Performing Arts
Sweatin' to the Smithsonian: Exercise With Folkways
Autumn is upon us, which means we must once again turn our thoughts to the Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas triumvirate of culinary evil. No matter how much goodwill you show to your friends, family and neighbors, it won't save your waistline from the smorgasbord of rich foods that you traditionall...
November 06, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Meet Sesame Street's Global Cast of Characters
Over the course of the 40 years that the program has been on the air, Sesame Street has spawned versions in countries around the world
November 06, 2009 |
By Abby Callard
Recording the Ju/'hoansi for Posterity
For 50 years, John Marshall documented one of Africa's last remaining hunter- gatherer tribes in more than 700 hours of film footage
November 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Are Scientists or Moviemakers the Bigger Dodos?
Scientist-turned-filmmaker Randy Olson says that academics must be more like Hollywood in how they share their love for science
October 30, 2009 |
By Abby Callard
Celebrate Halloween with Smithsonian Folkways!
Halloween isn't the most musical holiday out there. Repeated listenings of "Monster Mash" (and it's infrequently heard B-side), the Ghostbusters theme, The Addams Family theme song, the theme from The Munsters. Are you detecting a theme here? I mean, you could also play 101 variations of "Night on ...
October 29, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
DC Latin American Film Showcase Screens "The Accordion Kings"
As part of the Latin American Film Showcase, "The Accordion Kings: The Story of Colombian Vallenato Music," a Smithsonian Networks film, will be shown at the Georgetown Business School - Lohrfink Auditorium tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. The film captures an annual festival of accordion music that takes pla...
October 27, 2009 |
By Abby Callard
Hazel Scott’s Lifetime of High Notes
She began her career as a musical prodigy and ended up breaking down racial barriers in the recording and film industries
October 16, 2009 |
By Karen Chilton
Jewish Songwriters, American Songs
Poet David Lehman talks about the brilliant Jewish composers and lyricists whose work largely comprises the great American songbook
October 07, 2009 |
By Jamie Katz
A Depression- Era Playlist
Poet David Lehman provides a list of his favorite songs from the 1930s, including works by Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen and others
October 07, 2009 |
By David Lehman
Celebrate Oktoberfest with Smithsonian Folkways!
As summer segues into autumn, it's time once again to dust off your lederhosen, crack out the sauerkraut, throw the best bratwurst on the barbie and raise a stein to Oktoberfest! This 16-day celebration originated in Munich in the early 1800s and has since been celebrated the world over thanks to h...
October 01, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Motown Turns 50
For years, the recording industry excluded black artists. Along came Motown, and suddenly everyone was singing its tunes
September 29, 2009 |
By Marian Smith Holmes
Jewish Bluegrass
Lovers of the banjo, fiddle and mandolin blend cultural identity and religious faith to create a uniquely American sound
September 24, 2009 |
By Jen Miller
Dancing Around Abraham Lincoln
Bill T. Jones, one of America’s foremost living choreographers, tackles Lincoln’s complicated legacy in his newest work
September 11, 2009 |
By Rebecca Milzoff
Go Back to School With the Smithsonian!
Back to school season is upon us! Students are spazzing over course schedules and the teachers they have to expand their minds. Teachers are sure to wonder what young minds they get to contend with over the course of the next school year and parents are prepping for an onslaught of PTA meetings and...
September 03, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
The Polls Are Open. Vote for Your Favorite Hope Diamond Setting
The Hope Diamond, the crown jewel of the National Museum of Natural History’s internationally recognized gems collection, is soon to be viewed in a new setting. But which setting will be chosen? In an unusual move, museum officials say the selection will be decided by the public, in a first-ever, p...
August 25, 2009 |
By Abby Callard
Lester Young Turns 100
Billie Holiday’s favorite musician, jazz great Lester “Prez” Young brought a hip, freewheeling sensibility to his saxophone playing
August 25, 2009 |
By Jamie Katz
Celebrate Bad Poetry Day
Happy Bad Poetry Day everybody! Crack out your bongos along with your pad and paper and be unashamed to lay down a bit of verse that ought never see the light of day again! Stoke the creative fire of your soul and let loose those ladies from Nantucket with reckless abandon all over the nearest blan...
August 18, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Smithsonian Folkways Legend Mike Seeger Dies
The ATM Blog regrets this Friday’s passing of Mike Seeger at age 75, a long-time contributor to the Smithsonian Folkways label. A dedicated proponent of "old-time" music, this accomplished musician and singer helped keep traditional, rural roots music alive, recording the performances of the musici...
August 10, 2009 |
By Jeff Campagna
Arlo Guthrie Reminisces About Woodstock
The folk musician talks about his new album – a lost recording of a solo concert held days before the legendary music festival
July 31, 2009 |
By Jeff Campagna
Frank Baum, the Man Behind the Curtain
The author of The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum, traveled many paths before he found his Yellow Brick Road
June 26, 2009 |
By Chloë Schama
