nemo64 Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/on-the-beat-blog/article23143152.html Madonna Ciccone, left on stage, at the American Dance Festival in 1978. Jay Anderson On the Beat JUNE 6, 2015 BY DAVID MENCONI dmenconi@newsobserver.com Her name is Madonna Ciccone, and her face matches her name. Round eyes, arched eyebrows, finely drawn mouth – Da Vinci would have loved it. It is a theatrical face, a dancer’s face. And she has a dancer’s body – thin as a blade, lithe and agile. Doll-like, she looks as if she’d snap in a strong wind. She wouldn’t. … Countless times over the years, critics, pundits and reporters have written some variation on that to describe Madonna, the iconic pop starlet. But the story containing this passage is different, because it dates back to a time when nobody knew who Madonna was. It’s the beginning of a Charlotte Observer story from July 1978, about the American Dance Festival’s first year at Duke University in Durham. And it might be the first notice from the press that Madonna received. Observer staff writer Richard Maschal quoted Madonna, then 19 years old, describing the rigors of ADF as “pretty draining and demanding.” And he called her “what the American Dance Festival is about.” Seven years later, after 1984’s “Like a Virgin” and 1985’s “Desperately Seeking Susan” established Madonna as a huge star and the it-girl of that moment, Maschal wrote a followup column about his earlier impressions of her. He noted her beauty, aura and precocious self-assurance – and also that she resembled a literal Renaissance madonna. “I really did think she looked like a madonna and so was amazed when I asked her name and she gave it,” Maschal said recently via email. “I also found her one of the most self-absorbed persons I had ever met.” That self-absorption also manifested as confidence, which would stand Madonna in good stead as she pursued her career. One of her 1978 ADF classmates was Eric Tyrone Smith, who later shared a West Village apartment with Madonna in New York City. In a 2007 email, he recounted a salient memory of Madonna’s evolution from dancer to singer: She came back to the apartment one day bragging that she had just been out in Washington Sq. park singing with some black guys and that they had told her she could sing. I told her she couldn’t believe everything she was told and of course the rest is history! Little else remains of Madonna’s long-ago time as a dance student in Durham. Her primary teachers there, Pearl Lang and Pauline Koner, are both deceased. And while ADF still has her application and school records on file, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) means they will remain private unless Madonna herself chooses to release them. That’s doubtful, so mostly we have Maschal’s witness-bearing account. He admits he did not come away impressed, with little inkling of just how big a star she would become. Maschal’s 1985 story about Madonna concluded by asking about the 26-year-old singer, “Can you picture Madonna at 40?” Now 56, in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and still topping charts and touring arenas, Madonna seems to have done all right for herself. Menconi: 919-829-4759 or nando.com/onthebeat Twitter: @NCDavidMenconi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Jan Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Wonderful article. I love reading about Madonna before she was a superstar. Mostly everyone comments on her beauty and aura. Something else intriguing about Madonna is how she changes her look and body shape so effortlessly to suit what she wants. When she was a dancer, she became as slight and thin as a ballet dancer has to be. When she was a teenager and firstly famous she was more curvy. Looks great with so many looks yet always displays the Madonna star quality, poise and attitude we love. Would love to read a lot more about her days as a dancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXL Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/on-the-beat-blog/article23143152.html Madonna Ciccone, left on stage, at the American Dance Festival in 1978. Jay Anderson On the Beat JUNE 6, 2015 BY DAVID MENCONI dmenconi@newsobserver.com Her name is Madonna Ciccone, and her face matches her name. Round eyes, arched eyebrows, finely drawn mouth – Da Vinci would have loved it. It is a theatrical face, a dancer’s face. And she has a dancer’s body – thin as a blade, lithe and agile. Doll-like, she looks as if she’d snap in a strong wind. She wouldn’t. … Countless times over the years, critics, pundits and reporters have written some variation on that to describe Madonna, the iconic pop starlet. But the story containing this passage is different, because it dates back to a time when nobody knew who Madonna was. It’s the beginning of a Charlotte Observer story from July 1978, about the American Dance Festival’s first year at Duke University in Durham. And it might be the first notice from the press that Madonna received. Observer staff writer Richard Maschal quoted Madonna, then 19 years old, describing the rigors of ADF as “pretty draining and demanding.” And he called her “what the American Dance Festival is about.” Seven years later, after 1984’s “Like a Virgin” and 1985’s “Desperately Seeking Susan” established Madonna as a huge star and the it-girl of that moment, Maschal wrote a followup column about his earlier impressions of her. He noted her beauty, aura and precocious self-assurance – and also that she resembled a literal Renaissance madonna. “I really did think she looked like a madonna and so was amazed when I asked her name and she gave it,” Maschal said recently via email. “I also found her one of the most self-absorbed persons I had ever met.” That self-absorption also manifested as confidence, which would stand Madonna in good stead as she pursued her career. One of her 1978 ADF classmates was Eric Tyrone Smith, who later shared a West Village apartment with Madonna in New York City. In a 2007 email, he recounted a salient memory of Madonna’s evolution from dancer to singer: She came back to the apartment one day bragging that she had just been out in Washington Sq. park singing with some black guys and that they had told her she could sing. I told her she couldn’t believe everything she was told and of course the rest is history! Little else remains of Madonna’s long-ago time as a dance student in Durham. Her primary teachers there, Pearl Lang and Pauline Koner, are both deceased. And while ADF still has her application and school records on file, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) means they will remain private unless Madonna herself chooses to release them. That’s doubtful, so mostly we have Maschal’s witness-bearing account. He admits he did not come away impressed, with little inkling of just how big a star she would become. Maschal’s 1985 story about Madonna concluded by asking about the 26-year-old singer, “Can you picture Madonna at 40?” Now 56, in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and still topping charts and touring arenas, Madonna seems to have done all right for herself. Menconi: 919-829-4759 or nando.com/onthebeat Twitter: @NCDavidMenconi What a wonderful article and that photograph! Thanks for posting nemo64 Love this part of Madonna's career and how she actually has a relation to the arts world Her path and growth were genuine and organic Love listening to Pearl Lang talking about her Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikki Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 What a wonderful article and that photograph! Thanks for posting nemo64 Love this part of Madonna's career and how she actually has a relation to the arts world Her path and growth were genuine and organic Love listening to Pearl Lang talking about her im sad to hear pearl lang died I also loved hearing her talk about M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Barthes Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 I love that she's confident enough to dare doing what we're all afraid to do but die to. One of Madonna's most inspiring trait is that she's not afraid to fail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikki Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 I love that she's confident enough to dare doing what we're all afraid to do but die to. One of Madonna's most inspiring trait is that she's not afraid to fail. true. today you see all those newbies who think they're gonna be stars, they try to seem a certain way by being arrogant, not confident. and also: lazy. she's really one of a kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemo64 Posted June 7, 2015 Author Share Posted June 7, 2015 What a wonderful article and that photograph! Thanks for posting nemo64 Love this part of Madonna's career and how she actually has a relation to the arts world Her path and growth were genuine and organic Love listening to Pearl Lang talking about her You're welcome, XXL. I'm so glad that teachers like Pearl Lang could see how special Madonna was even from that early on. Likewise with her Dance Professor at University of Michigan, Elizabeth Bergmann. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apples388 Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Her lines !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotlight Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 great article. thx for posting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruncher9123 Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 I also enjoy seeing her before she became famous. As if there's magic there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nefarious Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Nice article, love the pic too. The "literal Renaissance Madonna" part seems a bit far-fetched, but I sort of get it. I can't imagine a name more befitting for her Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diversity83 Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 I love how everyone's looking at her in the pic. Reminds me of me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bluejean Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Except she was ALWAYS Madonna. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 You're welcome, XXL. I'm so glad that teachers like Pearl Lang could see how special Madonna was even from that early on. Likewise with her Dance Professor at University of Michigan, Elizabeth Bergmann. Love how we've seen many of these dance moves come to life in her live performances through the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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