Elvis Presley singing on stage with Bill Block, circa 1950s.

How Pentecostalism Shaped Rock ’n’ Roll

Early rock and roll performers, including Little Richard and Elvis, were influenced by the sounds and tropes of Pentecostal worship services.
Derek not so Smalls performs during the 2008 Cuervo Black US Air Guitar Championships at The Regency Grand Ballroom in San Francisco, California

Like, It’s a History of Air Guitar, Dudes!

With roots in the motions and biases of vaudeville, burlesque, mesmerism, and minstrelsy, “air playing” with imaginary instruments long predates rock music.
A Catalogue of the Severall Sects and Opinions in England and other Nations: With a briefe Rehearsall of their false and dangerous Tenents.

The Bawdy House Riots of 1668

Though so-called bawdy house riots were common in seventeenth-century London, the disorder of 1668 revealed the city’s deep political and religious resentments.
Edwin Gonzalez, Iris Alomar, and Ray Gerdes, the three winners in the inaugural hamburger eating contest, at the Police Athletic League youth center on West 79th Street in New York City, New York, circa 1955.

The Curious History of Competitive Eating

The annals of competitive eating contests are full of more than just hot dogs.
Bangsawan, Malay opera Penang, circa 1895

Gonna Make You a (Bangsawan) Star

The bangsawan theater in early twentieth-century Malaya offered women a chance to build a public identity beyond marriage and motherhood.
Burlesque dancer Mary Mack reclining on a chaise longue, circa 1950.

Burlesque Beginnings

From its nineteenth-century origins, burlesque developed into a self-aware performance art that celebrates the female form and challenges social norms.
Man listening with headphones on a blue sine wave background

In the Mood for “Fake” Music?

In 2017, it was reported that Spotify was promoting fake artists on its platform. But this type of approach to “content creation” wasn’t new.
Masqueraders at the Winneba Fancy Dress Festival in Ghana

Performing as “Red Indians” in Ghana

In Ghana, asafo and Fancy Dress traditions draw on a stereotypical but much-admired figure inspired by the nations of the North American Great Plains.
Group portrait of Christian heavy metal band Stryper, 1984

Sex (No!), Drugs (No!), and Rock and Roll (Yes!)

In the 1980s and 1990s, Christian heavy metal bands used head-banging music to share the politics and values of evangelical Christians with America’s youth.
La Bayadere, Estudio Dance Mariela Gonzáles, 2018

Pas de Deux With Cancel Culture

Traditionally set amidst an exoticized conception of India, La Bayadère’s recent staging argues for stripping away stereotypes in the creative reimagination of old ballets.