French town withdraws Rock-En-Seine music festival funding over Kneecap booking
The Belfast-based Kneecap, which raps in Irish and English, has drawn criticism because it has displayed pro-Palestine messages during gigs. It is scheduled to play on the final day of the Rock-en-Seine festival, which takes place from August 21 to August 24.
In a statement late on Wednesday, the Saint-Cloud city hall said the money had been agreed before the final line-up of the festival was announced and that it had decided to withdraw the funding on July 3.
The Saint-Cloud city said it respects the festival's programming freedom, and had not sought "to enter into any negotiations with a view to influencing the programming".
"On the other hand it does not finance political action, nor demands, and even less calls to violence, such as calls to kill lawmakers, whatever their nationality," the statement said.
Rock-en-Seine could not be immediately reached for comment.
Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who is known by his stage name Mo Chara, was charged in May with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a flag of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group that is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in Britain.
He denies the offence and the band says its members do not support Hamas or Hezbollah.
($1 = 0.8627 euros)
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Times
2 hours ago
- Times
What happened to the real Little Dancer who inspired Degas
You know her. She's one of the most famous sculptures in the world. And the only one that the French artist Edgar Degas ever exhibited in public. Although the Little Dancer Aged Fourteen was denounced at the sixth impressionist exhibition of 1881 — too ugly, the critics said — she is now recognised as a groundbreaking work of modernist art. But what about the little dancer herself? Unlike the sculpture she inspired, Marie van Goethem has been lost to history. A student at the Paris Opera Ballet School, she came from a poor background. Her Belgian father was a tailor and her mother a laundress who was soon left widowed with three daughters to support. Marie earned a bit of money posing for Degas — she was one of his favourite models. But not long after that controversial exhibition, Marie, who by then was in her late teens, was fired by the Paris Opera for missing classes and being late for rehearsals. What happened to her next, no one knows. It's a mystery that has long fascinated the Broadway director and choreographer Susan Stroman. And it's why she has spent more than a decade nurturing a new musical about the life of Van Goethem. Little Dancer, with music by Stephen Flaherty and book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens (the team behind Ragtime), is coming to London for a single concert performance on July 27. And if Stroman has her way, at some point a full West End staging will follow. 'The story of our musical doesn't end with Marie's dismissal,' Stroman says. 'Degas chose to sculpt her rather than a beautiful ballerina because she had grit and real life in her. We see her as a bit of an artful dodger who had street smarts and talked back to him. So we wanted to believe that Marie survived. In the show we have her as an older, wiser woman who has worked, although we don't say what work she did as that didn't seem right. But she comes back to see the sculpture that changed her life. She wanted to become a famous dancer and because of it she became the most famous dancer of all.' After the artist's death, about two dozen bronze replicas of The Little Dancer were made — now scattered throughout museums around the world — but the original sculpture, a mixed-media artwork made of beeswax and adorned with cotton tutu, linen ballet slippers and a wig of human hair, is on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, where Stroman's show had its premiere at the Kennedy Center in 2014. It was revived for a successful run in Seattle five years later, and was headed for New York when the pandemic struck. 'Theatres were closed for almost two years in New York and when they reopened we had other commitments,' the director says. The offer of a concert staging at Theatre Royal Drury Lane came as a lifeline. I find Stroman in a south London dance studio, rehearsing her large cast. She may be 70, but she looks so fit and energetic that she could be one of her own dancers. This is the woman who directed and choreographed The Music Man, The Producers and Young Frankenstein on Broadway, directed and choreographed a sensational staging of Crazy for You in the West End two years ago and has won five Tony awards and two Oliviers. I especially admired her innovative productions of The Scottsboro Boys and Contact, both of which had successful runs in London and New York, and her engaging full-length ballet Double Feature for New York City Ballet. Stroman sees a growing disconnect between London and New York theatre. 'Since the pandemic everything in New York is three times the cost and it's now very difficult to mount a show there. This year 14 musicals opened on Broadway and nine have closed already. One would say Broadway is broken. But here in London one can still feel creative and be nurtured in crafting a new piece. You don't have over your heads the terrible economics of New York City.' Her production of New York, New York, inspired by Martin Scorsese's 1977 film, became a victim of the new reality on Broadway when it closed in 2023 after just a few months. This year her staging of Smash, based on the American TV series set on Broadway, followed suit. 'Just because it's a financial flop doesn't mean it's an artistic flop,' Stroman says. 'Smash got the best New York Times review of all the musicals that opened this year, but the producers looked forward into September and could see no ticket sales. I can understand how that panics them. • The best shows in London and the UK to book now 'Another thing that's changed since the pandemic, along with the costs, is that people don't necessarily book that far ahead any more,' she says. 'It makes everyone nervous and really hurts the theatre. These days the shows that run are Wicked, The Lion King, Aladdin and Hamilton, of course. But for anything coming up now I think big Broadway musicals might be over.' So is it time, as the British producer Sonia Friedman says, for theatre to think smaller? 'We are being forced to make it smaller,' Stroman says, 'but I don't think that's bad. In fact anything I'm doing in the future is quite small. That seems to be the way to go.' That's certainly the mantra for Little Dancer, which has been substantially cut back for the one-off London performance. 'The original production was two hours and 20 minutes, but for the concert version it's down to one hour and 40 minutes. Yet having done that I now feel the show should be done in one act.' There will be no sets — it's a concert after all, with the orchestra on stage — but the audience will be getting all of Stroman's vibrant classical choreography. Unusually for a musical, the ensemble, who have all been recruited locally, have to sing and act while also dancing on pointe. The cast is led by the extraordinary American ballerina Tiler Peck, a star of New York City Ballet, as Young Marie, with Laura Pitt-Pulford as Adult Marie and Julian Ovenden as Degas. 'Little Dancer is about the life of a dancer and how difficult it is to be an artist,' Stroman says. 'But it's also about choices, which Marie didn't have. Poor women in her day could be prostitutes, they could be laundresses or ballerinas.' Indeed, Marie's elder sister became a prostitute, although her younger sibling did go on to become a dancer and well-respected teacher at the Paris Opera Ballet. • Read more theatre reviews, guides and interviews Even so, life in the ballet carried its own risks for impoverished young female dancers, who could be sexually exploited by the abonnés, wealthy male patrons who paid money for the privilege of their company. 'Degas painted these men in their black top hats peering in from the side of the frames of his dance canvases, almost as a warning,' Stroman says. And what did happen to that infamous sculpture of 1881? Its detractors said it had the face of a monkey and complained that Marie's pose, standing in ballet's fourth position with chin thrust forward and arms awkwardly behind her back, wasn't chocolate-box pretty. 'Degas was really heading into modernism with the Little Dancer and it made the critics crazy,' Stroman says. 'So he took it out of the exhibition and put it in his closet. It didn't come out until 40 years later, until after he died. And now it's hailed as one of the world's great sculptures.' Little Dancer is at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, Jul 27;
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Bradley Cooper's, 50, big plans for future with girlfriend Gigi Hadid, 30, revealed
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Last month Bradley and Gigi looked happier than ever as they enjoyed a romantic night out in Paris. Since beginning their relationship in 2023, Bradley and Gigi have tried to keep their romance low-profile. In May, Gigi finally made their relationship Instagram official as she shared snaps from her star-studded April birthday bash. She uploaded a roundup of images, and nestled into the post was a snapshot of her passionately kissing her beau. The beauty affectionately held his face in her manicured hands as they lip-locked behind her multi-tier chocolate birthday cake. 'I feel so lucky to be 30! I feel so lucky for every high and low- for all the lessons and gifts both have brought me. To get to feel it all!' she said at the start of her caption. The Guest in Residence designer subtly gave a nod to her romance as she continued, 'I'm so lucky to be a mom, friend, partner, sister, daughter, colleague to some of the most unbelievable humans!!' Recently the mom-of-one gave some insight into their bond. Speaking to Vogue in March, she said being with the actor has helped to give her a 'normal experience of dating.' 'Bradley has opened me up to going to the theater more, and that's something that's so nice to bring back into my life,' she shared. 'You want to give yourself a normal experience of dating and even for my friends who aren't public figures, that's hard. Where do you go? And, what? You just start talking to people?' Hadid mused. She reflected: 'I think just getting to the point where knowing what you want and deserve in a relationship is essential, and then to find someone that is in a place in their life where they know what they want and deserve… and you both do work separately to come together and be the best partner that you can be.' 'I just feel really lucky. Yeah, lucky's the word.' She went on to gush about her beau, 'I respect him so much as a creative and I feel that he gives so much to me: encouragement and, just, belief.' She also opened up about her co-parenting arrangement with Zayn. 'Zayn and I do our custody schedules months in advance,' the star revealed. 'That doesn't mean that it doesn't change here and there, but we help each other out and have each other's backs.' In January it was reported that Gigi and Bradley's daughters like to 'spend time together.' Last year, Hadid was getting ready to walk the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and said that the Maestro actor was supporting her while 'watching from home.' 'He is on dad duty but so supportive,' she said about her boyfriend in a chat with Entertainment Tonight at the time. Previously, a source told Entertainment Tonight that 'Gigi is in love with Bradley, and they're very happy together. Their relationship is a big priority for her. 'Gigi and Bradley are both committed parents, and they have connected deeply about this,' the insider stated. 'They have a strong bond with their daughters and they are at the forefront of everything they do.' In 2024, a source told that the duo had reportedly discussed having children together. The source also revealed that 'Bradley met Zayn' and 'they have all moved on and are dedicated parents so there is never any issue at all.' 'They have had contact numerous times when dealing with their kids who they all co-parent amicably,' the insider noted. 'In addition, Gigi and Zayn's daughter gets along so well with Bradley and Irina's daughter. She almost acts like a big sister to her. They have every intention of becoming a blended functional family.' Bradley and Irina were first linked in 2015 before going public as a couple in 2016, welcoming their little girl in 2017 and then parting ways two years later. At the time it was reported that the split happened due to them 'spending time apart' and 'living totally separate lives' as per People. However, the two have remained on friendly terms. In 2021, Irina told HIGHStyle about their co-parenting relationship, sharing, 'He's a full-on, hands-on dad—no nanny. Lea went on holiday with him for almost two weeks [and] I didn't call them once.' Meanwhile Gigi dated the One Direction alum for nearly six years before they called it quits in October 2021.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Cabinet ministers and third of MPs call on Starmer to recognise state of Palestine
Keir Starmer is under intense pressure from his most senior cabinet ministers and more than a third of MPs to move faster on recognising a Palestinian state in response to Israel withholding aid to starving civilians in Gaza. Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, and Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, are understood to be among ministers who believe the government should take the lead on Palestinian statehood alongside France. The prime minister is facing a growing clamour to take action amid the international outcry over Israel's actions, with charities saying that cases of severe malnutrition among children under five in Gaza City have tripled in the last two weeks. The UK, France and Germany said on Friday afternoon that the Gaza 'humanitarian catastrophe must end now' and called on Israel to 'immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid'. 'Withholding essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable,' they said in a joint statement. Starmer said after a call with Emmanuel Macron, the French president, and Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, that the 'continued captivity of hostages, the starvation and denial of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, the increasing violence from extremist settler groups, and Israel's disproportionate military escalation in Gaza are all indefensible'. He said he was 'unequivocal' in his support of recognising a Palestinian state but said 'it must be part of a wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis. This is the way to ensure it is a tool of maximum utility to improve the lives of those who are suffering, which, of course, will always be our ultimate goal.' The statement came as Donald Trump flew into Scotland for a four-day visit, which includes a visit from Starmer on Monday. Macron upped the pressure on Starmer this week by announcing that France would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly in September. Trump on Friday dismissed Macron's move by saying it 'doesn't carry weight' and is 'not going to change anything'. The UK government's policy is that it will formally acknowledge Palestine as part of a peace process, but only in conjunction with other western countries and 'at the point of maximum impact'. Cooper and Rayner are among more than half a dozen cabinet ministers pressing for urgent action. The Guardian revealed this week that Wes Streeting, the health secretary, Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, and Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland secretary, have all pushed for recognition of Palestine at recent cabinet meetings. Ian Murray, the Scotland secretary, and Jo Stevens, the Wales secretary, have also raised the issue in cabinet, according to a cabinet source. Murray and Stevens declined to comment. Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, is also said to have called for action, and Lammy is said by colleagues to be pushing Downing Street to take a stronger stance. A government source said it was increasingly 'everybody v No 10'. 'Too many people in No 10 just see this as a 'left' issue and actually don't get how widespread public anger is,' a Labour source said. Rayner said last month that the west needed to avoid repeating past mistakes when it came to Gaza. Addressing a service at St Paul's Cathedral to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, in which more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed by Serbian forces in 1995, she said: 'The west took too long to act in the 1990s and we should have acted sooner. Now we must learn the lessons of history and the consequences of inaction.' On Friday, 221 MPs from nine parties signed a letter to Lammy calling for British recognition of Palestine to be announced next week at a UN conference in New York. 'Whilst we appreciate the UK does not have it in its power to bring about a free and independent Palestine, UK recognition would have a significant impact due to our historic connections and our membership on the UN security council,' the MPs wrote. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion 'British recognition of Palestine would be particularly powerful given its role as the author of the Balfour Declaration and the former Mandatory Power in Palestine. Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. Such a recognition would give that position substance as well as living up to a historic responsibility we have to the people under that mandate.' The letter's signatories included several Labour select committee chairs, including Emily Thornberry, of foreign affairs, Sarah Champion, of international development, and Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, of defence. Other signatories included the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, the Green party co-leaders, Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, the SNP's Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, and the Conservative MPs Kit Malthouse and Edward Leigh. The true number of backbench Labour MPs who support recognition is even higher. Several said they were in favour of the move but did not put their names to the letter. 'We need to do more. Israel is committing terrible war crimes,' one Labour MP said. Nearly 60 Labour MPs signed a similar letter to Lammy earlier this month. The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières said that cases of severe malnutrition among children under five at its Gaza City clinic had tripled in the last two weeks and the UN World Food Programme said nearly a third of people in Gaza were not eating for days, with the hunger crisis having reached 'new and astonishing levels of desperation'. Israel said it would allow foreign countries to resume aid drops into Gaza from Friday. In an article for the Daily Mirror, Starmer said ministers were working with Jordanian authorities to get British aid on to planes and into Gaza. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, accused the international community of sticking its head in the sand as Palestinians starved in Gaza, lambasting what he called a 'lack of humanity'. 'This is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience,' he said on Friday.
