tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post6519994235239839302..comments2023-11-03T11:32:01.540+00:00Comments on Thought Experiments : The Blog: John Carey and the Mindlessness of BalletBryan Appleyardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276787058430388582noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-38813012007862835462007-12-17T20:10:00.000+00:002007-12-17T20:10:00.000+00:00I am a professional in the contemporary dance worl...I am a professional in the contemporary dance world, so I do not deem myself worthy of commenting on the credentials of the novel it’s self. <BR/><BR/>But there is a point that many critics seem to over-look while reviewing dance work, and especially when ballet and contemporary works are unfortunately compared.<BR/><BR/>This happens fairly often and to those of us who have dedicated years of ourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-51590877258651552292007-10-02T12:43:00.000+00:002007-10-02T12:43:00.000+00:00I would bet that this comment has everything to do...I would bet that this comment has everything to do with general Western perceptions that the body is "dumb" compared to the mind. I don't need to edify all the examples of this timeless parsing of the body between its lower four-fifths and the head. So dance is often perceived as a "dumb" art because the subject tends to be "the body," which most people regard as vulgar. This is also evident in Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-27402021588695441532007-09-30T22:43:00.000+00:002007-09-30T22:43:00.000+00:00Sorry Bryan,what I actually meant is that BALLING ...Sorry Bryan,what I actually meant is that BALLING is mindless...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-52309670779330116192007-09-30T19:29:00.000+00:002007-09-30T19:29:00.000+00:00I have followed Carey's criticism for years and he...I have followed Carey's criticism for years and he has always struck me as being deeply knowledgeable and objective, not given to rash, ill-thought-out analysis. His beautifully balanced biography 'John Donne: Life, Mind and Art' remains one of my favourite books. But this review suggests that the day he penned it he was in a particularly foul mood, or was utterly revolted by the book's subject,John Halliwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12901514854360709519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-37384327283670808122007-09-30T16:33:00.000+00:002007-09-30T16:33:00.000+00:00I think 'mindless' is an unfortunate choice of wor...I think 'mindless' is an unfortunate choice of word; probably careless, possibly meant to provoke this kind of reaction.<BR/><BR/>Doesn't he just mean that ballet is one of the few forms of art which are performed by the body alone? Like football, it seems to be more about the body acting out of instincts and habits than acts of mind. Footballers, when asked how they scored a great goal, usually Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-26426393284528355392007-09-30T15:10:00.000+00:002007-09-30T15:10:00.000+00:00I think Carey means that ballet, like painting and...I think Carey means that ballet, like painting and music, is a wordless form, yet we must use words to describe it. Words are great for describing literature -- other words -- but fail when encountering something outside of language. At any rate, I think that's what he means, because so much of what we call 'mind' is word-based. It's why no one can remember anything that happened before they wereAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-30227246643868475172007-09-30T14:53:00.000+00:002007-09-30T14:53:00.000+00:00I think he is demonstrating his own personal bias ...I think he is demonstrating his own personal bias toward novelists. Although I haven't read it myself friends told me the answer he gives to the title of his recent book What good are the arts ? is not much unless you read a lot. If that is a fair assessment of his arguement I don't think it says a lot for his own mind.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-28631069590335456432007-09-30T10:19:00.000+00:002007-09-30T10:19:00.000+00:00He was thinking of musicals. Easy mistake to make ...He was thinking of musicals. Easy mistake to make when you're as busy as he is.Nigehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13314891387515045404noreply@blogger.com