Chance And Circumstance

The long-awaited memoir from one of the most celebrated modern dancers of the past fifty years: the story of her own remarkable career, of the formative years of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and of the two brilliant, iconoclastic, and forward-thinking artists at its center—Merce Cunningham and John Cage. From its inception in the l950s until her departure in the l970s, Carolyn Brown was a major dancer in the Cunningham company and part of the vibrant artistic community of downtown New York City out of which it grew. She writes about embarking on her career with Cunningham at a time when he was a celebrated performer but a virtually unknown choreographer. She describes the heady exhilaration—and dire financial straits—of the company’s early days, when composer Cage was musical director and Robert Rauschenberg designed lighting, sets and costumes; and of the struggle for acceptance of their controversial, avant-garde dance. With unique insight, she explores Cunningham’s technique, choreography, and experimentation with compositional procedures influenced by Cage. And she probes the personalities of these two men: the reticent, moody, often secretive Cunningham, and the effusive, fun-loving, enthusiastic Cage. Chance and Circumstance is an intimate chronicle of a crucial era in modern dance, and a revelation of the intersection of the worlds of art, music, dance, and theater that is Merce Cunningham’s extraordinary hallmark.

Chance is real. Not only is it a cause of societal change, but we as individuals are chance-given characters who discover and build our character in chancy circumstances. Chance is also expressed as coincidence and contingency, expressions which have episodically been of undeniable historical importance. Mattausch asserts the conventional picture of societal change is incorrect. Societal change is not a linear succession with each phase of change replacing its predecessor. Instead, the process is one of accumulative change in which chance plays various roles. Chance, Character, and Change develops the idea of chance, situating it within the history of thought and social change. By focusing strictly on manifestations of chance and of luck that can be seen and explained, Mattausch is able to show how chance acts in the environment of evolution and the social practices that regulate the inheritance of knowledge and technology. This, in turn, steers societal change and how change itself occurs. Chance's role is often characterized as coincidence or contingency, and this automatically is seen as progressive or degenerate. However, Mattausch notes that accumulative change is potentially both progressive as well as decadent. Chance also plays a part in the social aspects of our world--customs, practices, cultures, societies, and politics. When we act, Mattausch argues, we do not distinguish between good and bad, but rather between determinism and chance; the latter is a test of character, not of free will. This theory is general in its assertions and application, and can be related to many areas of study from economic theory, to human behavior, to politics. The rich texture of the writing and vivid use of examples from daily life and the work of other major thinkers draw in the reader. The most striking aspect of this work is the author's writing style and the way he weaves together evidence, classic research, and contemporary thought. It is skillfully, effectively, beautifully done.

Sabermetrics, the search for objective knowledge about baseball through statistical analysis, has taken over the national pastime. The authors argue that this approach began as a useful corrective but has come to harm baseball. The book demonstrates that the so-called moneyball approach, based on sabermetrics, offers only limited guidance for assembling a team, managing games, and evaluating player performance. Equally important, the obsession with statistics and vision of the game as wholly predictable obscure baseball's spectacular improvisational quality. It is the game's unquantifiable and relentless capacity to surprise--the source of wonder so central to its greatest stories and personalities--that informs any real appreciation of baseball.

When it comes to issues of race and color of one's skin, ignorance and racism persist to this day. It's necessary to make connections from the past to erase the veil of ignorance. In Chance or Circumstance?, author James R. Mapp offers an account of the history of race relations and the road to desegregation and open accommodations in Chattanooga, Tennessee, from the 1960s to the present. This memoir tells of people, places, and events that occurred during that tumultuous era. Mapp-a lifetime member of the NAACP-has been entrenched in the movement for racial equality and positive change for more than sixty years. Chance or Circumstance? tells what motivated Mapp and others to endure hardships, sacrifice incomes, and even risk their lives to right a wrong that had oppressed African Americans since slavery. It looks at the effect of Howard School (then, the only high school for Negro students in Chattanooga, Tennessee) and the positive effects on the city that Howard alumni and students have had. Written from an historical and personal perspective, Mapp instills racial pride by revealing the hard work involved in the struggle for civil rights. It details a set of events that played out in this mid-size southern city as students, organizations, and ordinary citizens joined the attack on racial segregation in public accommodations and schools.

The acclaimed director of such films as Brideshead Revisited shares the story of his youth and career, providing coverage of such topics as his childhood as the son of star Geraldine Fitzgerald, his relationships with Hollywood elite and the allegations that Orson Welles was his real father.

When it comes to issues of race and color of ones skin, ignorance and racism persist to this day. Its necessary to make connections from the past to erase the veil of ignorance. In Chance or Circumstance?, author James R. Mapp offers an account of the history of race relations and the road to desegregation and open accommodations in Chattanooga, Tennessee, from the 1960s to the present. This memoir tells of people, places, and events that occurred during that tumultuous era. Mappa lifetime member of the NAACPhas been entrenched in the movement for racial equality and positive change for more than sixty years. Chance or Circumstance? tells what motivated Mapp and others to endure hardships, sacrifice incomes, and even risk their lives to right a wrong that had oppressed African Americans since slavery. It looks at the effect of Howard School (then, the only high school for Negro students in Chattanooga, Tennessee) and the positive effects on the city that Howard alumni and students have had. Written from an historical and personal perspective, Mapp instills racial pride by revealing the hard work involved in the struggle for civil rights. It details a set of events that played out in this mid-size southern city as students, organizations, and ordinary citizens joined the attack on racial segregation in public accommodations and schools.

Diane takes the mystery out of heart's desires and miracles. You will be amazed at the happiness that results from following her step-by-step guidance. Make the choice to read where miracles come from and why everyone can have them, regardless of their past. Take the chance to follow the step-by-step guidance Be amazed at the happy circumstances that result Then you will know heart's desires and miracles are available whenever you desire them.