Column Editor's letter FROM THE EDITOR
FROM THE PUBLISHER
En avant, marche.
March Madness No not that March Madness
Pink tule, ethereal aesthetics, femininity and grace. These forward-facing attributes of the ballet world lead many to assume it to be a female dominated realm. But like nearly every other profession, it has long been male-dominated – with leadership roles largely maintained by a sort of boys club. In fact, the ballet world, with its proclivity for tradition and patriarchal origins, is one which has been particularly slow-moving in the march toward equity and inclusion. Yet, however slow the march, we are beginning to see signs of change. Over the years, we have seen the rise of some brilliant female choreographers and a tendency for women in the business to lift other women up. For instance, Smuin Ballet (whose founder was a man but which is now headed by a team of women), brought a wonderful performance featuring only women choreographers to the stage as one of their first live shows since pandemic lock-downs. We are seeing greater strength, versatility, and depth in the female roles imagined by these choreographers. San Francisco Ballet, the United States’ oldest ballet company, recently announced its new director would be a woman, Tamara Rojo – the first woman to lead the company in its history. Having been in the ballet world for most of my life, this is encouraging to see. So, here’s to the small steps that march us forward – those that make history, and those that merely delight an audience for an afternoon. Happy Women’s History Month. En avant, marche (forward, march).
March is usually cold. So is February and January. Not this year. So, when thinking about March and the usual activities and festivities, I’ve tried to imagine them in this unusual (although less and less unusual) weather. Starting with Mardi Gras. This is a wonderful tradition that involves great food and questionable attire. At my house, this means great food and weird attire. Beads and masks are mandatory. We like to concentrate on the Fat part of Fat Tuesday. Gumbo, jambalaya, hush puppies and king cake. Libations of course include hurricanes and Sazerac. Weather doesn’t matter. And then there’s Ides of March. This is not a happy day on the calendar. It’s a good reminder that all may not be as it seems and that if anyone tells you to beware, you should definitely do so. Stumbling on to St. Patrick's Day. This is hard to envision in warm, cloud free weather. My suggestion is to go to Cullen’s Pub. It’s the closest thing we have to an Irish pub and with Char’s adding great “pub” food that would rival most pubs in Dublin, it’s a great place to be. Settle in for a whiskey tasting and hot food on a (possibly) chilly March day. Regarding the other March Madness, hard to choose, but I’ll go with UCLA
Genevieve
@beniciamagazine
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Mary
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