Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories

Dancing their way to the ballot box

Dancing for Democracy

New Breed Dance Company is a Boulder, Colo.-based dance company that specializes in jazz. However, the dancers' ability to perform during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic was severely limited so they used their talents to encourage citizens to get out and vote.

"We all are not only very passionate about the arts and dance in particular, but we are a collective body of people who care about what's happening to our community and our country," said Linzee Klinkenberg, the artistic director for New Breed.


"As an artist," Klinkeberg explained, "I felt like the best thing I could do was utilize my gifts and experiences to literally dance my way to the ballot box, to dance for democracy ... and encourage other people to celebrate the privilege we have, which is to vote."

In one video, several dancers dressed as postal carriers move to Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" as messages emphasizing the safety and importance of voting pop up on the screen.

Enjoy the video and as always please share with us your ideas on other examples of how dance and democracy interconnect by writing to us at pop-culture@fulcrum.us

.


Read More

Hollywood Gets Congress Wrong—and It’s Costing America Trust in Democracy

Hollywood sign and The Capitol

AI generated picture

Hollywood Gets Congress Wrong—and It’s Costing America Trust in Democracy

The following article is excerpted from "Citizen’s Handbook for Influencing Elected Officials."

Since the 1970s, public trust in American institutions—including Congress—has steadily declined. Approval ratings for the House and Senate usually hover in the teens. Certainly, some misdeeds by our elected leaders have contributed to this decline, and mainstream national media can claim its fair share of “credit” in portraying Congress in a negative light. Yet another major ingredient in the ugly formula poisoning public opinion of Congress is Hollywood. Movies and TV shows routinely portray Congress as craven, corrupt, selfish, and completely indifferent to the public interest. Regrettably, this is a wholly incorrect portrayal of our nation’s legislators.

Keep ReadingShow less
More Artists Boycott Trump‑Renamed Kennedy Center

Musicians and dance companies are canceling performances in protest, adding to a widening backlash over political interference at the nation’s premier arts institution.

Getty Images, ntn

More Artists Boycott Trump‑Renamed Kennedy Center

The recent wave of cancellations by artists at the Kennedy Center underscores a broader and urgent question in contemporary society: the struggle between artistic autonomy and political influence. By withdrawing from their scheduled appearances, these artists are responding to the Center's controversial renaming by a new Board of Directors appointed by President Trump. This renaming, seen by many as politically motivated, has catalyzed a strong reaction. Earlier this year, at least 15 performers withdrew in protest. This forms part of a growing trend, with public resignations and statements from notable figures like Issa Rae, Rhiannon Giddens, Renée Fleming, and Ben Folds. They have all expressed concerns that the Center’s civic mission is being undermined.

More performers are visibly withdrawing from the Kennedy Center, with fan-favorite names disappearing from the roster. In recent weeks, news outlets have reported that more artists and groups have called off their upcoming shows. These include jazz drummer Chuck Redd, the jazz group The Cookers, singer-songwriter Kristy Lee, and the dance company Doug Varone and Dancers. Fans holding tickets now face the stark absence that mirrors these artists' discomfort with the renaming and what it represents politically.

Keep ReadingShow less
Interfaith Music Aims to Reclaim January 6 for Unity

Elena “La Fulana” Lacayo

Interfaith Music Aims to Reclaim January 6 for Unity

Music has played a significant role in uniting people of different faiths in the United States. From the Civil Rights era to the years following 9/11, Americans have used music to bridge religious divides and affirm their shared humanity. Interfaith music extends beyond worship and remains a lasting way for Americans to remember their common bonds. St. Augustine expressed the power of music in faith when he said “When I sing, I pray twice.”

In this spirit, The Fulcrum highlights stories during the holiday season that reflect universal themes. Messages of love, kindness, hope, and generosity resonate across cultures and traditions, reminding us that shared values are stronger than our divisions.

Keep ReadingShow less
A Baseball Team Caught Between Two Countries — a Visa Shift and a Shutdown

The Tucson baseball team playing against the Águilas de Mexicali in the border city of Mexicali. Photo courtesy of the Tucson baseball team

A Baseball Team Caught Between Two Countries — a Visa Shift and a Shutdown

NOGALES, SONORA, MEXICO — What was meant to be a historic first for America’s pastime — a Mexican Pacific League baseball franchise anchored north of the border — has become a bureaucratic curveball.

The newly relocated Tucson, Arizona, baseball team — formerly the Mayos de Navojoa from Sonora, Mexico — has yet to fulfill a long-held dream shared by fans on both sides of the border: bringing professional Mexican winter baseball to U.S. soil.

Keep ReadingShow less