset, transmuted from 19th century agricultural Slave Power to contemporary corporate and governmental power. "Evangelical Christianity" isn't the modern, pop-song-inflected version of the Old Time Religion. It's the descendant of the denominations created by the confederate slaveowners.
It is a mindset that surely includes racism, but is even more evil than that -- it says I got mine, and I'm going to get more--but you're doing the work. And if you speak up, you and those you love will be attacked.
Your analysis of the confederate mindset is spot-on. It captures the devotion to hierarchy and domination (enforced by violence) that lies at the heart of modern conservatism. Frank Wilhoit also has profound thoughts about conservatism.
👆👆👆👆
Devotion to hierarchy and domination enforced by violence would be a good description of Christianity, or any other Abrahamic religion. God is no more than a supersized king.
There are several issues I would raise regarding your adoption of the "Confederate mind-set" as the dominant force in today's version of Evangelical Christianity; I'll mention just one.
There was a strong antipathy toward the "poor" in Colonial Christian thinking. Those in poverty in much of New England (and elsewhere) were divided in custom and in law to the "deserving" or "worthy" poor and the "unworthy" poor. The biblical admonition, "He who will not work, let him not eat," was taken seriously. In certain areas the worthless poor were left to starve, as were older poor who could no longer assist in their own family's care. That is part of some Puritan doctrine and thinking and it has not left us. And don't forget it was also part of John Smith's policy that existed in Jamestown before the Pilgrim/Puritan migration. The purpose of the Jamestown colony was to return a profit on the joint-stock investments, and if you could not assist in that endeavor you were worthless to the colony.
The Confederacy was able to borrow from both streams, Jamestown and New England, to build its case, just as Nazi Germany borrowed from the Confederacy's legacy in the 1930s to develop its racism.
Is the management of the dance company Black, white or mixed? Do we know?