Rural Intelligence (Page 645)

Arts

Jonah Bokaer: School at Jacob’s Pillow Alum Returns with Two U.S. Premieres

Dance review by Bess J.M. Hochstein Photos of Why Patterns by Artworks ©Daniel Arsham/Snarkitecture Much has been made of the fact that Jonah Bokaer was, at age 18, the youngest dancer to join the Merce Cunningham Dance Company; that he takes an interdisciplinary approach to dance, collaborating with

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Arts

3e Étage (3rd Floor): First Rate, Seriously Playful Dance

Review by Bess J.M. Hochstein Photo: Steve Murez At the end of La Valse Infernale, a satisfying, virtuoso snippet of traditional ballet choreographed by Raul Zeummes—with long-limbed, bun-headed ballerinas spinning and posing on point and men bounding skyward—that builds into a frenzy of leaps, jumps,

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Community

The Wassaic Project: A Pop-Up Museum and Pizza, Too

"Everybody is asking if this is an art installation or a real pizza oven," said Angelo Womack, who was splitting wood on Wednesday outside Maxon Mills (below), which is the headquarters for the third iteration of the Wassaic Project Summer Festival. "This is a real wood-fired

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Arts

Capitol Steps Puts the Mock Back in Democracy

Review by Bess J.M. Hochstein Whether the debt-ceiling wrangling in Washington has you gnashing your teeth or near tears, take a deep breath—and prepare to laugh it out. The Capitol Steps have returned to Cranwell Resort for their fifth-consecutive summer residency, and our elected representatives have

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Food

St. Andrew's Café, Greener and Sharper Than Ever

By Kathryn Matthews For all appearances, St. Andrew's Café at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park is one of those restaurants where time-stood-still, with décor that features carpeted floors; a brown-and-ochre color scheme; floor-length floral curtains; and white-clothed tables.

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Parties

A Pleasant (Valley) Evening of Crickets, Critters & Cocktails Fires Up Support for Mass Audubon

Cultural correspondent Bess J.M. Hochstein reports from Lenox. The annual fundraiser for Mass Audubon’s Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries, Crickets, Critters & Cocktails, boasts a winning formula. Take one beautiful evening on a lushly verdant property – in this case, July 30 at Pleasant Valley – decorate with colorful banners and crittery

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Parties

Beauty in Decay Opens at Ferrin Gallery

Cultural correspondent Bess J.M. Hochstein reports from Pittsfield. Leave it to Leslie Ferrin, gallerista extraordinaire, to draw a crowd indoors on a perfect summer afternoon. Such was the case on Saturday, July 30, for the opening of her latest exhibition, Beauty in Decay. This two-pronged show features a

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Food

AgriCulture: Blue Ribbon Okra, Plus Recipes

AgriCulture bloggers Peter Davies and Mark Scherzer are the owners of Turkana Farms in Germantown, NY. This week, Peter writes: One of our best kept secrets is that our farm, Turkana Farms, won first prize, a beautiful blue ribbon with gold letters reading “First Premium,” for our okra entry at

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Arts

Big Dance Theater’s U.S. Debut of Supernatural Wife: Big Fun, Big Ideas

Dance review by Bess J.M. Hochstein Photos: Cherylynn Tsushima One thing you should know before seeing Supernatural Wife, Big Dance Theater’s take on Euripides' sort-of tragedy Alkestis – and you should see it -- is that dance is probably the least element of this enchanting and intelligent multimedia

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Arts

LDP/Laboratory Dance Project Makes a Winning Pillow Debut

Dance review by Bess J.M. Hochstein Without a doubt, LDP/Laboratory Dance Project, an all-male, contemporary troupe based in Soeul, is the most winning company to perform at Jacob’s Pillow thus far this summer, a season that has already seen more than its share of superb performances.

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Parties

Berkshire Fringe Celebrates Season Seven

Cultural correspondent Bess J.M. Hochstein reports from Great Barrington.Over the past six years, The Berkshire Fringe has hosted more than 400 emerging artists in an annual, eclectic arts extravaganza including theater, dance, music, film, video, and everything in between. This year’s festival—which kicked off on Monday,

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Parties

Berkshire Botanical Garden's Fête des Fleurs

Gardeners are among the most creative people around, which was evident at the Fête des Fleurs fundraiser at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge on Saturday, July 23. The lavishly decorated tent vied for attention with the hats many women wore to compete in a chapeau contest in which prizes

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