Musical surprises #11: Listen long enough, and words become a melody
We often talk about a language being ‘musical’, or a speaker having ‘sing-song’ tones when they talk. But we mean this only in a vague sense: we don’t mean that…
Burnt oranges and ballet music
I reached a point in a recipe once where I wondered whether I could really be bothered to dry-fry coriander seeds and then crush them. The person who’d written the…
If you want to show your buttocks in Idaho, put on a ballet
From the Argus Observer in Idaho comes a lovely story about naked hockey players that would have delighted the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, author of Distinction, in which he argues…
Give to East Cheshire Hospice
Get your credit cards out… On November 7th, best pal & favourite choreographer Christopher Hampson is running the marathon in aid of the East Cheshire Hospice, who looked after David…
Prague Postcards 2: A tricycle built for six
Seen in Dlouhá, outside Praha Bike. Not my idea of fun, as the whole fun of having a bike is independence.
Sod’s lore
I have a longstanding interest in folklore & folk music, particularly of Eastern Europe, so I got all excited when I discovered that there was a Folklore gathering in the…