Category Archives: Blog

A suicide bomber this evening detonated himself in a passenger van in Choueifat–a suburb southeast of Beirut. Today’s attack comes in the wake of Saturday evening’s bombing in Hermel. We’ve had so many bombings in Lebanon over the past few weeks that they’re no longer really being covered by the “mainstream” media…

While living in the desert in Sudan, trainspotting with the setting sun was often the highlight of our quiet evenings…

If you’re in New York and looking for opportunities to learn more about Chinese culture in the month of Chinese New Year, get tickets now to see Ibsen’s Lady from the Sea performed by the Hangzhou Yue Opera Company at the NYU Skirball Center.

LADY FROM THE SEA

Date: February 26th

Where:
NYU Skirball Center
566 LaGuardia Place
(Corner of LaGuardia Place &
Washington Square South)
New York, NY 10012

An all female ensemble transform two classic Ibsen plays into lyrical adventures, supported by a distinctive musical nature and theatrical stylization that are the strengths of one of the most popular traditional opera styles of China. Performed throughout China and Europe, Hangzhou Yue Opera Company’s contemporary opera adaptations have been well-received across the globe. Two of their celebrated works will be presented, with one classic Ibsen tale performed each night. The Lady from the Sea examines a woman in a strained marriage, asked for the first time to truly examine her own desires.

Yue Opera, performed by all female actors, is one of the most popular traditional operas in China. Beginning as a form of storytelling and ballad-singing, it has evolved into a theatrical genre with the addition of dramatic structure and an orchestra. Yue Opera is particularly strong in its lyrical touch, with singing and gesturing as its main acting modes. Its arias follow certain patterns which are delicate and beautiful, reflecting the special aura of southern China.

Looking for a new work-out routine? My Chinese teacher in Beirut just shared with me this video of a talented troupe of acrobats in China demonstrating some of the extraordinary stunts that the human body can be trained to do…

I took this photo in Sudan at a Sufi lodge in the Sahara. Sitting on a stoop outside the door with an older Sudanese woman with bewitching blue eyes, I felt too tired after a long day of surveying Sufi shrines to stand up and enter the sanctuary.  As I leaned backwards through the threshold–practically resting my back in the sand–I found this young boy inside.  When he noticed me, he crouched down on the rug, and gave me an unexpected but welcoming thumbs up…

Remember, the entrance door to the sanctuary is inside you…

— Rumi

On my walk this morning to volunteer at St. Jude/CCCL in Beirut, I passed by these signs at Casper & Gambini’s. With two cancer awareness days on the way, a large number of individuals and organizations around the globe are helping to raise awareness this month about cancer.

For World Cancer Day this Tuesday (February 4th), events are being planned in Beirut and beyond. World Cancer Day is dedicated to raising awareness about cancer and dispelling myths about the disease. From posting on Facebook and Twitter (#WorldCancerDay) to attending cancer events in person, there will be countless ways this week to participate in World Cancer Day–wherever you are.

On February 15th, for International Childhood Cancer Day, campaigns are being planned to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer by holding Pajama Days, Crazy Hat Days, and Dress Down Days in offices and schools–why not join in and wear your pajamas to work too?

Every week here in Beirut, I look forward to my time in the playroom with the children at St. Jude/CCCL–where I’ve learned a great deal about cancer, compassionate care, and the humbling strength of the human spirit. In fact, for their impressive volunteer and humanitarian efforts, the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL) was just awarded the Sharjah Voluntary Work Award. If, in the spirit of World Cancer Day and International Childhood Cancer Day, you would like to make an online donation to support the life-saving treatment of my young friends here in Beirut, please click here. From participation to donation, every little bit of care counts, and helps to change lives…

If you’d like to learn more about the culinary landscape of Lebanon, two programs by Anthony Bourdain are a good place to start. His 2010 program on the culinary scene in Beirut (which can be viewed here if you’re outside the U.S.) surveys everything from simple pleasures like Habib Honey at a local farmer’s market (Souk el Tayeb) to the exquisite open kitchen at Tawlet (where every day a different cook serves up a traditional home-style meal).

Bourdain’s 2006 program on Lebanon is a bit different, since the 2006 war started while he was in the middle of filming “No Reservations” in Beirut. Before he was evacuated, he managed to put together an episode about both food and the war–which can be viewed in three segments on this post.

As you will see in these videos, Beirut is a must-visit for any foodie looking to sample a diverse number of local and regional cuisines…

Tonight in Lebanon, a car bomb in Hermel killed at least four people, and injured dozens more. A week ago, five rockets from Syria hit the same town, and last month another car bomb in Hermel killed four people. In the aftermath of tonight’s deadly violence, officials came out to denounce the attack, and responsibility for the bombing was claimed by Al-Nusra Front in Lebanon–a group which previously claimed responsibility for bombings in Hermel and Beirut.

If you’re in New York and feel like learning more about Chinese opera, get tickets now to see the Hangzhou Yue Opera Company’s production of Hedda (based on Hedda Gabler by Ibsen) at the NYU Skirball Center. The creative interplay between “western” drama and Chinese opera has a long history–even Thornton Wilder drew inspiration from the staging (and lack of scenery and props) of Chinese opera to write Our Town–his experimental masterpiece. Since this upcoming performance of Hedda will be performed in the genre of Yue opera, it will be performed by an all-female cast.

HEDDA

Date: February 25th

Where: NYU Skirball Center
566 LaGuardia Place
(Corner of LaGuardia Place &
Washington Square South)
New York, NY 10012

Hedda (based on Hedda Gabler) focuses on a highly intelligent woman, recently wed for practicality rather than love, whose jealousy leads her down a path to tragedy in this all-female ensemble adaptation.

Yue Opera, performed by all female actors, is one of the most popular traditional operas in China. Beginning as a form of storytelling and ballad-singing, it has evolved into a theatrical genre with the addition of dramatic structure and an orchestra. Yue Opera is particularly strong in its lyrical touch, with singing and gesturing as its main acting modes. Its arias follow certain patterns which are delicate and beautiful, reflecting the special aura of southern China.

If you’re in New York and looking for opportunities to learn more about Chinese culture for Chinese New Year, get tickets now to see Tao Dance Theater at the NYU Skirball Center.

TAO DANCE THEATER

Date: February 20th-23rd

Where: NYU Skirball Center
566 LaGuardia Place
(Corner of LaGuardia Place &
Washington Square South)
New York, NY 10012

After a sold out run at the Lincoln Center Festival in 2012, TAO Dance Theater remounts 4 and premieres a brand new piece, 5. 4 is a continuation of the choreographer’s exploration of the potential of the human body as a visual element, devoid of story-telling or representation. Four dancers seem to be propelled by a magnetic wave that sometimes pulls them apart, and then seems to push them together again, without ever touching. In 5, which premiered in Amsterdam in 2013 to standing ovations, the dancers do engage in physical contact, in fact move in an indistinguishable kaleidoscopic mass of limbs and light, never dispersing even for a moment.

Since its founding in 2008, TAO Dance Theater has taken China’s dance world by storm. The company has collaborated with leading Chinese artists across genres including theater, experimental music, film, visual arts and installation. Based in Beijing, it has performed at major festivals around the world, including American Dance Festival, Singapore Arts Festival, DanceXchange/Birmingham, Europalia International Arts Festival in Brussels, M.A.D.E in Stockholm, and Spring Dance in Sydney.