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Although civil rights, socialism, non-violence, and LGBTQ+ rights movement activist Bayard Rustin never really hid his true sexual orientation, Netflix’s ‘Rustin’ really brings it into the limelight. After all, this drama-documentary delves deep into the way he navigated the quest for equality while living in a world wherein his mere existence was considered illegal in more ways than one. Yet, the truth is he did ultimately get his happily ever after with artist Walter Naegle in an integrated society — so now, if you simply wish to learn more about the latter, we’ve got you covered.
Who is Walter Naegle?
It was reportedly back in 1949 when Walter was born as one of seven siblings in Morristown, New Jersey, only to primarily be raised in a rather typical Roman Catholic household in Succasunna. Therefore, it wasn’t until he was in high school that he really came to understand the significance of the African-American fight for rights while sticking to their commitment to peaceful means. This was when his world turned upside down as he actually chose to follow the same path and didn’t appear for his induction to join the Vietnam War, which was at its peak just as he graduated.
Fortunately, Walter managed to escape a criminal indictment concerning this matter because his local draft board had acted improperly, subsequently driving him to continue being a pacifist. He’d enrolled at the University of Bridgeport by this point, only to drop out the following year to join Volunteers In Service To America before serving in the Hilliard Houses Senior Center in Chicago. It thus comes as no surprise his interest here continued to grow, leading him to not just confront government services but also relocate to New York City in 1970 in the hopes of doing more.
New York is where Walter settled down — he got an apartment in Spanish Harlem while working as a psychiatric technician prior to attending night school to evolve his passion for photography. It was also here that this artist/photographer came across Bayard Rustin for the first time in 1977, just for them to immediately connect over their views on non-violence as well as other movements. “The day that I met Bayard, I was actually on my way to Times Square,” he once said. “We were on the same corner, waiting for the light to change. He had a wonderful shock of white hair. I guess he was of my parents’ generation, but we looked at each other, and lightning struck.”
The truth is there was a 37-year age gap between the two men, so the renowned activist actually legally adopted Walter, which the latter has since candidly explained by stating, “Because of our age difference — it was just assumed if we lived out our natural lifespans he was going to die before I did. And he was concerned about protecting my rights, because gay people had no protection. At that time, marriage between a same-sex couple was inconceivable. And so he adopted me, legally adopted me, in 1982. That was the only thing we could do to kind of legalize our relationship.”
Walter added, “We actually had to go through a process as if Bayard was adopting a small child [despite me being in my 30s]. My biological mother had to sign a legal paper, a paper disowning me. They had to send a social worker to our home. When the social worker arrived, she had to sit down with us to talk to us to make sure that this was a fit home. But, you know, we did what we did because we loved each other and because we were happy together.” Unfortunately, though, this happiness couldn’t last forever as Bayard sadly passed away from a perforated appendix a mere five years later, on August 24, 1987, at the age of 75, meaning the couple got a decade together.
Where is Walter Naegle Now?
Since Bayard’s passing, Walter has actually evolved into the executive director of Bayard Rustin Fund, a non-profit organization that commemorates its namesake’s values as well as legacy. Moreover, from what we can tell, he serves on the board of the LGBTQ+ and activism safe space known as Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, all the while continuing to speak up about his late partner’s accomplishments. So, having accepted the Medal of Freedom on his behalf in 2013 and still making public appearances for him, Walter makes it clear he’s genuinely proud of being known as Bayard’s love to this day. The New Yorker misses him, but he’s powering through by keeping the memories alive.
Read More: Rustin: Is Tom Based on a Real Person?


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i'm to be interviewed under Police caution. Help/advice please.(35 Posts)
I'm a regular poster but have name-changed. Sorry its long but it is important to me and I am very worried.
I had a visit from the Police today. They are returning tomorrow to interview me under caution as I have allegedly threatened a child while out shopping. I'm told that they are coming to my home as there is only her word against mine and if they had more I would be arrested and in the station. Needless to say I am very upset and I didn't threaten the child at all.
This is what happened.
My DC, who is at senior school, had been hit by a child in the year above. DC has been bullied a lot at school and there have been ongoing problems at school. DC and I complained to the school, the other child admitted hitting mine and was punished with a detention. Mine was punished with a lesser detention (no problem there on my part, it was deserved) for swinging out at the child in anger at being name-called although not making contact.
A week later my child and I were at the local shop. The other child was there and mine pointed her out (whispering). I said loudly that there was no problem, it was all in hand and that the Headteacher was aware and would deal with it and told my child to ignore the other one. I don't remember if I also said that it would be a police matter too if necessary but I think I might have done. It all happened about 3 weeks ago or more and so many things have gone on since that I honestly can't recall. All I know is that I certainly didn't threaten the child in any other way.
We left the shop and as we did the other child got into a waiting car. I was facing the child as she did as I was untying my dog from outside the shop so naturally I saw her a little in front of me. My only "crime" was to look in front as my dog can be a bit of a so and so with loud strangers and it was in the evening so I feared that pub-goers might be around and was trying to be alert to this.
As we walked up the road the car carrying the child came past, VERY slowly. The child had the window down and shouted to us "What are you effing staring at? I'll have you tomorrow". My child shouted back (I forget what, something like get lost) and I quickly jumped on this and said that it wasn't acceptable and to ignore the threat.
So, Police told me today that the child has alledged that I threatened her in the shop. My first reaction was - get the CCTV from the shop! they said they had but it was still her word against mine. I asked what I was supposed to have said but they won't tell me until tomorrow.
I know all I can really do is wait til tomorrow, tell the truth and hope that I will be viewed as honest but I feel so vulnerable. I suppose I am hoping that someone can come along who knows about this kind of thing and who can reassure me that as the cautiion is only at home I am not really suspected of acting in a threatening way and that the police are only following it up because they have to follow up all reports like this.
Can anyone advise please?
No experience, but I'm sure if you explain it as clearly as you have here you will be fine.
oh poor you. i would imagine that unless they have witnesses to back the child up then nothing will come of it.
if they felt they had any kind of a case they would have 1.) arrested you and 2.) done it a lot sooner!
i really feel for you though, i was arrested once after someone accused me of theft and it was a hideous experience. I was absolutely innocent and was, quite frankly, scared shitless but also really upset and angry
i asked for a lawyer who laughed when he heard what had gone on and said hecouldn't believe they'd even arrested me
aaaanyway, enough about me, it sounds liek this will all just be a formality and hopeuflly after tomorrow you'll be able to forget all about it.
horrid for you though :-(
Don't accept a caution.
It's an admission of guilt.
No experience here either, but all my sympathies. Keep calm and strong and just tell them the truth (I sound like YOUR mother now, don't I?)
Oh my God how awful. No advice I'm afraid, other than explain to the police exactly what happened (and the preceeding circumstances) as you have explained them here.
I assume the person driving the car the child was in has corroborated her story?
It is very scary that a child (or anyone for that matter) can make something like this up and cause such worry and potential damage.
Please keep us posted and I sincerely hope that things work out fairly for you.
My goodness what an awful experience for you.
I suspect the police are just doing what they have to do given allegations of threatening behaviour. But they won't be interested int aking it further. Just explain it the way you have done here.
DH got into a similar situation. Turned out the complaining family were known to the police as being, well, complainers with no reason. DH got asked a few questions, police officer said we were clearly a "tidy family" and took it no further.
if they are coming to your house it will just be a police officer with a pen and paper.
they will ask you for your version of events and write down what you say.
I can;t see how it will go any further than your word against hers so they will advise she drops the charges, but i doubt CPS will do anything anyway.
its really nothing to worry about. i will eat my son's rugby socks if it goes any further than tomorrow's interview.
I think i would make school aware of all this though. they need to be dealing with this more robustly
I think that it is unlikely that you will be interviewed under caution, as this type of formal interview is subject to strict procedures and usually done at a police station. Anyone who is interviewed under caution is entitled to have free legal representation prior to the interview, and to have the interview recorded. Normally, the recording is done on a tape, but a written record can be produced. You would have the right to read it back and confirm the contents are accurate, if the latter course is taken.
The police may opt to give you a harassment warning (although from your account as you have given it I would not say that it is warranted). This is basically a warning not to engage in any actions to harass the child or her family in the future. You are normally asked to sign to confirm that you have been given this. It does not form any sort of criminal record (I don't think it would show on a CRB check, but am not absolutely sure of this), but if there were to be further reports of incidents between you and the girl, it may be taken to form evidence to support a charge of harassment.
everyone interviewed by the police when investigating a complaint is interviewed under caution afaik
allow them to tell you what has been alleged and what they know
be respectful and helpful that's all you are required to do
after that it is for them to decide if they have enough evidence to push for some sort of case against you
you have nothing to be afraid of if it is simply as you have stated
discuss the bullying with the police and this further developments and your worries about escalation
Do not accept a caution - if you ever want to work with children this may well prevent you from doing so.
You poor thing. It sounds like the other family are trying to intimidate (bully) you and your dc. It's very likely they are known to the police already. I suggest you could also ask the police to discuss the matter with the school (who will presumably know that it was your dc getting bullied by the other kid).
Just tell the truth and it will shine through that you are the one being rational and honest. The police are used to investigating complaints that are made for spurious reasons so they will believe you.
Good advice here- just tell the truth, and you'll be fine. Don't accept a caution.
S* catinthehat! Is it really that bad, do people really need that sort of approach? I'm not saying they don't, I'm just shocked that its felt they do need to take that stance.
Thank you all for your comforting support. Its a lonely night here and I appreciate it.
PS when I posted this my pc went dodgy and it seemed like I had lost everything and it hadn't registered here so I copied what I have put above on the chat forum, so forgive me if I jump from one to the other and probably get myself in a tizz in the process.
Notguilty - the writer is as far as I know still a serving policeman and an award winning blogger.
catinthehat, ruddy hell, thats scary. All credit to the man though.
On a different note, is he allowed to do that as a sserving police officer or is it all done on the quiet, as in if his superiors got to know who he is he would be in deep poo?
Ronaldinhio- only those suspected of committing an offence are interviewed under caution. Being interviewed under caution means that the interviewing officer will recite the following to you at the start of the interview:
" You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, anything that you later rely on in court. Anything you do say will be given in evidence."
There is a difference between being interviewed under caution and being given a caution. Being given a caution refers to an official record being made on your criminal record that you have received a formal police warning. This is done only under arrest at a police station.
I think catinthehat's thing is probably very true. I have some experience of that myself (didn't ask for a solicitor as thought everything would be fine - how wrong I was).
The bit at the end about copying the professionals (ie professional criminals) is correct I'm sure.
just been reasding the blog catinthehat
Thistledew, I just asked that on chat following a scary remark. Thank you for clearing it up and reassuring me.
Its good isn't it - but don't forget this is an archive and he doesn't post any more.
Oh and by the way if the police suggest they caution me at the end of the interview I will not go for it (if I am allowed not to go for it!) as to me that sounds like I am admitting did wrong and I didn't. I would be inclined to say no, let the child and her family take it to court and I will stand there and tell the truth.
Or am I making a big mistake if I do?
I'm not an expert but think they can only issue a formal caution at a police station?
At any rate, do not accept a caution - it is a legal admission of guilt.
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domain: law


text:
Ngoni wins Soto 40 with race to spare
Tony Buckingham had already told alternate skipper Kevin Sproul to take the crew out to a celebration dinner for their three wins and two seconds start to the Soto 40 grand prix in Barcelona, and Sproul’s way of saying thank you included winning the event in Ngoni with a race to spare after another win and a second on today.
He had an eight-point margin over second-placed Iñaki Castañer’s Noticia IV and he has a further two-point margin over a second Spanish boat, the pre-season favourite Iberdrola, skippered by Jose-Maria Torcida.
So, avoiding unusual penalties, the most Sproul could score would be seven and the least Castañer could score is one. Job done. “We thought we were up to speed by the end of last season, so this has been a great regatta and a great start to the new season,” said Sproul.
Two solid wins for the last year’s TP2 Mediterranean champion, Quantum, put the Americans into joint first place, equal on points with Italy’s Azzurra, of the Trofeo Condo de Godo in the light winds off Barcelona.
A fifth in the first race of the day was enough, despite being second in the last, to push the British –campaigned but Swedish-owned Rán into third place. But the gap is only two points and there is a final race on Sunday which should decide everything.
“We can’t win this regatta any more, but we will try to win the last race and this has still been a very good start for us in the Super Series,” said Niklas Zennström, owner and helmsman of Rán. “We have a very professional set-up on the water, outstanding race management, and it is much more pleasant being based at the Royal Barcelona Yacht Club.”
He will also be taking his team in the 72-footer to the Maxi World Championship and trying to win the Middle Sea Race out of Malta in the autumn.
With the wind all over the place in the mid-north Atlantic, places were constantly changing on the seventh leg of the Volvo round the world race from Miami to Lisbon.
The Chinese entry Sanya was constantly last but each of the other five boats has been in the lead at some time or another.
Approaching 1,800 miles to run, Ian Walker’s Abu Dhabi crew had held on to the lead for over 24 hours and extended it to nearly 20 miles over the winner of legs five and six, Kenny Read’s American-flagged Puma.
In third place was the New Zealand-managed Spanish entry Camper and, struggling to emerge best from light winds which should give way to fast downwind conditions, Franck Cammas in Goupama was just two miles ahead of the overall race leader, Spain’s Telefonica, skippered by Iker Martinez.
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domain: news


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PRINCIPAL TEXT - UNFINISHED
MEMORIES OF MY BALLET TEACHERS
Practically all of my ballet teachers were émigré Russians. Some had been in this country since long before I was born. Others had newly arrived from the Soviet Union. Being acquainted with them, even if from a distance, was a lifetime experience I shall never forget.
Rather than just an alphabetical LIST of these teachers, I thought it might be better to introduce them as individuals; their personalities, how I came to be a student of these remarkable people in the first place and how they came to influence my life so greatly. To do that it was necessary to include, briefly, parts of my own life's journey through dance as it related to them. Some of these teachers were impoverished and barely able to keep their studios operating. Some even lived in their studios.
HOW IT STARTED
At the tender age of twelve I never went to a public library without carrying home an armload of books, most of them far beyond my understanding. Philosophy, religion, metaphysics, geometry, orchestration, (I played the piano) and just about everything that caught my eye.
One book happened to be the biography of VASLAV NIJINSKY - the one by his wife Romola. I found it so intriguing I read it from cover to cover then read it again and decided then and there I would be a ballet dancer just like Vaslav; ignoring the fact that he became totally insane by the time he reached thirty!
There were no ballet teachers in the town of Braintree where I was growing up. Even if there were there would be no money to pay for lessons, besides, in New England at that time, boys simply did not dance. Even my love of music was considered, well, peculiar.
All the same, I wanted to know more about ballet and found a little book; not a textbook but an introduction to ballet for ballet enthusiasts It had drawn illustrations of a few ballet exercises and steps. By imitating these pictures with my own body I was able to achieve a rough semblance of dance.
I wanted to be exactly like Nijinsky, who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia; a long way from Braintree, Massachusetts. I began to learn the Russian language by myself with a Russian/English dictionary and Tolstoy's "War And Peace"). I combed my hair in the Nijinsky fashion of 1910, imitated the turned out walk of a dancer and even thought myself already a dancer!
In search of a teacher I went into Boston and found Senia Russakoff and his School of Russian Ballet.
Russakoff, born in St. Petersburg, had come to the USA in 1907 and joined a vaudeville circuit as a member of a troupe of Russian dancers. He eventually settled in Boston and opened his 'school of leaps and bounds' as they called it. Ray Bolger had been among his students, later of course to become famous as the Scarecrow in "The Wizard Of Oz".
If my dysfunctional family were curious about my piano playing, how could they ever accept me as a dancer, let alone a ballet dancer, which they knew absolutely nothing about?
Russakoff and his wife Regina seemed exactly what I was looking for but there was the question of how I would be able to pay for lessons.
At that time it was quite easy for a teenage boy to find a job as a theater usher. The Metropolitan Theater was the most opulent movie palace in Boston (now the Wang Center). Lying about my age, (still only 14) I went and asked for a job and was hired on the spot.
Soon after my first paycheck I somehow got up the courage to go for my first lesson at the Russakoff School. It was a ½ hour private one, given by Russakoff's wife Regina. She showed me the five positions of the feet that I already knew but I didn't think Regina Russakoff knew much about ballet to start with because next came "prisyadkis" (a Russian folk dance step where you squat down and throw your legs out one after the other). She had me doing hundreds of them while holding on to the "barre" and that was it - the entire lesson! I left feeling my legs had gone forever and the next day I could barely walk but still had to go to my evening job as an usher, hobbling up and down the theater aisles.
As if in a regular school, I continued going every day to Russakoff's studio, basically just hanging around, absorbing the Russian atmosphere and pretending it was the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg. As the Russakoffs, being more or less impoverished, actually 'lived' in the studio, sleeping on cots and not in a house on nearby, fashionable Beacon Hill as Regina claimed, it must have been an invasion of their privacy having me always around from early morning on. Regina once asked if I came from a "broken" home. Little did they know.
Russakoff was a kindly man and said nothing when I harbored myself at his studio most of the day. Probably to get rid of me, he somehow got me a day job modeling for Boston artists and gave me his gold, red braided rubashka (a Russian shirt) and boots, no doubt from his own dancing days in vaudeville. I always wore this outfit while posing and there must still be hundreds of portraits around somewhere of this 'virtual' Russian boy.
Russakoff's once a week class started with a routine barre. It never varied. I don't remember any center adagio or allegro, only basic steps done diagonally across the floor, one by one; ballonnes, jetes, pas de basque, pas de chat.
After a few months Russakoff took me with him to Providence, Rhode Island where he taught once a week. I was to be in his annual recital there. I found I was the only boy in this recital, dancing in a gypsy camp scene of some sort. Russakoff had me doing the squat kicks on top of a table then jumping off and touching my toes in mid air. The following week I did the same in his Boston recital, this time on top of two tables! As Russakoff's token Russian dancer, the two tables soon became three!
I wanted to know more about actual ballet technique and found a proper ballet textbook by Legat in the Boston Public Library. One day as I sat watching Russakoff's class and holding this book prominently, I was rudely shaking my head and rolling my eyes as if everything he was teaching was totally incorrect. Finally he whispered that I was acting very ill-mannered and he was right. Basically I was a little teenage twit with a lot to learn.
Adolph Robicheau's grand ballet studio was actually on Beacon Hill, just across from the Boston Common: one of the most exclusive areas of Boston. Not much is known about this Boston teacher except the much publicized battles that went on with his neighbors who resented a "ballet" school anywhere near their homes on "The Hill". Due to injunctions and possible lawsuits, students had to surreptitiously enter the grand house as if they were merely visitors. I can only tell of my one brief experience of a single class. I went along with two of Russakoff's former students who were in town with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Mr. Robicheau was certainly the popular image of a ballet master but I remember nothing about the class, though I must have shown some ability because after class he took me aside and said that after two years 'we will send you to New York". This half promise of a future as a dancer in New York was no doubt an enticement to continue his classes but they were far too expensive on my little salary from the Metropolitan Theater.
WILLIAM T MURPHY
After leaving Russakoff I went to William T. Murphy. His basement studio was just behind the Boston Public Library and he held morning classes every day. He was obviously not a ballet dancer but a ballroom dancer and taught ballet exercises and steps from the Cecchetti manual that he obviously had studied in detail. This provided him with at least a virtual technique and he was able to give corrections. I felt I was actually learning something but Mr. Murphy was unable to demonstrate properly. I had never seen a ballet and there were no professional male dancers around for me to copy. Dance is basically imitative and you learn first by imitating those who know how.
There was one other boy in the class; an odd boy who was a bit older and more advanced. As the only male model, even if an imperfect one, I imitated him so perfectly that Mr. Murphy said I was turning into a replica of Billy and not just in dancing but in everyday behavior. I soon stopped using Billy as an ideal.
The Metropolitan Theater where I worked was showing "Escape Me Never". Near the end of the movie there was a ballet; a rather extensive one with the dancers Mlada Mladova and George Zoritch. Every time the scene came on I would rush to the bottom of the aisle to watch, undisturbed by patrons. It was typical Hollywood choreography but I didn't know or care; it was the first time I saw a proper male ballet dancer, George Zoritch.
I bought a copy of the VAGANOVA ballet textbook and cut out the step illustrations and carried them in the pocket of my usher's uniform, determined to learn 2 steps every evening. When in a more or less deserted part of that immense theater I would try to imitate the steps exactly – fortunately never caught by the management.
About this time The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo came to Boston. Alexandra Danilova herself came to Murphy's studio and gave a guest class. The class was full of Boston's best dancers but in no way was I able to participate. I only watched and later went to a performance.
It was Scheherezade, Nutcracker Grand Pas and Night Shadow, (later known as La Sonnambula). These were the very first ballets I ever saw on a stage. After so much reading I'd done about the glamorous Diaghilev/Nijinsky Scheherezade, I was so disappointed I wondered why I was even studying ballet. They all looked so tired and bored.
Years later, when I became a friend of Michel Katcharoff, who was the ballet master for Ballets Russe during all those years, I mentioned this experience and he said they actually had "just started out" on that tour.
Fortunately, Night Shadow kept my interest alive.
During the 1950s and 1960s, in and around Carnegie Hall and West 56th Street (known as 'Ballet Alley) private ballet studios started by Russian émigrés were flourishing. "The little Bolshoi on 56th Street" was the studio of Madam Anderson-Ivantsova, on the second floor of an old brownstone.
When I decided at age 16 to quit my job at the Metropolitan in Boston to go to New York City (with a cardboard suitcase, $20 in my pocket and knowing no one there) I bravely first went to Madam Anderson's morning class. It was an advanced class and I obviously was struggling to keep up. After class Madam told me I belonged in her beginner's class. Feeling rejected I went one flight up to the studio of George Chaffee.
Mr. Chaffee had the two top floors of this building. His apartment was directly above Madam Anderson, as well as dressing rooms, (one which he later rented out to a modern dancer, Matti Heim, who, unbelievably, walked daily all the way from Brooklyn) a kitchen with a view of the back of the Russian Tea Room on 57th Street and a foyer with a spot lighted bust of Anna Pavlova. The studio space was on top floor. I had the impression Madam Anderson and Mr. Chaffee did not get along too well.
After my first class Mr. Chaffee gave me a kiss! Being a naive lad from Braintree, Massachusetts, I supposed this was not at all unusual in New York City and innocently mentioned it in the dressing room to the other boys. This indiscretion soon was found its way to Mr. Chaffee, who soon forgave me. After all, I was as green as they come and seeing me blush in embarrassment, he offered me free classes in exchange for emptying the garbage dumpsters and cleaning his studio walls and floors.
Mr. Chaffee's classes were very French. He was born in Oakland, California but spoke French fluently and adored France. In fact he was awarded the Legion d'Honneur. He gave his star pupils French names. One was re-named Madelaine Le Jeune. He always taught in tights with a bandana around his head and combed his hair forward to conceal his baldness. His loyal assistant, Adelaide Vernon, took a lot of abuse but virtually worshipped him. Once while demonstrating a lift he got so angry he threw her clear across the floor. When I rushed to the dressing room in tears of sympathy for her plight he literally dragged her to me to show her what she had done.
Then somewhere in his 40s, he demonstrated every enchainment himself. His adagios were what I remember most. Lyrical, with lots of port de bras, often ending with a balance on one knee with the other leg lifted in arabesque and in that position, a full promenade. His style was rather mannered and outright chichi, especially when he had us dancing minuets and galliards in costumes from Louis the 14th period. He was a collector of these costumes as well as being an authority on French dance of the 16th and 17th Century. He was an iconographer too and had written many monographs on ballet history and had a fantastic collection of manuscripts. Much of it is now in the Harvard Theater Collection.
Unfortunately, during the 80s, like many NY ballet teachers with private studios, his building was torn down to make way for skyscraper condos. He ended up in a small, 5th floor, cockroach infested tenement apartment on 10th Avenue (Hell's Kitchen). Adelaide was still with him. He died in 1985. His memorial was in a church just off of Times Square. Many of his former students came and I was asked to speak.
Tanya, of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo had a studio at 200 West 57th on the 2nd floor in an office building. Every once in a while, if the landlord was coming by, she quickly re-arranged everything to disguise the fact that she actually lived in a room just off the studio.
Class was $1 that you handed to Madam on your way out. It was a mixed class and basically of all levels. I was still little more than a beginner so I must have struggled to keep up as my classmates were several Broadway dancers, among them JAMIE JAMISON, already a star on Broadway in "Brigadoon". In those days it was the custom for ballet students to carry everything in a small satchel, unlike the bulky shoulder bags of today. I was impressed to notice in the dressing room that Mr. Jamison carried his dance clothes folded neatly in a brief case. This habit of having everything in its proper place must have come from his youth in a military school. I tried to imitate his tidiness.
(A few years later I auditioned for Jamison when he was choreographer for a winter stock company in St. Petersburg. I was accepted and with this job came the opportunity to join Actor's Equity and to become a fully-fledged professional).
Margaret Curtis had headed the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School for generations. (The old Met at 39th and Broadway was nearly 100 years old). Her sidekick Kathleen Harding was class pianist and took in the money. BORIS ROMANOFF was resident choreographer and company class was taught by ALEXANDER GAVRILOV who had been with the Diaghilev Ballet. A rumor was that, while on tour, he sometimes replaced Nijinsky, unknown to the audiences who thought they were actually seeing Nijinsky as advertised.
Open class was every morning at 10 o'clock. Entering the Old Met stage door you made your way on an ancient elevator, then a dark staircase up to the roof stage and the ballet studio, overlooking 7th Avenue.
Marina Svetlova and Leon Varkas were the soloists in the triumphal ballet in AIDA. One Saturday afternoon I was a walk-on. Being vertically challenged (my way of saying I was on the short side) I maneuvered myself on stage to a position where I could see it all.
The Met Opera decided to have Ballet Theater take over the entire Met ballet company and school. Margaret Curtis somehow disappeared and Lucia Chase and Antony Tudor auditioned the Met dancers, selecting only one or two to remain. Sallie Wilson was one. Another boy student and myself hid among the costume racks high above to watch this audition and realized that everything was going to change.
I managed to take a few classes with Margaret Craske. Somewhere in her 60s, she had once danced with ANNA PAVLOVA and was a protégé of Cecchetti himself. She had gray hair tied back and wore tweedy skirts and sensible shoes and looked more like an English governess. She also had a little potbelly. I have no doubt she was a wonderful teacher and had written a book on the Cecchetti technique, but I wanted to learn fast and not spend ten minutes on a battement tendu or some other exercise which was her custom. After class one evening, while going down in the elevator with her I recall her saying that entrechats should be done with a "rebound". It was her only correction that I remember.
Many years later, well into her 90s, she was still teaching at The New York Theater Ballet studio on 31st Street, sitting on a high stool and often went to sleep during class and fell off once or twice.
When I was staging Fokine's "Le Carnaval" for same company, she did some coaching, as she had danced this ballet as a girl. I also invited Mr. Chaffee to watch a rehearsal because he had danced the role of Harlequin and was taught it by Fokine himself. I was particularly interested in any pointers he might have on Harlequin's spin into a sitting position, made famous by Nijinsky
I did not last long in Antony Tudor's class. So many ran from his classes and rehearsals in tears I was waiting for some acid remark he would make to me. It finally came when he had me, in the middle of class, sit down on the floor and show him the bottom of my feet, goodness knows why. It somehow became a tradition in his classes, at that time at least, that whenever he stopped to single someone out to correct, the entire class would rush over to absorb whatever he had to say, surrounding the unfortunate one. I forgot what the correction was and only felt embarrassed, which was his purpose I suppose. He had a cruel, razor sharp tongue and loved to use it to cut you down to size. When I ran out of money I asked Miss Harding to ask him if I could come to class anyway. I stood by and watched him take one look at me and shake his head no.
(Tudor was to come into my life years later when I was resident choreologist at ABT. I even staged one of his ballets for the Met Opera Ballet.)
Feeling sorry for me, Miss Harding sent me downstairs to be a regular supernumerary in the operas . For a whole season I did that. ZACHARY SOLOV was the house choreographer and in "Alceste" he used a few girls and boys from the school as 'extra' dancers, Even though I was no longer a student at the Met school I somehow managed to be included.
About this time I returned to Chaffee who was very angry that I had gone to other teachers. To make up, I brought along two other boy students from the Met and he took all three of us into his Concert Ballet group. I was able to get time off from the Roxy to go on out of town tours with them.
BRONISLAVA NIJINSKA, 1891-1972
When Lucia Chase decided to open her own Ballet Theater School she chose Bronislava Nijisnska as Director. It was a rather small studio on 56th Street with Ballet Theater offices on the 3rd floor. I mustered enough courage to go to Nijinska's class and I think it might have even been on her first day of teaching there. I was the only boy and she seemed to show an interest in me. I was by this time Russian speaking to a degree and after class I bravely asked her (in Russian as she spoke nothing else) if I could continue to come, even though I couldn't pay. Scholarships were not as freely given then but she agreed with a matter of fact, "Da Da, Konyeshno" (yes, certainly).
WHAT WAS SHE LIKE
So much has been written about Bronislava Nijinska. All have described her basically the same. She always wore what I think was a black pajama suit and brandished a long cigarette holder. She spoke only Russian while her husband sat in a corner and translated: "Madam wishes you to straighten your legs more, etc." She demonstrated her combinations herself. They were always bouncy, clever and interesting. I adored her classes. Sadly, after a short while she left. The rumor was studio politics of some kind between her and William Dollar.
After a few months, Madam Balieff, the formidable school director, sent me upstairs to see the comptroller who asked if I could pay at least something. I could only say I would try, knowing there was no way I could. In any case, I continued going to classes for the next two years or so, and no one stopped me.
Many years later, at a teacher's convention in the Roosevelt Hotel Ballroom in NY, Kyra Nijinska (daughter of Vaslav and Romola Nijinsky) was to give a class. She appeared on the teacher's platform dressed in a Japanese komona, took one long look at over 100 teachers assembled and waiting, then turned and walked off and didn't come back. Some said she was even crazier than her father.
WILLIAM DOLLAR, 1907-1986
I don't remember much about William Dollar's classes other than he always wore sunglasses. Mr. Dollar was one of, if not the first, American premiere danseur with BALANCHINE'S American Ballet. If you can get hold of a video of it, he can be seen in the 1938 film 'Goldwyn Follies" (uncredited) dancing with VERA ZORINA in Balanchine's ballet with Zorina rising out of a pool.
His former wife, Yvonne Patterson was always in class, as was his protégé, Hubert Farrington who was dancing at the Met and who was still there when I joined. He tragically died in Jamaica, his home country in 2008 by a hit and run.
When Mr. Dollar was going to choreograph summer stock in Dallas I went to his audition at Steinway Hall, but was not accepted. He was a kindly man so afterwards, feeling sensitive for my feelings, said that he really wanted to take me but it was not up to him but the directors.
Sadly, he was alcoholic and ended poorly, living at the YMCA on 63rd St. He died at age 78 of lung cancer in Flourtown, Pa, where Yvonne lived. Remarkably, she was still teaching at age of 100.
ANATOLE VILZAK, 1896-1998
Flamboyant and always immaculately dressed. His classes, and those of his wife, Ludmilla Schollar, were regulars at the Ballet Theater School. I found his classes precise and he was often a bit sarcastic, but in an amusing way. He always wore a kerchief tied around his neck, a fashion I copied for a while when I became a teacher. He taught at the San Francisco ballet school from 1965 to the mid 1980s and died at age 102 having imparted the Diaghilev traditions of his early training to members of the San Francisco Ballet and students at its school.
LUDMILLA SCHOLLAR ? - 1978
She always wore black slippers with white socks over her pink stockings. Once, after class, I ran into her at Woolworth's on 6th Avenue, at the counter where my girl friend at that time was working. After introducing them I mentioned that Madam had once danced with Nijinsky himself. Madam's reply stunned me so that I nearly fell backwards hearing her say that I danced even better than he did. I believe she made this amazing statement to impress my girl friend, yet for weeks I walked on air.
EDWARD CATON, 1900-1981
He was a unique, odd ball type character, tall and thin. With a raspy voice due to a former throat operation, Mr. Caton would say to the class pianist, Valya Vishnevskaya, at the Ballet Theater school, "Valya, valse pozhalusta" (a waltz please) and Valya would start a lilting, dancy, Soviet style waltz. Mr. Caton, or "Eddy" as many called him, though American, was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He never had a home of his own but always stayed with friends and while in New York it was usually at Lucia Chase's apartment on Park Avenue. Rumor had it that when his underwear got dirty he would just throw it away. He sometimes stuck his head out a window of Ballet Theater school and shouted curses down at passers by on 56th Street. He was hardly exclusive and often took several of us boy students across the street to a tavern in the back of Carnegie Hall where we sat and joked; or rather they joked as I was far too shy. His language was more like a sailor's than that of a ballet teacher.
But he was sensitive and kindly. Once, after I auditioned for Lucia Chase - unfortunately alongside another boy who was far more the type she was looking for - I was heartbroken when she didn't take me. "Might I someday have a chance?' I asked Miss Chace. "Oh yes dear, of course" she said, but I somehow realized this would never happen. Seeing this, Mr. Caton comforted me by saying it was only for a series of performances Ballet Theater was doing at the Strand Theater over on Broadway, mixed with a movie, four times a day. (This unusual engagement by ABT along with a movie was a disaster and never attempted again). Even so, I would have wanted, and needed the job. Then he asked if I "would be interested in Ballet Russe?" Apparently he had connections but nothing came of it. I believe he was still performing in amateur ballet productions during his 90s.
He was the only well-known teacher of character dance in New York City at that time and was on the faculty of nearly every major ballet studio in and around Manhattan, shuttling from studio to studio in a never ending round of classes. One morning it may be at the Metropolitan Opera house, than a rush over to Ballet Theater school to teach an afternoon class. I could hardly wait for his Tuesday and Thursday classes.
Russian dancing boots were required for character classes. These were very expensive, especially for a struggling young student. I managed to acquire cast off boots from the Met Opera production of Moussorgsky's opera "Khovanschina". Bright red ones!
Lazovsky was the kindest of men. I can still see him carefully explaining to every newcomer - and there was always a new girl or boy in class - each exercise as we regulars patiently stood by. It was an hour and a half class, starting with a 'set' barre (routine exercises while holding on to a rail) followed by Russian, Polish, Hungarian steps done in center or on a diagonal. He was wonderfully supportive so long as you showed precision and care about these steps. If not, he just let it pass and never shouted. I never saw him once angry or disturbed. Always quietly correcting or demonstrating how.
He was impressed by my enthusiasm and before long took me into his short-lived Polish/American dance company to go on a tour with the Polish National opera "Halka". Colorful new costumes were made for a Polonaise, a Mazurka and a Krakoviak. The tour opened at the Academy Of Music in Philadelphia and I seem to remember it was on a Thanksgiving day because we dancers went to eat at a cheap diner between performances. Mr. Lazovsky himself was the lead dancer with us boys and girls behind him. He danced with a lady who was actually the opera's benefactor. She was not a very good dancer and we all assumed her starring role was due to an agreement that went along with her angel backing. In each city, after the performance there would be a party in the Polish community. As hungry dancers we naturally looked forward to these but also the singing and dancing that usually went well into the early hours. Lazovsky died in 1980 at age of 63.
When she first came to the USA she worked in a Philadelphia factory of some sort and ended up teaching for a studio in Carnegie Hall. Some ABT dancers went and liked her class so asked Lucia Chase to hire her for the Ballet Theater School. She stayed there for the rest of her life.
She actually wanted to dance with Ballet Theater but did not have the figure and was a bit too old.
She was a small, roundish lady and taught in slacks, usually a Ukrainian blouse and heeled shoes with hair piled high on top of her head, obviously to make herself appear taller. She demonstrated the steps or marked them. She never sat down but continually walked around correcting the students; pushing up legs, adjusting shoulders. She taught briskly, screaming out counts and corrections in a heavy accent. She taught at ABT for many years and eventually many stars came to her classes, including Nureyev. She taught Vaganova technique.
Not too long before she died, my friend NINA BRITO invited her and myself to dinner at the Russian Tea Room. Nina knew mostly everyone in the ballet world. She was Mexican but spoke perfect Russian. Through her I met YURI GREGOROVITCH and many of the Bolshoi dancers including NATASHA PAVLOVA, VYACHESLAV GORDEEV, helping them to buy video and audio equipment in Manhattan to take back to Moscow.
She had danced with Diaghilev Ballet Russe during its last days. An exceptionally tall lady, statuesque one might say, and taught always in a skirt and silver pumps. She never asked me to pay for classes as she knew I was penniless. I mention this only to show how kind and generous Madam Branitzka was. I often didn't have a place to sleep in those days so she allowed me to stay in her studio over night and sleep in a chair. I slept on many floors during that period.
She choreographed a dance number for a ½ hour version of the opera "Carmen" for TV and used her best students. It was supposed to be a regular series of these ½ hour operas but the producers didn't like it so weeks of rehearsals went for nothing.
Her studio then was on West 57th Street on a high floor. After her evening class she didn't like to walk down the dark and empty flights of stairs alone so would ask me to accompany her. I believe she died by being hit by a car while crossing a Manhattan street.
It was in her evening class that I met a girl and fell in love. The affair didn't last more than a few months and ended when I left with a dancing job in summer stock at the St. Louis Municipal Opera, choreographer ANTHONY NELLE.
She was tiny and birdlike, weighing only 98 lbs. Like a Russian mother to me, often sharing her meager lunch and allowing me to use her Carnegie Hall studio to teach notation classes. She shared the studio with VLADIMIR KONSTANTINOV. It was a small studio on the 6th floor, overlooking 56th Street. Her classes were small as well, never more than 7 or 8, usually less. She was then in her 80s but was able to mark the steps. During class she often would get hung up in the flowerpots in the windows so probably was bored. She often invited me to dinner at her tiny apartment on West 51st St with her husband. Both had left the Soviet Union when he became politically suspect. This was sometime back in the 1920s. She had danced at the Bolshoi under Gorsky. She did have a school in Nice, France, where ANDRE EGLEVSKY had been one of her students. I still have piano scores of various ballet she had given me, marked with Eglevsky's name.
Years later, while I was with the Harkness Ballet, I got the devastating news that she had been mugged in her studio and died two days later of injuries sustained in the attack. The studio was locked when students arrived for morning class but they could hear her moans through the door. It was impossible to determine how many times she was struck. Missing from her purse was $20 she had brought to pay the pianist. Five hours had passed at Manhattan's Roosevelt Hospital before she was examined. Left in a hallway to die, a hospital spokesperson said, when asked about this neglect, "I don't know what all the fuss is about, she was just a ballet dancer". It was all over the News. Her funeral was at the Russian Orthodox church.
I remember when she was mocking a student for being a bit scatter-brained. confiding to me, in Russian, "Nye vsyo doma" (nobody home or, not all there) while pointing to her head. It's impossible to imagine how this could happen in the renowned Carnegie Hall. Security must have been very lax.
METROPOLITAN OPERA BALLET
DAME ALICIA MARKOVA and KATHLEEN CROFTON
Dame Alicia Markova was the Director the the Ballet company at the Metropolitan Opera. Soon after my graduation from the London Institute Of Choreology, she came to the Institute to audition me privately. All of my fellow graduates were being hired by dance companies in England and Europe. I believed I was to being considered for the Metropolitan Opera in my own country. When the contract came it was not for a choreologist but as a dancer. I was not about to give up the chance to go home and be part of the Brand NEW METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE in LINCOLN CENTER, so signed the contract. The following year I did become resident choreologist for the Met and for the next 3 years.
At the same time Dame Alicia Markova also hired Kathleen Crofton. Miss Crofton was a well known London teacher and I had watched her classes at her studio in Leichester Square. Before she arrived, the other dancers asked me what she was like. When I mentioned that she whistled while she taught they didn't believe it until they saw. She never gave counts but instead whistled while demonstrating steps by waving her hands or arms. A grand battement en croix was shown by swinging her right arm forward, sideway, backwards, along with loud whistles as counts. A swooping grand ronde de jambe en l'air was accompanied by a wooshing sound with her right shoulder nearly going out of its socket. She once asked the class how to say 'stop' in American.
She had danced with Pavlova's company but it was hard to place where her training had been or which method she used, Russian, Italian or French. It was certainly English
She once invited me to her apartment for tea and to show her the Swanilda variation from "Coppelia" which I was delighted to do. She was a nice English lady and I liked her but I don't think the other dancers much did. After a year, rumor had it she married a millionare and started the Buffalo Ballet and school. She became director of the school. Dame Alicia sent me there to dance in a production. The Buffalo Ballet did not last very long.
Around this time I had classes with other teachers on a one or two class basis.
Some were guest teachers at ABT school. Others were itinerant teachers about town.
AGNES DE MILLE
In her class she had us doing some kind of diagonal. When my turn came I heard her mumble as I danced by, "looks like melted butter". Not very encouraging.
A regular at Ballet Arts Studio in Carnegie Hall. Agnes was often in the class and forever stopping to ask a silly question about whichever exercise we were doing.
Stern, commanding, barking out something sounding like 'sheragsoup' came to find out meant 'second group'. Once I found a wad of money in the dressing room and being honest, promptly brought it to him, saying 'someone must have lost this'. He grunted and stuffed it in his pocket.
Actually can't remember one thing about his class other than his monumental ego.
There was a huge Russian Borzoi dog always in the corner. Mr. Yazvinsky barked out Vun, Too, Tree Fourrr, while beating the floor with a cane. He was fierce.
One class in his short-lived studio on West 54th St.
A flamboyant and jolly character. He beat a bass drum as you did grands battements. 3 or 4 classes in his top of Carnegie Hall studio.
Another Borzoi dog, or maybe the same one. Smoked continually and wielded a long cigarette holder while he cobbled out an adagio. He was tall, stern and unsmiling. His interesting autobiography "Borzoi" tells how he left Russia alone, traveling across Mongolia and sneaking across border to Harbin, China, eventually ending up in NYC.
IGOR AND MAMA (ANNA SCARPOVA) YOUSKEVITCH.
Mama, as she was called by those most familiar, taught in a cockroach infested studio on 7th Ave. later taken over by Hari Krishnas. I went to her morning class, also taken by old timers like Jimmy Starbuck, James Mitchell, Bambi Lynn, Gemze de Lappe. I can't say her classes were at all unusual or even interesting. Sort of routine with very little corrections. Basically just a workout for those "has been" star dancers present. I choreographed my first 'Firebird" on students from this studio. I asked the Madam for pointers on the Russian costuming but she was more interested in the girl I chose to dance the Firebird.
Igor (on a break to NYC from teaching in Texas) taught a class once, a class of only one other man and myself. This was very odd for a former star dancer of his stature. One would think the class would have been filled to capacity. Of the two of us, he singled me out for attention to male bravura steps. Why? when I was of an age most unlikely to audition for a ballet company!
A week after my first arrival in London I found the studio of Andrew Hardie in South Kennsington. Though totally English, he taught Bolshoi style. His classes were often filled with dancers from West End musicals and he sent many students to jobs with European ballet companies. He gave me lots of corrections, which was probably normal with a newcomer, and foreign. Memorable to me was his remark, "very handsome" as I did some step en diagonal. Through his studio I got a dancing job with Ballets Minerva, a touring company. For the following year, whenever this company hit London I went to class with Mr. Hardie or his assistant, Valerie Swinnard, who was also very popular with the students. In the late 1970s he suffered a couple of severe strokes but his indomitable spirit saw him through for a long time. Towards the end of his life, he continued to teach classes from a wheel chair. He died in 1979.
The movie and musical "Billy Elliot" was based on his life. A small and energetic teacher and choreographer. His classes were at The Studio Center, then located near Covent Garden. They were large classes with many ballet stars. Once, after class, Errol Addison (a well known London teacher who was once a student of Cecchetti himself) cornered me and advised me to switch from Mr. Gilbert's class to his own; a suggestion I felt was highly un-professional. I politely refused and walked away. Mr. Gilbert asked me if I would like to join an opera company in Whales, probably the Welsh National Opera that he was choreographer for, but I had already signed a contract with the new Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center.
TEACHERS IN TUCSON, ARIZONA
When I semi-retired to Tucson, Arizona, I had vowed never to be involved in dance again. However, dance, being my life, I soon became embedded in Tucson's local schools. I took the odd class and choreographed for their starting up companies.These fell far sort of New York and London professionalism but at least served as a minor creative outlet for me. Not suprisingly, I found them to have just as many intrigues as the professional schools and companies I had worked with, if not more..
The first male ballet dancer I'd ever seen as a lad, if only in movies. Imagine my surprise to find him in Tucson, and my neighbor.
We soon became friends. He had already retired after 18 years of teaching at the University of Arizona. We took morning classes together at a local school where he sometimes taught. I knew him until he died after a fall at age 92.
(see my further postings about Zoritch on Ballet Talk web site)

domain: artistic


Re "California's living costs hit the poor" (Page A2, June 1): There's nothing more irritating than having someone use a sloppy calculator to make a point. The CNN calculator Dan Walters uses to compare Austin to Sacramento notes that housing costs are substantially higher here, some 34 percent higher.
However, looking at actual statistics, I found that housing costs are, in fact, higher in Austin. The median rent in Sacramento is $1,150 for the city, and $1,250 for the region. In Austin, the median rent for Austin is $1,350, and $1,300 for the Austin region. (We can assume that low-income residents will be renting rather than buying.)
Now Austin may have many virtues, but cheap rent isn't one of them.
-- Alison Brennan, Sacramento


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domain: entertainment


SDEIS for Mohawk Harbor project now online
If you've been wondering about how the new proposed casino and harbor project will impact traffic, the environment, taxes, flooding and a lot of other things, then check out the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Mohawk Harbor project online.
It's on the website of the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority http://schenectadymetroplex.com/. Scroll down the page slightly until you find a link to Mohawk Harbor Supplemental Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (2014). Click on that and the report will come up. Give it a few seconds to upload because it's long.
The statement had to be updated because of substantial changes made to the original development project off Erie Boulevard since 2010, including the proposed $300 million casino and a 50-slip harbor.
Don't panic when you see how many pages the report is (1,075). It's an easy to follow, well organized, searchable presentation from Bergmann Associates of Albany. There are a lot of artists' renderings not previously published, so this will help you get a good idea visually about the scope of the project.
Statistics are presented in narrative and chart form.
From a transparency-in-government perspective, this is terrific. In the past, you'd have had to go downtown someplace and pore over the document in person. It would probably be several inches thick, and you'd have to go back there over and over if there was something else you wanted to know. By having it online, the public can access it any time that's convenient. It's a very good way for government to distribute a lot of information to every member of the public in a timely and complete manner.
Public comment is being accepted until 5 p.m. on Sept. 22 at Metroplex. So if you don't get through the report in one day, you have some time. There will also be an opportunity to provide oral comments to the Metroplex board at a public hearing scheduled for Sept. 11 at 6 p.m.
So please check it out.
As always, you may post your comments to share with readers below. (They don't count as official comments on the project; do that separately.)
Thanks for reading.
-- Mark Mahoney


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16 Wall Street Cliches in 60 Seconds
Pundits say a lot of things about the markets. Let's see if you can keep up.
Have A Question About This Topic?
If you want to avoid potential surprises at tax time, it may make sense to know where you stand when it comes to the AMT.
Procrastination can be costly. When you get a late start, it may be difficult to make up for lost time.
When you take the time to learn more about how it works, you may be able to put the tax code to work for you.

domain: economics


text:
Hotel Room Terms and Conditions
Our priority is to have your room ready from 3 pm on the day of your arrival. Should you wish to arrive earlier to enjoy our facilities, we will happily store your luggage until such time that your rooms become available.
You are kindly asked to vacate your room by 11 am on your day of departure. If bedrooms are not vacated by 11 am on the day of departure, a charge will be made by the hotel. A late check out may be arranged in advance with reception until 12 pm, this is chargeable and is subject to availability.
In the event of non-arrival, the hotel reserves the right to charge for the unoccupied room/s.
The Hotel may take authorisation from Credit Cards or full pre-payment from Debit cards on check-in.
Cancellations must be received no later than 2pm the day before arrival. Cancellations made after this time will incur a cancellation charge of 100% of the first night accommodation.
All deposits are non-refundable. Information on Holiday Insurance can be supplied on request.
Please note that in accordance with the Law, the hotel is entirely non-smoking.
Packages are based on a maximum of 2 adults sharing a room, unless otherwise stated. Additional children and adults will be charged a supplement charge, please contact us for further details.
All prices quoted are inclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate.
Guests shall be responsible to St George's Hotel for any damage caused to the public areas, allocated rooms or furnishings, utensils and equipment therein or to the Hotel generally by any act, default or neglect of the guest or accompanying persons and shall pay St George's Hotel on demand the amount required to make good or remedy any such damage.
The Hotel reserves the right to judge acceptable levels of noise and/or behaviour of guests and to take appropriate reasonable action where necessary.
The Hotel reserves the right to close or relocate any services due to unforeseen circumstances or pre-booked events, every effort will be made to ensure all standards and services are met.

domain: travel


text:
SARAH BAWLER (Bottom)
Sarah Bawler trained as an actor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (at the time, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama) and has been involved with Everyman for many years as an actor and director, as well as coordinating, leading and directing the Youth Theatre, and teaches drama professionally.
Her recent appearances as an actor with Everyman include Dogberry (Much Ado About Nothing, Festival 2019), Mrs Betterton (Playhouse Creatures, 2019), Margaret (Richard III, Festival 2021) and Toby Belch (Twelfth Night, Festival 2022). In this year’s Festival, she has appeared in Jack and the Beans Talk and covered the role Grandma Addams for two performances of The Addams Family, as well as her scheduled performance as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
She has also directed Macbeth for Everyman Youth Theatre at this year’s Festival. As Youth Theatre director, she led the Youth Theatre to new heights in summer 2022 when they were selected from 260 youth companies to close the National Theatre’s Connections Festival with their performance of the specially-written Superglue by Tim Crouch at the National Theatre in London.
Everyman Youth Theatre rehearses and performs all year round, with Christmas shows, comedy nights, and more, culminating each year in their Shakespeare production which opens at the Cardiff Open Air Theatre Festival before touring to the Willow Globe near Llandrindod. The young people of Everyman Youth Theatre are challenged to self-lead, to develop critical thinking and performance skills, and to work collaboratively as a unit, achieving their distinctive high-energy ensemble production feel.


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Late-Stage Prostate Cancer May Soon Have a Formidable New Foe
Prostate cancer. It's a diagnosis that can cause tremendous trauma in a man's life.
Now add "late stage," and most people are going to assume the worst, usually for good reason. Treatment at that point is typically drastic and carries no guarantee of success.
However, a team at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, with funding from the Prostate Cancer Foundation, is working to change the prognosis via the development of a new drug thought to be capable of stopping the growth of late-stage prostate cancer by targeting how prostate cancer mutates.
Building on work conducted by Cambridge-based CellCentric Ltd. that discovered a targeted drug called CCS1477, the ICR team unveiled the drug's mechanism of action earlier this year.
"The problem is that cancers can evolve to develop changes in the androgen receptor so that it continues to drive growth while avoiding the effects of treatments designed to block its activity," the Prostate Cancer Foundation stated in a news release. "Cancers may stop responding to treatments targeted against androgen signaling—such as abiraterone, which was discovered by the Institute of Cancer Research, and enzalutamide, which the ICR and the Royal Marsden [NHS Foundation Trust] helped develop in clinical trials."
If the new drug can stop the work of androgens—such as testosterone—that fuel cancer growth, and keep them from mutating and adapting, late-stage cancer sufferers would have a better chance of beating the disease. Advanced prostate cancer that has developed resistance to hormone therapy currently has no cure, according to the PCF.
What the researchers did
Researchers first had to determine what to target. They found that a couple of proteins—CBP and p300—were responsible for activating androgen receptor signaling, which can be blocked but is prone to becoming resistant to treatment. With that knowledge in hand, they put CCS1477 to work.
Using cell lines and tumor biopsies from 43 patients in the lab, researchers showed CCS1477 works by binding itself to both cancer gene regulator proteins, and by blocking said proteins, the drug can accomplish two actions: stop prostate cancer's growth and delay or prevent drug resistance.
"Our study offers a potentially exciting new approach to treating prostate cancer," said study leader Johann de Bono, M.D., professor of experimental cancer medicine at the Institute of Cancer Research and consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden, in the release. "For the first time, we have shown that blocking two proteins known as p300 and CBP with a new targeted drug can disrupt signals that help fuel the growth of prostate cancers."
The early research was designed to confirm that blocking the proteins slowed the growth of prostate cancer cells. The team blocked the CBP and p300 proteins, both individually and in tandem, in cells in the lab, as explained in the journal Cancer Discovery. In either scenario, androgen receptor activity decreased and cancer cell growth slowed. When researchers reactivated the proteins, the cancer cells resumed their growth.
"Being able to target both androgen receptor signaling and its adaptions is a huge achievement, as it helps us tackle the huge challenge posed by cancer's ability to evolve resistance to modern hormone treatments," said study author Adam Sharp, M.D., team leader in translational therapeutics at the ICR and consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden, in the release.
Now in phase 1 clinical trials, CCS1477 is being tested in a non-randomized study of about 200 patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) or advanced solid tumors. Researchers are testing its efficacy as a stand-alone monotherapy and in conjunction with prostate cancer drugs enzalutamide and abiraterone acetate.
The trial is expected to wrap up in December 2021.


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James Ogilvie was born on March 22, 1773, in Midmar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the second of the eleven children of Margaret Reid Ogilvie and the Reverend John Ogilvie, a Church of Scotland clergyman, literary critic, and poet. His uncle, also named James Ogilvie, had served as a clergyman in the. A Loyalist, he returned to England prior to the American Revolution (1775–1783).
With the help of the Redhyth Bursary, a scholarship established by the earl of Findlater and benefiting poor boys named Ogilvie, he entered nearby Fordyce School in 1781. Five years later Ogilvie matriculated at King’s College in Aberdeen under the same bursary. He and a rival student published The Ogilviad, a Heroic Poem, with its Answers; Being a Dispute between Two Gentlemen at King’s College (1789), a semi-comic attack-and-reply poem that, the authors claimed, resolved a fistfight between them. He graduated with a master of arts in 1790.
By 1793, Ogilvie had immigrated to the United States and taken a job as Professor of Humanity and the Belles Lettres at the prestigious Fredericksburg Academy in Virginia. He proved a controversial figure. Inspired by the radical republicanism forwarded throughout the Atlantic world by figures such as Thomas Paine, Ogilvie drew strong criticism in Fredericksburg for his avowed atheism and his advocacy of William Godwin’s Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, a work that advocated both for Enlightenment principles and an early form of anarchism. Both were considered dangerous in a Virginia made jittery by news of the chaos and violence arising from the French Revolution. During his earliest years of teaching, he made determined enemies and at some point left the Fredericksburg Academy, although the time and circumstances are unclear.
He ultimately proved an effective and successful teacher. Over the course of the next fifteen years he moved throughout the central part of the state, opening schools in Tappahannock (1798), Culpeper (ca. 1800), Richmond (1803), and outside Charlottesville (1807). His students included many men who rose to prominent positions in government, the military, and the law, including Senator, Representative John S. Barbour, Brigadier General George Mercer Brooke, Governor William Pope Duval, Francis Walker Gilmer, Commander Thomas ap Catesby Jones, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, and Lieutenant-General . Several remembered their education under Ogilvie as transformative, inspiring them with ambition to enter public service. In his short story “Mountjoy; or, Some Passages Out of the Life of a Castle-Builder” (1839), Washington Irving created a fictional character based on Ogilvie: an inspiring, enthusiastic tutor.
Like all schoolteachers of the day, Ogilvie emphasized the centrality of public speech and rhetoric via semi-annual exhibitions for his students—and during the course of his career, he developed a facility for oratory. He delivered occasional political speeches, including one in 1798 that called on the General Assembly to seek the repeal of the Alien and Sedition Acts “on account of their manifest unconstitutionality, their manifold inexpediency and injustice” and an 1804 speech commemorating the anniversary of‘s election. In 1803 and early 1804, he offered twenty-four bimonthly lectures in the State Capitol on an array of subjects. By the time he decided to abandon teaching in favor of itinerant performing in 1808, he had a strong local reputation and the support of many Virginia elites, including Jefferson.
On December 20, 1803 he married Sally Wilkinson of New Kent County; she died on February 18, 1805, childless. According to letters circulated the following year, Ogilvie’s friends sought to pay off a deep debt of approximately $1,200 that he had accrued during his wife’s illness. Those letters suggest that his wife’s family had disapproved of the marriage.
Unlike the traveling orators of the antebellum lyceum, Ogilvie made all arrangements for speaking on his own, without the assistance of the booking agencies that flourished several decades later. Having the responsibility for finding a venue and lodging, advertising the talks, arranging the stage, and cultivating an audience took time, such that he often spent a month or more in each locale. In small towns he spoke in taverns and schoolhouses; in larger cities he rented Masonic halls or hotel ballrooms.
Ogilvie usually arranged to deliver five or six talks in each town, spread out over the course of two or three weeks, charging at first 50 cents per ticket, then $1. He spoke on what he called “moral and philosophical” subjects that promised to edify his audiences. He advocated for education, probed the subjects of dueling and suicide, and celebrated the “progress and prospects of society.” In addition, at the conclusion of each talk he performed dramatic recitations of popular poetry.
Although his earliest lectures during the spring and summer of 1808 in the smaller towns and cities of the Chesapeake region were thinly attended, Ogilvie hit his stride in October in Philadelphia, the nation’s most important cultural and intellectual hub and its second largest city. There he gained the support of influential figures, including Benjamin Rush and Charles Brockden Brown, who helped advertise his talks. Within a month, his orations were so successful that he repeated the series, delivering some of the most popular talks three times. A similar pattern unfolded in New York during the winter of 1808–1809. There, he befriended Washington Irving and a wide circle of literary elites, whose support helped him remain three months. Ogilvie received enthusiastic reviews and enjoyed large audiences. News of his success circulated widely as newspapers throughout the country reprinted those notices.
Due to the rapid circulation and reprinting of flattering newspaper notices, Ogilvie quickly became famous, celebrated for his eloquence. Reviewers did not hold back in offering effusive praise. Portland’s Eastern Argus called him “a consummate orator,” while Baltimore’s Federal Republican claimed “he has restored eloquence to the fullness of its antient splendour.” The Albany Register called him a “modern Cicero.” No one else in America, politicians or otherwise, enjoyed such a gratuitous swirl of attention in the press. And because of the anticipation of his appearances in the papers, his lectures regularly sold out. In Boston, John Quincy Adams attended some of his talks, but was turned away at the door of one sold-out performance.
His appearances were at times controversial, related to his youthful advocacy of radical republicanism and atheism. In New York in 1809, a lawyer named John Rodman published, anonymously, a satirical pamphlet, entitled Fragment of a Journal of a Sentimental Philosopher, that purported to be Ogilvie’s secret diary. Although it never mentioned Ogilvie by name, it charged him with exaggerating his eccentricities for theatrical effect and plagiarizing his ideas. The pamphlet ultimately painted a picture of a narcissist motivated to make easy money by tricking well-meaning men and women into trusting ideas undergirded by dangerously radical philosophies. In 1809, Ogilvie’s friend Washington Irving penned a vicious response in the New-York Review, or Critical Journal that mocked Rodman as a self-important nobody with nothing to say. Although newspaper debates occasionally sprang up in response to Ogilvie’s lectures—debates that disputed Ogilvie’s talent as an orator or the value of his discussions of public affairs—the Rodman pamphlet proved the most public.
After three years of constant lecturing across eleven states as well as in the cities of Washington, D.C., Montreal, and Quebec, Ogilvie announced in 1811 that he would move to Kentucky to rest and write a series of new lectures. But upon arrival, he continued to lecture in the region, delivering talks throughout the Lexington-Louisville region, and as far afield as Chillicothe, Ohio, and Nashville, Tennessee. He also found himself caught up in the martial spirit of the region. In 1812 he joined the Kentucky militia and served for months in a campaign against the Indians near Detroit. He also delivered talks to rouse the troops.
In early 1813 he announced his determination to return to lecturing up and down the East Coast, and ratcheted up the ambitiousness of his goals. Ogilvie said that in addition to his regular series of talks, he would offer temporary schools, instructing youth in rhetoric, philosophical criticism, and elocution. Moreover, he proclaimed the central aim of his talks now to be the advancement of eloquence itself, in part via the creation of professorships of oratory in the nation’s colleges. As New York’s National Advocate put it in November 1813, “In a free, civilized, and polished country, his is an art that should, that must flourish. An attempt to revive the Republican eloquence of the ancient rostrum cannot fail of success in this, the only Republic now remaining in the world.” Ogilvie also began to advocate for the erection of public halls for the purpose of encouraging oratory. His triumph, in 1814, was the presentation of a new lecture on oratory in the U.S. Capitol before both houses of Congress and President.
His plan to educate youth succeeded primarily in South Carolina in 1815–1816. There, he spent several months teaching students at the South Carolina College (later the University of South Carolina) in Columbia, news of which circulated in newspapers throughout the country. In early 1816, he taught a group of young women in Charleston, and in May and June a second group of girls in Columbia; each intensive school was followed by a public exhibition of those young women’s attainments.
His advocacy for oratory proved far more successful than his educational plan. Increasingly, his appearances in American towns were followed by a flurry of interest in public speaking. Locals offered schools of elocution and oratory. Mutual-education organizations calling themselves “The Forum” or “The Lyceum” were formed, providing local youth with weekly opportunities to practice self-presentation. Several colleges created professorships dedicated to rhetoric, oratory, or, at theological schools, “pulpit eloquence.” Ogilvie also saw imitators seek to establish public speaking careers, often offering lectures on identical subjects that were described in local newspapers as being “of the Ogilvie school.”
In the autumn of 1816 Ogilvie’s celebrity took its hardest hit when he published a volume entitled Philosophical Essays; To which are Subjoined, Copious Notes, Critical and Explanatory, and a Supplementary Narrative with an Appendix. The book was intended to cement his public reputation as not only an orator but, as he explained, “a philosophical writer.” It contained an autobiographical narrative and three essays—on the importance of mathematics for good oratory, the extent and limits of human knowledge, and the abuse of “moral fiction.” The book was ill-advised in several respects. Ogilvie’s bellicose writing style lacked on the page the evocative panache that it might have had when spoken on stage. More problematic, according to the critics, were his derivative, unoriginal ideas, logical contradictions, and self-important tone. Strangest of all was the autobiography, which critics found embarrassingly vainglorious. The publication was a critical failure and led many to question whether the American preoccupation with his oratory had likewise been a mistake.
In the spring of 1817, still in the midst of the critical furor over Philosophical Essays and decreased interest in his lectures, Ogilvie left the United States for a long-intended extension of his lecturing career in England, Scotland, and Ireland. He immediately forged a friendship in London with William Godwin, whose radical political philosophy Ogilvie had long trumpeted, and thereby became friendly with a large group of British writers, journalists, and poets. He also sat as a model of the character of Don Quixote for the artists Charles Robert Leslie and Gilbert Stuart Newton.
For years he had suggested to his American friends that he was the heir of James Ogilvie, the seventh earl of Findlater, and that his return to Scotland would involve receiving his title. It is not clear, however, that he seriously applied for that earldom, which had been rendered dormant upon the earl’s death in 1811. In 1818, Ogilvie inherited a share of a small family estate called Dunnydeer, which he sold to a cousin.
His talks, which he began in London during the summer of 1817, regularly earned flattering reviews in the papers. Critics found his advocacy of oratory original, his ideas invigorating, and his performances impressive. During the winter of 1817–1818 he made the biggest splash in Aberdeen, where his four remaining siblings lived. But whereas in the United States he had found circles of elites eager to help him and newspapers enthusiastic to fan the flames of his celebrity, he garnered no such excitement in England or Scotland. He continued to lecture and tour, with only middling success, until the summer of 1820.
According to an Edinburgh friend, Ogilvie’s behavior became increasingly erratic during the summer of 1820, perhaps the result of a lifelong problem with what he called melancholy, as well as a longstanding heavy use of the opiate laudanum. On September 12, 1820, he shot himself in the wood at Kinnoull Hill just outside of Perth, Scotland. Officials ruled his death “sudden” rather than suicide, perhaps due to the intervention of Ogilvie’s brother, an Aberdeen lawyer. He was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard in Perth.
- A Speech Delivered in Essex County in Support of a Memorial, Presented to the Citizens of the County and Now Laid Before the Assembly, on the Subject of the Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)
- Cursory Reflexions on Government, Philosophy and Education (1802)
- Philosophical Essays; To which are Subjoined, Copious Notes, Critical and Explanatory, and a Supplementary Narrative with an Appendix (1816)

domain: library


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As the average person what city deserves to receive a biblical plague and there’s a good chance “Las Vegas” will be high on their list. Sin City comes by its nickname and reputation honestly, and what happens in Vegas generally stays in Vegas – except during the last week in July, 2019, when the world found out that a biblical plague had indeed fallen upon Las Vegas … a plague of pallid-winged grasshoppers that ironically swarmed around the pyramid-shaped Luxor Hotel and Casino. Was this a plague on Sin City, confused plague insects with malfunctioning GPS, or something else? A recent scientific study sought to find out.
“If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians—something neither your fathers nor your forefathers have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now."
— Exodus 10:3–6”
Was the 2019 plague of grasshoppers on Las Vegas that bad? According to the study, conducted by researchers from the University of Oklahoma (looking for an excuse to get a free trip to Vegas?) and published in the journal Biology Letters, over 45 million grasshoppers weighing 30.2 metric tons (33.3 US tons) were estimated to have flown over or landed on Las Vegas, covering the city in a buggy fog that drove even more people off the streets and into the casinos. Like tourists, the grasshoppers came from as far away as Arizona. But why?
Inverse reviewed the study and reports that the researchers used radar technology from weather surveillance to track the aerial movements of grasshoppers during non-plague conditions. They were able to identify the total mass (biomass) of grasshoppers around Las Vegas during both day and night. After observing daily migration patterns from vegetation to other locations and back, they extrapolated the data to the plague and came to a biblical conclusion.
“At the peak of the outbreak, over 45 million grasshoppers took flight across the region, with the greatest numbers concentrating over high-intensity city lighting. Patterns of dusk ascent from vegetated habitat toward urban areas suggest a daily pull toward a time-varying nocturnal attractive sink.”
The grasshoppers were pulled by the light (Moses) to the Luxor (Egypt) because of the 30-story pyramid’s Sky Beam, a powerful column of light shining nightly from the peak of the pyramid which can be seen by airline pilots as far away as Los Angeles. This was believed to be the first macroscale study of the effects of nocturnal urban lighting on the behavior of regional insect populations and shows how it not only affects the local insect populations but also how the local insect populations then affect the local human populations. Should the Luxor do the biblically right thing and let the people’s light go?
Casino owners and Vegas lovers will be happy to learn that even the researchers wouldn’t go that far … yet. They don’t know why the grasshoppers swarmed Sin City in such vast numbers. It could have been the intensity of the light, which triggered a mob mentality in the insects. It could have been weather conditions at the time. It could have been the sins of Sin City, but there was no way for them to confirm it because what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
For now, the researchers, tourists, residents, casino owners and workers will have to wait for another plague for more answers. Until then, like a Motel 6 for grasshoppers, the Luxor is leaving the light on for you.

domain: geography


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Most quilting these days is done from a printed pattern rather than simply sewing together scraps as was done in the old days. Quilting really was a way to use every last little piece of old clothing, grain sacks, anything cloth that was around the house and could provide warmth in the winter. Download one of our free patterns and get started!
Choosing a Quilting Pattern
If you've never quilted at all before, check out Beginner Quilting for some basic quilts without a pattern that you can try. If you're ready to graduate from basic squares, read on.
The easiest patterns in terms of cutting, piecing and having the pattern come out the way it is supposed to are those that are composed of all straight lines. Squares and half-squares (triangles) provide a lot of variety without the difficulty of piecing curves. For all patterns in this article, click the images to see larger pictures.
Working with strips, as in a Log Cabin quilt, is also pretty simple because you can cut the strips using a rotary cutter for extra accuracy. Of course, you can also cut triangles and squares using this great tool that looks like a pizza cutter and, with the help of a plastic ruler, lets you make accurate cuts in more than one piece of fabric at a time. (Using a cutter requires some skill as well, so you might want to practice on one piece of fabric before stacking to cut.)
As you become more comfortable with straight stitching, you can move on to more complex patterns. Quilts with curves and quilts with smaller pieces (meaning it takes more of them to fill up the same space) are more difficult than those with large, straight surfaces.
And when you are a quilting expert, you can create your own (or find patterns for) mosaic patterns, landscapes, even portraits sewn in fabric.
Finding Quilting Patterns
There are many wonderful resources for patterns, from books and magazines to websites. Here are some places to look for quilting patterns, no matter what your skill level.
- Free Quilt Patterns has links to nearly 900 pages with quilting patterns on them. What's available on each site, from round robin patterns to blocks, small projects to redwork to mystery blocks, is explained on the page so you don't have to click on a lot of links that don't have what you're looking for.
- Free Quilt has patterns arranged by motif, from baby quilts to cats and dogs, novelty quilts to Christmas quilts. Again these are largely links to other sites but they are well organized so you can find what you are looking for quickly.
- Quilters Cache has nearly 50 pages of quilt blocks and patterns, which can be browsed by page number or through an alphabetical list. Another great feature is that you can search for blocks by size. If you're planning a miniature quilt, find one inch blocks. Or if your tastes are bigger, there are many patterns with up to 24-inch blocks.
Using a Quilting Pattern
Many of the patterns you will find online or in books require repeating a block over and over to make a full quilt. If your pattern only tells you how much fabric you need to make one block, you'll have to do a little math to figure out, first, how many blocks you need to make a quilt the size you want and second, how much of each type of fabric that will require. If you're not comfortable with math, find a pattern that explains how much fabric is needed for the whole quilt. Buy as much fabric as you need, as well as thread to match (if using multiple colors, go with a thread that matches the main color used). Wash all the fabric together to make sure none of it bleeds on the other pieces (since they are all going to be in one quilt, they need to all play well together). Press your fabric and prepare for cutting according to the pattern's directions.
Many patterns available today make use of rotary cutting because it's so much faster than cutting out every single piece by hand. If you're not comfortable using a rotary cutter or simply don't have one, you can use fabric scissors to cut out each individual piece in the same way described. It will take a lot longer but you'll still have all the right pieces at the end.
Read and follow the directions carefully. If the pattern suggests that you piece the parts of a block in a certain way, there's probably a reason for it. Before choosing a pattern, read it and make sure you understand everything that you are going to need to do to make your quilt. If you need to learn more before working on that project, try something easier or ask for help at your local sewing store.
Remember that other quilters will be happy to help you if you have problems or need advice. So don't be afraid to try something new and have fun working with the many wonderful quilting patterns that are out there.

domain: hobby


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Osteoporosis causes the bones to weaken as people age. Although the women suffer from osteoporosis more frequently than man, the disease can strike either gender. Calcium supplements helps prevent bone loss, but supplements in pill form do not always get absorbed well by the body.
The best calcium supplement for osteoporosis is not a supplement by itself. It is a common food item available in any grocery store. Milk is known as a rich source of calcium, but whole milk is high in fat and cholesterol. Skim milk is low in fat and cholesterol, but it is not always practical to add skim milk to foods. Powdered milk retains its calcium rich nature and can be added to many foods without altering the flavor. A teaspoon of powdered milk adds up to 50 milligrams of calcium to many dishes.
Powdered milk may help build bone density, and it may be one of the best supplements for osteoporosis, but it is not the only supplement available. Many nutrition companies sell calcium supplements with varying degrees of quality. Another good strategy to include extra calcium in your diet is to use antacids such as TUMs. The calcium compounds used in the over the counter antacids are easily absorbed in the stomach and distributed throughout the body.
Food, powdered milk and calcium-based antacids comprise some of the best osteoporosis supplements, but sometimes a person may use these methods and still not get enough calcium in his or her diet. Each method has its own specific problems as well. Many over the counter supplements are made from ground up oyster shells. Calcium supplements made from oyster shells help replenish the body’s supply of calcium, but they often contain toxic substances which can become harmful if they are ingested in large amounts.
The best osteoporosis supplements of this type must be purified. Check the label to make sure the contents are purified. Because supplements in pill form do not get absorbed as easily into the body as calcium in food, you should select a slightly larger dose than you need. A doctor can tell you if there are any harmful drug interactions if he knows the medicines you are taking.
You can search for the best calcium supplement to take in addition to food, but the best supplements, like the best exercise, happen to be the ones you will take. You get no benefit from letting them sit on the shelf.

domain: medical


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(PCM) Having never had the pleasure of seeing Sabaton in the live setting, I was overjoyed at the chance to come out and witness their absolutely explosive performance at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, PA. Needless to say they have made a fan for life!
Once Sabaton hits the stage it is like someone flipped the on-switch and the band was on full throttle for start to finish. Many of Sabaton’s songs deal with the heavy subject matter of both history and war, so it was amazing to watch them find the perfect balance to ease up some of the tension of the subject matter was brilliant. The band took time to laugh and joke with the crowd between songs and it was the perfect way to brighten everyone’s spirits just a bit. They are really funny guys and there is so much obvious chemistry between them all when they interact with one another on stage.
Sabaton’s setlist was stellar and the musicianship was right on-point. My only wish was that their set could have been a bit longer, as I could have honestly stayed and listened to them play for half the night, but knowing that I will see them again at Rock On The Range in Columbus, OH in just a few short weeks definitely eases my pain.
We had a chance to catch up with members of Sabaton Chris Rorland and Thorbjorn Englund just prior to the band’s explosive performance. Check it out below:
To Hell and Back
Soldier of 3 Armies
Resist and Bite