Lobenthal.com

A lot of bad, shoddy thinking has infected ballet for a long time and that, together with the frightful economic, educational, and cultural policies that our government has put in place, have landed ballet in a precarious position.

Sometimes the bad and shoddy thinking is simply taking good ideas to a counter-productive extreme.

It’s a bad and shoddy idea that a quota of new ballets have to be unveiled per annum w/o regard to the quality of those new works, that a huge amount of money has to be spent on them regardless, and that commissioning and rehearsing new works takes precedence over constant polishing and respectful casting of core classic repertory.

But on the other hand, new works are essential. They give dancers a chance to express themselves under the tutelage of living choreographers who can make something especially for them, give them confidence and guidance.

There’s no question that New York City Ballet always looks truly world-class in new ballets created especially for them. And so it proved two nights ago, when the company performed four works it has premiered over the past decade: Benjamin Millepied’s Neverwhere, Justin Peck’s Decalogue, Nicolas Blanc’s Mothership, and Alexei Ratmansky’s Namouna: A Grand Divertissement.

New works sometimes, if not invariably, do create something “new,” which is, of course, one manifestation of creativity. Yes, you could see new coordinations, new partnering vocabulary, spatial configurations, steps, rhetorical continuity.

It’s a bad and shoddy idea that new works must always feature the same few leading dancers, which is another reason why Wednesday’s performance was heartening.

Not only did some of the overworked never look so good, but some neglected talents are perhaps being brought forward. I say “perhaps” because I don’t know the Kremlinology of things. I say “neglected” knowing full well that not everyone can be a soloist and you need to have a corps de ballet.

But I do think if you care about giving the audience the most entertaining and meaningful product, you will spotlight as much as you can as many people’s individuality when there is a chance to do so.

How dare we be interested in receiving health care?

Talking to the American Enterprise Institute, he again demonstrates what an elitist sounds like.

Nicole Chavez at CNN reports on how much Sen. Hatch despises his fellow Americans. And, of course, he does a lot of lying to try to justify his hostility toward us.

The Times needs to remind Maggie Haberman that just because a source or a number of closely related sources tells* you something, it may not be true and it certainly should not be presumed to be the entire story.

I spoke to a lawyer today who agreed that, yes, Rep. Devin Nunes can and should be arrested for obstruction of justice.

No, it didn’t seem like a dead art form last night at New York City Ballet.

Oh, yes she did.

In a nutshell, that says more vividly than almost anything I’ve encountered recently how toxic is the arrogance of the traditional, “mainstream,” “news” media and why they get the story wrong so often–and then get real sour when they’re called out. This also speaks volumes about the perils of “access” journalism.

When they make bads like this one, they tend to legitimize Trump as being right about the media–but for exactly the wrong reasons.

The media was too nice to Trump during the campaign. It didn’t perform due diligence. It didn’t warn the country of what any astute observer could have seen would happen if he won.

And now what’s happened under Trump is even worse than anyone could have dreamed.

And when the media has now tried somewhat to rectify its dereliction about all things Trumpian, its compromises and coddling of him in the past undermine its credibility so that a certain amount of Trump cult followers will believe that all this is really fake news.

But the cult, of course, subscribes uncritically to the fakest news sites of all, Fox, and Breitbart and the rest of the far-right alternate universe.

In today’s New York Times, Nicholas Fandos details the ongoing traitorous behavior of the Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, who leaked Sen. Warner’s emails to Fox, which were then seized upon the Imposter-in-chief to somehow, nonsensically constitute a breach of–something or other.

Frauster Paul Ryan was informed about the problem and decided to sit on his hands.

How long are the Democrats going to pull their punches when it comes to combating the traitorous tragi-farce of Trump and the current lawless, traitorous GOP?

The GOP members of the House Intelligence committee are working overtime to obstruct justice. They need to be brought to justice. Fox “News” needs to have its license revoked.

Would you trust a “Harvest Box” of food approved by Mick Mulvaney?

It would probably be bottled water from Flint and a lot of instant mashed potatoes.

And then Mick would put out a press release talking whole grain and quinoa.

Mick–No one in America wants or needs your input on what to buy with his or her SNAP benefits.

You know, there really must be something in that marijuana that Sessions is trying to re-criminalize.

The Attorney General offers a mild defense of the Constitution, as though his loyalty was supposed to be with American democracy rather than the dictatorial ambitions of Herr Trump.

by playing cute with the House Intelligence Committee.

Eenie-meenie-miney mo —

ooh, I won’t answer that, oh, OK, I might answer one of those if you ask with sugar on top, well, let me talk to my lawyers and the Oval office and I’ll get back to you on that one–

She kept this crap up for nine hours?!

Everyone connected to this White House reeks guilt and the stench is now overpowering.

And that stench emits as well from the Republicans on the Intelligence committee, who declined to issue a flash subpoena to get this Little Miss Muffet to give ground on her tuffet.