Let’s Dance
We found Mindy Aloff’s book Why Dance Matters on the shelf of a local library and became captivated by her presentation of the art form in its many manifestations. Drawing on her background as a journalist, essayist, and dance critic, Aloff offers insights into how humans across the centuries have used dance in rituals, religious observances, storytelling, and musical interpretation.
The language of dance and dancers provided us with many reference points for use in this week’s acrostic. How many did you spot? We were particularly pleased to find homes for both Alvin Ailey (Answer F. ) and Twyla Tharpe (Answer V.), two towering figures in modern American dance whose careers intertwined in a variety of ways. Early this year, Dave chanced upon a remarkable exhibition at the Whitney Museum in New York about the life and work of Alvin Ailey. Did any of you see it as well?
The quotation in the acrostic offers a description of Michael Jackson’s iconic moonwalk, which many people recall from his rendition of “Billie Jean” some decades ago:
Still thrilling, as they say. How did he do that? We note that a Michael Jackson biopic is due to come out next spring, with his nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role. Should be fun.
One final thought: In Henri Matisse’s painting La Danse, featured above, the hands of two of the figures are reaching toward each other but not quite touching. Does anyone think Matisse intended an allusion to Michelangelo’s image of God and Adam on the Sistine Chapel ceiling?
This Acrostic had a level of difficulty akin to Ginger Rogers’ having to dance backwards while wearing heels. As for me, I won’t dance, don’t ask me.
A fantastic challenge today! I shall not soon forget the word “automatonically” and the difficulty it caused me on the way to this solve…I wish I’d remembered DAGNABBIT and NOUAKCHOTT off the bat!
Another great acrostic, with a fine quote and interesting subject matter.
Dance-related clues that I could detect (other than the great Alvin Ailey and Twyla Thorpe that you mentioned): A, G, I, J, Q, U, X, and Y (as in “shall we dance?”).
At first, I was a bit perplexed by Clue X. But after I completed the puzzle, I looked it up, and came up with the following information:
“The Radio City Rockettes have custom-made tap shoes with hidden microphones in the arch of each shoe, ensuring the live tapping sounds are amplified and heard clearly throughout Radio City Music Hall during numbers like “Rag Dolls” and “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” a significant upgrade from older methods of pre-recording or using bulky wired mics.”
Live and learn.
I agree that the clip you link to of MJ moonwalking to “Billie Jean” is the most iconic of them all, but I don’t sense from it the spirit reflected in the quote. He seems more aggressive, in-your-face, struttin’ his stuff, than he does melancholic.
I would associate the melancholy more with the mime trying desperately to walk against the “wind.” No one did it better than Marcel Marceaux.
https://youtu.be/fiqMpgfTxTs?si=YuSunf6JY4DjtVh0
I love that association between the Michelangelo and the Matisse. I’ve looked at and admired both masterpieces countless times, but never made that connection, which now seems quite plausible.
Amazing number of dance-related clues! Bravo on finding ways to clue them that were not always straightforward.
Your clue for the Rockettes reminded me of an amazing performer I saw years ago – the great John Hartford. He would play the fiddle while doing Appalachian clog-dancing on a small hollow wooden platform with a mic underneath. The effect was unforgettable. He left this world way too soon, but you can find him on YouTube. He was the genius who wrote “Gentle in my Mind.”
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater makes a week-long appearance in Los Angeles every year, with two different programs. But both programs always conclude with a performance of “Revelations.” I hadn’t seen it done live until three years ago, but I’ve now seen it three years straight, and it never loses its impact.
There is a full-length performance available on YouTube for anyone to enjoy:
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDXerubF4I4
I see that “Cry” (which I’ve never seen before) is also on YouTube. I’ll have to check it out.
We saw the Ailey company in NYC last Thursday – an annual tradition since our daughter was nine years old – so that was a gimme and clued me in to the theme. AUTOMATONICALLY and the capital of Mauritania slowed me down quite a bit – definitely one of your harder puzzles and totally worth it.
Since our kid was a dancer and still loves dance, we took her to see the Michael Jackson show on Broadway a few years ago. The dancing was incredible. The way they treated his “legal difficulties” was troubling, and I’m concerned about how the upcoming biopic may dance around that issue (sorry). There are times I can separate the artist from the art and times I can’t.
To discover that my book was the inspiration for an issue of the NYT Acrostics is a delightful and heartening surprise. I thank you very much. And how much a reader learns from the comments! Mics in the arches of the Rockettes’ shoes! The simultaneous arts of John Hartford! Perhaps most astonishingly the possible influence of Michelangelo on Matisse!! At least I know the brilliance of Marceau, having seen him live several times. There is a wonderful interview with him on line, conducted by Randy Gener. It not only gives Marceau’s own story but also the history of mime itself.
With pleasure, I offer a link: https://www.americantheatre.org/2011/01/01/moved-to-silence/
Hi Mindy!
We’re glad that our acrostic came to your attention. Thanks so much for sending in such a thoughtful comment. And congrats on an excellent — and highly quotable — book!
Happy Holidays to you and yours,
Jane and Dave
Love to dance and have studied several styles. Mostly ballet, but also modern, jazz, flamenco and tap. So, not a difficult acrostic for me with the exception of “automatonically” in the quote and word P. Continue to love Ailey’s company who comes to the Bay Area most years. ABT and The Joffrey used to as well fairly regularly and I was reminded of some wonderful performances. Stood in line several hours to see Barishnikov in Tharp’s “Push Comes To Shove” shortly after he came to the U.S. Also, Gerald Arpino’s “Trinity” for Joffrey with the great Christian Holder who, sadly, passed this year. Remembering the great dancers I’ve been lucky enough to see is always welcome.
So cool to learn about the mics in the arches! Wow, I would love to know the gyrations you both must go through to find an anacrosticable quotation, especially one that includes “automatonically”! Thanks for another great one – and thank to all the other commenters as well for their interesting contributions.
Bolton and Stewart are worthy successors to our beloved Hex. I never thought it could be done, but each week they delight me. It seems that they’ve even engineered the solving experience so that the hardest words below match the trickiest part of the quote. Thank you so much.
Dagnabbit! That was a hard one.