Polarized Reactions to Bob Dylan’s Nobel Win 

To the surprise of many, this past week Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature–the only singer-songwriter to ever win the award. Dylan, now 75 years old, has long been regarded as the voice of a generation for his songs from the 1960s onwards, including “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” and “Like a Rolling Stone.” Such songs captured an era of rebellion, dissent, and independence as Americans protested wars, laws, and policies. Fellow songwriters have taken to social media to show their support for the award going to Dylan, excited that one of their own has been recognized as a poet. Not everyone is happy about the win, as some hoped a woman or person of color would be awarded, and others would prefer a more traditional literary figure be chosen. Nobel laureates traditionally give a lecture later in the year, and many are hoping Dylan’s will be in the form of a concert. Regardless of whether Dylan would be most people’s pick for the winner of the award, certainly everyone can agree on the indelible and profound impact he has had on the music world and the songwriting profession.

Ballet after Babies: One Woman’s Story of Returning to the Stage

This past week, The New York Times‘ Gia Kourlas sat down with ballerina Ashley Bouder to discuss her return to the spotlight months after giving birth. In the world of ballet, where bodies are always under scrutiny, motherhood can become a formidable decision, especially mid-career. Bouder, a principal at the New York City Ballet, discusses the ways in which her dancing post-baby has actually improved. “I don’t use way too much energy anymore, and I can just dance. I’m calmer,” the 32-year-old explained, adding “I’m so much more patient.” Bouder admits the hurdles she faced in returning to such a body-conscious and body-taxing art form, explaining that she’s had to adjust to her hips being a bit wider and her quickness not coming back immediately. Bouder stands as a great example of how ballerinas–and other types of dancers–do not have to see career success and motherhood as mutually exclusive. A truly inspiring story of how motherhood can be an asset, rather than a career-ender, for performing artists.

Olympics for the Arts?

A Canadian organization has decided to hold an international art competition, intended to be a sort of fine-arts corollary to the Olympic Games. The International ArtsGames, to be held in Montreal in 2018, will no doubt aim to promote the arts and enrich cultural understanding. They are planned to be held every two years, each time in a difference city. Gold, silver, and bronze medals will be awarded to winners in dance, music, media arts, visual arts, and literature. Not everyone believes the ArtsGames are a good idea, as journalist Russell Smith notes the difficulty in assessing excellence in the arts, especially to determine rankings. Historically, there actually were arts categories in the Olympic Games– from 1912 to 1948, medals were awarded in categories like architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture; the pieces, however, had to be inspired somehow by sport. It will be interesting to see how the ArtsGames play out; hopefully they will succeed in being an international celebration of culture, talent, and creativity.

Concerns over Race & Gender in New Disney Film

Last year Disney announced its plan for a live-action reboot of the 1998 classic film “Mulan.” The initial enthusiasm from fans has been dampened by recent news about the original script for the film. Instead of the film centering on its Asian heroine, the story would feature a white hero who saves China from invaders–a feat Mulan herself did in the original animated movie. In light of this, fans who were excited about the prospect of seeing a strong, independent Asian heroine on screen would be disappointed, as the new film would be the most recent iteration of the highly criticized Hollywood trend of “whitewashing”–casting white actors in non-white roles and focusing stories on white characters. On social media, fans pushed back with the trending hashtag #MakeMulanRight. Luckily, more recent reports seem to indicate that the original script of the film has been abandoned and the film is set to center on its title character. Hopefully the new film will be a step forward toward increased and improved representation of Asian characters and their stories on screen.