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>> Coming up next on a special
"ArtBeat" edition of "Arizona
Horizon," find out how the
1920s helped to define modern
fashion.
Hear from one of the world's top
ballet dancers on why more boys
and young men should get into
the world of classical dance.
And how do you measure the value
of the arts on society?
Those stories next on this
special edition of "Arizona
Horizon."
>>> "Arizona Horizon" is made
possible by contributions from
the Friends of Eight, members of
your Arizona PBS station.
Thank you.
>>> Good evening, and welcome to
this special "ArtBeat" edition
of "Arizona Horizon," I'm Ted
Simons.
The 1920s had a huge influence
on modern fashion, and today
fashions are showing up
frequently in popular culture.
A recent Phoenix Art Museum show
called "Modern Spirit: Fashion
of the 1920s," showcased
styles from the modern era.
I talked to Dennita Sewell about
the lasting styles of the
1920s.
>> Thanks for joining us tonight
on "Arizona Horizon."
>> It's a pleasure to be here.
>> What was the idea behind this
exhibit?
>> There were so many projects
going on in recent popular
culture, the artists, films,
*** Allen's new film "Midnight
in Paris," and Downton Abbey.
I thought it would be
interesting with this creative
spirit in the air with the
1920s as inspiration, we would
have the objects on view at the
Phoenix Art Museum.
>> We saw a little bit of it,
tell us more what was on
display.
>> We have four sections, a
section of evening wear, a
section of day wear.
We have art and exotics and a
lingerie section.
Each of these defines the roles
that women had in society and
some of the things that were
going on.
You have the classic flapper
image, the flapper with the
pearls and the dancing of the
Charleston.
But also the daywear there is to
show that there were many roles
that women were taking on for
the first time in society.
Much of this change had started
in the World War I era, and
there was a suffragette
movement, these pieces show the
movement going on and the
modernity for women.
>> It was such an
earth-shattering event, world
war I, was it just basically
let's break free and get rid of
that that happened in those
days, we're in the 1920s,
let's move forward and have some
fun?
>> They were called to very
serious duty in World War I.
They became ambulance drivers
and went to work in the
factories.
They adopted slightly more
practical dress for those roles.
Moving into the 1920s there
was a sort of joyousness of the
war being over, and that was
coupled with these young women
who really had come of age in
these new freedoms and this new
autonomy, having a little bit of
money for themselves for the
first time.
And new ideas about modern life
emerging, and really moving
forward with those ideas.
>> I want to take a look at some
of the fashion ideas that we've
collected and have you comment
on some of these.
It's amazing the lightweight,
the airy nature of all of this.
It's the first time ever the
society accepted above the knee.
>> Absolutely.
It's really important, this
decade of change, the 1920s.
For the first time the hemline
is above the knee, ever in
history.
This Chanel piece from 1928 is a
stunning example by one of the
more vanguard designers, Coco
Chanel, of the period.
She called herself the grand
madamoiselle.
She never married.
She had her own business, had
affairs with prominent men all
over the world.
She had the spirit of the modern
woman as her own best model.
>> There's a lot of Chanel
there, you saw her as you
mentioned as very influential.
>> She was highly influential.
These designers didn't create
the changes to the society, they
reacted to them.
This dress from 1925 has these
wonderful dangling sashes, great
for dancing the Charleston, and
that movement and that joyous
spirit.
Her designs always have a great
deal of restraint and
sophistication and the
proportion.
Really, it's a brand that is
still one of the most important
brands today, and it's largely
what she set forward in the
1920s.
>> Talk more about how that
style has influenced everything
that came afterwards.
>> A lot of these clothes are
made like modern clothing.
Really, this was the first
historical period that is still
modern today.
That these clothes directly
relate to what we wear.
For example, those two styles
just pull over the head.
There's no snaps, no zippers, no
hooks and eyes.
It's kind of a very, very nice
T-shirt-style dress.
And so much more lightweight.
They were wearing layers, in
prior periods, corsets and
petticoats, pieces that were
very encumbering.
>> Pieces like this Patou dress,
there was a great symbiosis in
fashion designers and cubism and
the art movement all mixing in
this period for a very vibrant
and creative era.
>> You're concentrating on the
fashion, but at the same time we
had Art Deco, automobiles, they
were still new and exciting in
the 1920s.
A lot of change was happening
there, as well.
>> Absolutely.
The automobile had a great deal
of influence.
And a lot of automobile
manufacturers were looking
towards fashion and they still
do today, for color and trends,
and sought already by the
1920s to appeal to women.
You'll see pieces in the
exhibition with pleated skirts,
and capes and things that were
designed for automobiling,
getting in and out of the car,
going places and doing things.
>> Interesting.
Look at this, this is an evening
coat?
Is that what this is?
>> This is an evening coat.
And over these very diaphanous
gowns, they needed another
influence in it.
England and France were very
important colonial powers.
Not only were ideas flowing back
and forth from Paris, which was
a center of fashion, and these
exotic locales as they were
thought of, but also goods and
materials.
One of the hats in the
exhibition has monkey fur on it.
>> Goodness, I'll take your word
for that one.
Where did you find all of these
things?
>> Phoenix Art Museum has an
extraordinary collection of
fashion design.
It was founded in 1966, and
through the generous donations
of many members of the
community, of fashion houses and
purchases by the Friends group
for the fashion design
department, we've amassed a
really terrific collection of
fashion history.
That's always the starting point
for fertile development of the
exhibition.
>>> We want to hear from you.
Submit your question, comments
and concerns via e-mail at
arizonahorizon@asu.edu.
>>> Next we hear from one of the
world's best-known ballet
dancers.
His name is David Hallberg, and
he grew up and trained right
here in Arizona.
He's the first American premier
dancer to join the Bolshoi
Ballet.
He has established a scholarship
to help more boys and young men
pursue a career in ballet.
I recently talked to him about
his career and the bullying he
faced when he studied ballet as
a boy.
>> Thanks for joining us tonight
on "Arizona Horizon."
>> Pleasure, pleasure to be
here.
>> Why start a scholarship for
boys interested in ballet?
>> You know, I was one of those
boys, when I was young, who had
the itch to dance but didn't
really have the direction or
guidance.
I didn't really know where to
train.
And that's essentially what I'm
trying to do, is bring awareness
to really good strong classical
ballet training.
If boys -- you know, a lot of
the times it's more boys than
girls who want to -- who have
that inclination naturally, who
want to dance.
And I want to bring that sort of
awareness to boys and say, at
the School of Ballet at Arizona
you can get great training and
financial help if you need that.
>> And the financial help can be
an issue, can't it?
A lot of these kids come from
families that simply can't
afford it.
>> Of course.
It can cost upwords of $5,000 a
year for training.
If that is a complication, then
the scholarship offers a sort of
help.
>> Does that also help to get
boys interested in ballet?
Let's face it, this is America,
boys are in baseball and hot
dogs and the whole nine yards.
There are boys who think they
like this, but they are not
sure, there's peer pressure.
How do you get past all that?
>> First of all, your own
motivation.
And second of all, awareness.
If there's a scholarship that
exists like this and word is
out, you can in essence find a
great school to train at and see
if you like it.
You don't necessarily have to
become a huge professional
dancer in a big ballet company.
But this gives the sort of
platform to train, you know,
young male dancers who have a
desire to dance.
>> There is more of a desire
among European boys than
American boys?
>> There is, but again, there's
more awareness.
A lot of the really big schools
in Europe and in Russia, they
have help from the government.
And in whatever country you're
in, people know that if you want
to dance ballet, you go to the
Bolshoi School or the Paris
Opera School, but that doesn't
really exist in America.
I'm trying to bring awareness to
that, even in the Phoenix area.
I grew up here, I know what it's
like.
I know there's a great school in
the Phoenix area that can train
male dancers very, very well.
>> Let's talk about you.
How did you get involved in
ballet?
>> When I saw Fred Astaire on TV
in some sort of black and white
obscure movie.
It was my own doing, my parents
didn't push me into ballet.
They didn't know what to do
after I showed this interest in
dance.
It was an absolute obsession of
mine that grew and grew from the
age of eight.
>> You called it a personal
journey riddled with hardships.
>> Any sort of personal journey,
the sacrifices I've made to
become a professional dancer, it
is riddled with hardships.
I was seriously bullied when I
was in school, when I was a
young teenager.
The typical story of doing
something different from your
peers, and being really shot
down for it.
>> And again, that kind of comes
back to getting boys interested
in ballet, again, boys who might
be interested but they are
afraid to be picked on, afraid
of being called names.
How did you get past that?
>> You get past it by your own
motivation, and by really
standing up for what you believe
in.
It's easier for me now that I'm
older to look back and say, I
wish I would have stood up for
myself a bit more.
You get past that by really
asking yourself what you love to
do.
If what you love to do is
dancing, that's what you love to
do.
>> And you had a lot of
experience at Ballet Arizona,
correct?
That's where you really cut your
teeth?
>> That's where I started to
train really intensely.
I had a great teacher there.
It really was the formation that
just propelled me into a
professional career.
>> And you wound up being --
help me figure this out -- the
first American kind of bigwig to
join the Bolshoi?
>> I'm the first American
premier, the top spot at the
Bolshoi Ballet.
I'm the principal dancer, the
star or whatever word you want
to use.
I'm the first American to hold
that spot, after hundreds and
hundreds of years of history.
>> How did they react?
>> They were a little
apprehensive at first.
I had the whole administration
backing me up.
They made a substantial offer, I
was excited to go.
It was a huge risk for me and
for them.
But I noticed the dancers were a
little standoffish at the
beginning.
Nobody was rude but they really
warmed up after a while.
>> Isn't that something.
We get someone from opera or the
finer arts on, I always ask.
I think some people go and they
think -- they like it, but they
think they are missing something
or they should be appreciating
it more than they are.
When you go to a ballet, if
you're a neophyte, what do you
do after you sit down and the
lights dim?
>> When the lights dim, it's a
magical moment.
Something is about to start.
Once it starts, you know, it
completely boils down to the
fact of whether you like it or
not.
If you're looking at a ballet
for two hours, just decide what
you liked, maybe what you don't
like, maybe what you thought was
boring, maybe what excited you.
It really goes down to personal
taste, whether you have this
refined sort of palate, or
whether you're seeing the ballet
for the first time.
It's like art in general, you
know what you like and what you
don't.
It doesn't have to be an
amazingly educated view.
It's whether it moves you or
not.
>> It's like poetry, where you
can diagram and get the stanzas
or just look at the words and
go, that's neat, I like that.
>> Exactly.
>> The scholarship, what does it
cover?
>> All expenses for a year.
Apply by calling the School of
Ballet in Arizona or go on their
website.
It's just right now bringing
awareness to the Valley,
bringing awareness that if there
are young males, boys out there
that want to dance, they have a
place to do it.
And they can receive financial
support and a mentorship and
just kind of that extra push
they may need to fall in love
with dance.
>> Very good.
David, thank you so much, good
luck with the scholarship and
continued success in your
career.
>> Thank you, pleasure.
>>> Get the inside scoop on
what's happening at Arizona PBS.
Become an Eight insider.
Get the Eight insider delivered
to your e-mail inbox.
Visit azPBS.org to sign up
today.
>>> Appreciation of the arts
extends beyond personal
enjoyment.
It impacts education,the
economyand a variety of
otherfactorsthat make up
society.
I spoke with Ben Cameron,
program director for the arts at
the Doris Duke Charitable
Foundation in New York about the
value of a healthy arts
community.
Cameron is also the inaugural
"Thought Leader in Residence" at
the Virginia G. Piper Charitable
Trust.
>>> The status of the arts, the
status of arts organizations,
the world is going pretty fast
right now.
How are the arts holding up?
>> They are in a very stressful
time right now, nationwide.
Everywhere you look individual
contributions are down,
corporate giving has entered a
kind of freefall and people are
stressed for audiences.
But there are so many stresses
around communications and how we
talk to each other in this
country.
We're seeing bookstores and
newspapers close, television
coverage is radically changed.
>> How do arts organizations,
arts groups, how do you better
adapt?
How do you reinvent?
>> It's the biggest question.
You've nailed it right on the
head.
The institutions we were
building for the last 40 or 50
years just assumed our job was
to produce performances for
people to come watch.
While arts attendance is eroding
in this country at an alarming
rate in some instances -- do you
know a 14-year-old girl that's
not making movies now?
I doubt you do -- making movies
and writing your own poetry is
exploding at an exponential
rate.
Arts organizations are asking,
how can we expand our embrace
and include that participation
in production.
>> How do you make a business
model out of that?
That's personal fulfillment,
personal enjoyment.
How do you get Xs and Os out of
that?
>> There's a program in
Baltimore, Maryland, called the
Rusty Musicians program.
It's one of the great symphonies
in the country.
They held auditions for people
who grew up playing instruments,
but they are of avocational
musicians now.
They auditioned, chose the
equivalent of another symphony.
The Rusty Musicians played right
alongside the major musicians.
What they found in the process
was not only were the musicians
themselves inspired by the
dedication and passion the Rusty
musicians brought, but whole new
audiences showed up to see their
friends or bosses play.
People thought, oh, my lord,
I've never seen this, I like
this and I'm coming back.
Rather than taking focus away,
new revenues, new contributions
and audiences began to follow in
its wake.
>> Basically it's a new way of
recruiting a new audience?
>> It's a new way of
acknowledging that arts
experiences are meaningful.
We can consume delight or find
delight from participation.
If it's like a spectrum, we
focus only on one end of what
the arts can be.
Now it's the opportunity to say,
can we broaden our minds instead
of thinking of ourselves as arts
organizations, what if we're
platforms aggregating new
energy?
That's a huge opportunity.
>> Will the platform allow for
the best to be the best?
>> We've got Rusty Musicians and
14-year-olds making videos, but
where is the next James Cameron
or Cleveland Symphony Orchestra?
>> Again, we always think of the
arts as a kind of ecological
system.
At one end there will always be
those organizations solely
dedicated to the highest
performances at the highest
caliber.
The great schools like Juilliard
will continue to feed into that
system.
Again, many of us who are the
best started in the most
unconventional places.
I grew up in rural North
Carolina.
Dancing meant they closed Main
Street every Wednesday and we
danced in the streets.
I remember seeing Isaac Stern in
my high school auditorium before
I was eight.
I think what we're looking at is
a broader range of
participation.
But the level will be higher and
higher and higher.
It's not unlike athletics.
50 years ago they were not in
the public schools, not
everybody did it.
Now it's part of our fabric and
look at the achievement level of
athletes which skyrockets with
every succeeding generation.
>> I'd say this really means
three things for us.
One, we know you put artists in
a neighborhood and it brings the
neighborhood to life.
We see this all the time.
They move in where there are
empty warehouses and
storefronts, next thing you
know, it's the most expensive
real estate in town and they
have brought new life to the
community.
The arts also have a huge
economic impact.
Report due out in Arizona any
minute says the arts accounted
for more than $500 million of
economic activity in Arizona
last year, a really phenomenal
amount in Arizona.
And in Philadelphia last year it
was $3.3 billion.
Additionally the arts teach us
to listen to each other, to
aspire to be each other.
They form social bonds together.
For me, as someone who travels
20 days out of a month many
times, I hardly know what city
I'm in.
I see the same fast foods, same
hotels, the same big box
retailers.
It's the arts that distinguish
one city from another and give
it personality.
>> We have lawmakers debating
all sorts of issues all the time
on this program.
The idea of funding the arts
would be a hard sell for a
number of these folks.
I'm a lawmaker.
Convince me that state funds,
hard to come by these days, need
to be somehow appropriated to
the arts.
>> Well, I'd say two things to
you.
Number one, yours voters love
them.
Polls after polls for
generations say I love the arts
and I want to pay for them.
If you're listening to public
opinion, this is a no-brainer.
I think the trap lawmakers get
into on this is to perceive the
arts as only a sort of painting
on the wall.
I just came back from Saint
Louis where I talked to a man
with a Shakespeare company there
who mounted a production of
Romeo and Juliet in the streets
that separated a Latino
neighborhood from an
African-American neighborhood.
Members from both those
communities were in the play,
and they came to see the play.
>> What you've achieved is an
urban renewal and community
revitalization.
You funded that when you funded
the arts, you didn't fund a
painting on the wall.
>> West Side Story in Saint
Louis.
>> Absolutely.
>> You are very much on the
right track, we did a community
forum here last night that was
full house.
There's a fantastic woman named
Kimber --
>> Kimber Lanning, she's been on
the show many times.
>> I would like to clone her.
The young leadership and energy,
and the recognition that young
people want to live where
there's a creative energy is on
the ascendent, and she's at the
head of the charge.
>> And that is it for now, I'm
Ted Simons.
Thank you so much for joining us
on this special edition of
"Arizona Horizon."
You have a great evening.
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