Let the truth be sobbed out

This week truly felt like the dog days of summer – days that fade into each other and just last forever. It's still light! There's still time! It's still summer! I loved it, even as the Fringe guide arrived and plenty of season announcements, promising fall right around the corner.

Snack of the week

Frozen pecans eaten straight from the freezer. It's been so hot that I've enjoyed making a bee line to the freezer and getting a handful of these perfect little guys.

Under the Radar announcements

Under the Radar announced its plans for next January, including Faustin Linyekula at New York Live Arts, and that artistic director Mark Russell will be joined by the brilliant Kaneza Schaal and Meropi Peponides.

But to me the most exciting bit is that we can look forward to new work from Philly marvels Jenn Kidwell and Alex Tatarsky as part of the festival. According to American Theatre, "Already seeding new works, Under the Radar will take its first steps as a 'producing festival,' featuring new commissions by Alex Tatarsky, Jenn Kidwell, and Nile Harris. In coming years, it plans to partner with other organizations to provide developmental support for premiere productions at UTR." What excellent commissioning choices! I don't know the details of this commissioning support but I hope it is robust and substantial.

Studio sublet available (Philly)

Annie Wilson is subletting her studio for a few months. Maybe you need a studio! Get in touch with Annie for exact location and pictures if you're interested. A few details from Annie below:

Available: starting October 1st, and I'd like to move back in around Jan 15th, but the end time is very flexible. Start time is a little flexible for Fringe's sake as well.

Location: South Philly

Price: $385/month plus $50 for internet. Very negotiable. Perhaps it could be split amongst a couple folks? Additional discounts for BIPOC folks who grew up in Philly (modeled after Mascher Space Coop).

What it's like: There's about a 10 ft square marley space, a bunch of shelves, and a "cozy nook" with some pillows and cushions, on top of a rug. Big windows, views over south philly roofs, and the skyline. You can leave your stuff! You can make a mess! It can get cold in the winter, so there are some space heaters.

Quote of the week

I loved this New Yorker profile of artist Isabella Ducrot, flourishing at 93. I saw Willie Nelson, 91, perform a few weeks ago and I think he might agree with this quote from Ducrot.

At this stage of life, you can no longer lie. You cannot help but say things that are true. . . . Why the etiquette of silence, the prudence of propriety? You must howl if you seek propriety, consistency and accuracy. Let the truth be sobbed out. Gentle has my time been flowing, whispering to me without malice, “There is no tomorrow, there is no tomorrow.”

UArts dance program gets taken in by Bennington

In a development that could be positive, the New York Times reported that the UArts Dance program will be going to live at Bennington College in Vermont. The plan is that it will be at Bennington's main campus in Vermont for the next year, running alongside and in addition to Bennington's existing dance program (🧐), before returning to a location to-be-determined back in Philly after a year. I don't quite understand how one school will recruit for two different dance programs and I'm curious how the current faculty at Bennington feel about this development, but mostly I hope that they are able to return to Philadelphia in only a year. We need these young, well-trained, exciting artists in this city! Kudos to UArts dance maven Donna Faye Burchfield for orchestrating this partnership so quickly.

In an article from the Inquirer on the 'union' of the institutions, the president of Bennington, Laura Walker, says, “I think we all, in the arts and higher education, need to be thinking of different models and partnerships, because there are too many schools closing. We need to work together for the sake of the students and for the sake of the arts in higher education.” That is hard to argue with and I hope for the success of this experimental joining of forces. The UArts dance program is definitely worth preserving and protecting.

(I still need a 12-part Netflix documentary on what went on behind the scenes of the collapse of UArts and some accountability for the leaders responsible for that catastrophe.)

On the radar: Landing Movement festival

This festival, which takes place August 9-11 on a family farm a couple of hours outside of Chicago, sounds thoughtfully organized and intriguing. (Thanks to Zac Whittenburg for spreading the word about it.) The central question is around what it means "to be in reciprocal and loving relationship with land." No phones allowed, which sounds divine. I love the idea of bringing embodiment to the center of this investigation and if you get there, let me know how it was!

Deep pockets from Van Cleef & Arpels

The Times also had an interesting story about the French infusion of cash currently underway in New York's dance scene. As that cash was responsible for me getting to see one of my all-time favorites last fall, Lucinda Childs' Dance, performed by the Lyon Opera Ballet, and as a Francophile in general, I'm in favor. But as most institutions continue to share seasons that look a little on the slender side, the Van Cleef / Dance Reflections influence stands out as an outlier. The article includes provocative claims, such as Jay Wegman of NYU Skirball describing Dance Reflections as "the best thing to happen to the New York dance scene in the last 25 years." Maybe so! Maybe someday we'll have 19 national choreographic centers like France does now! A dance-lover can dream...