Members of the Texas Southern University marching band perform following the HBCU Swingman Classic at Globe Life Field on July 12, 2024 in Arlington, Texas.

The Storied History of HBCU Marching Bands

Marching bands at historically Black colleges and universities can be seen as both celebratory emblems and complicated arbiters of Black American culture.
A black and white drawing: In a ballroom, in the foreground, sitting on an ottoman, a young woman is seen from behind. Behind her, seen from the front but in shadow, is the hero of the work (Berlioz). He is standing in black coat with his left arm extended and his right hand on his heart. Hangings are on the right and the left, raised on the right by a kiss. In the background, under the whiteness of the chandelier, the whirlwind of the ball.

The Literary Inspirations for Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique

The creative works on which Hector Berlioz drew when writing his macabre and revolutionary symphony were fantastic indeed.
A general view of a 1970s disco showing people dancing, circa 1978.

What’s the Legacy of Disco Music?

If you listen to Blondie, The Police, or the Pretenders, it’s in the beat.
Prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn as she appears in Swan Lake, 1951

Odette vs. Odile: A Tale of Two (but Not Opposing) Swans

The distinction between the leading female characters of Swan Lake—the swan princess and her “black” counterpart—initially wasn’t so sharp.
Poet Johnathan McClain reads his poetry at the Bowery Poetry Club December 6, 2002 in New York City.

The Legacy and Power of Performance Poetry: A Reading List

MTV might take credit for getting spoken word on the pop cultural radar, but it’s a tradition that spans millennia and continents.
Arthur Miller, 1965

Arthur Miller, Comedian

Yep. The author of Death of a Salesman and The Crucible wrote comedies as well. Funny ones.
The Whitman Sisters

The Wonderfully Complex Whitman Sisters

A popular act on the Black vaudeville circuit, the Whitman Sisters relied on a reputation for strong morals while challenging racial and gender codes.
Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, 1965

Bob Dylan and the Creative Leap That Transformed Modern Music

In 1964, Dylan decided that he wanted to make a different kind of music.
A clown and a harlequin are amongst the characters portrayed by King William IV (1765 - 1837), Lord Broughan, Lord Gray and Lord Eldon at a royal Christmas pantomime.

A Holiday Pantomime

With origins in the theater of the early eighteenth century, “panto” remains a crucial element of the holiday season in Great Britain and Ireland.
Bay Area Renaissance Festival in Tampa Florida, 2011

Reasons for Re-Enacting at the Renaissance Faire

Why do we love donning period costumes and re-enacting our history through mock battles, pioneer villages, and Renaissance Faires?