American ballet dancer Julie Kent was a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre from 1993 to 2015. Her farewell role was as Juliet, and in 2016 Kent was named the artistic director of The Washington Ballet. Karina Bafradzhian spoke …
You’re about to meet the virtual Corona Community Chorus — a group based in New York City. Each Sunday, the chorus members gather online to unite voices forced into isolation in the global effort to curb the coronavirus outbreak. VOA …
American ballet dancer Julie Kent was a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre from 1993 to 2015. Her farewell role was as Juliet, and in 2016 Kent was named the artistic director of The Washington Ballet. Karina Bafradzhian spoke …
A renowned Somali musician and oud player, Mohamud Ismail Hussein, commonly known as Hudeydi, died on Tuesday night in London, as a result of complications of COVID-19.The 92-year-old musician had been popular among Somalis in the Horn of Africa …
John Prine, an American singer and songwriter whose blend of folk and country earned him a devoted legion of fans and reverence from music greats such as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen over a five-decade career, died Tuesday at age …
John Prine, the ingenious singer-songwriter who explored the heartbreaks, indignities and absurdities of everyday life in “Angel from Montgomery,” “Sam Stone,” “Hello in There” and scores of other indelible tunes, died Tuesday at the age of 73. His family announced his …
A silver lining of the current pandemic is that rescue dogs are finding foster homes at higher than normal rates right now, according to the Humane Rescue Alliance, an animal welfare organization in Washington, DC.More people have also reached out about adopting than was the case pre-coronavirus, says …
For the billions of Christians around the world it is Holy Week, the seven days spanning from Palm Sunday to Easter. Along with one third of the world under lockdown to try to stop the COVID virus, Christians in the …
A Nigerian court has ordered actress Funke Akindele-Bello to perform community service after she pleaded guilty to violating a lockdown restriction by hosting a birthday party for her husband while publicly promoting a ‘Stay Home’ campaign. Following their arrest, the couple …
Honor Blackman, the potent British actress who took James Bond’s breath away as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger and who starred as the leather-clad, judo-flipping Cathy Gale in The Avengers, has died. She was 94. Blackman’s family said in a statement Monday that …
Lady Gaga and advocacy organization Global Citizen have raised $35 million to fight the coronavirus and will launch a TV special featuring Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Billie Eilish to combat the growing virus. Gaga said on Monday that the money …
Madison Keesler clears furniture and pets from the living room, while Benjamin Freemantle chomps on a banana topped with peanut butter. The two, who live together, are preparing to dance with dozens of other members of the San Francisco Ballet company currently sequestered throughout the city …
Governments both local and national increasingly have been calling on their citizens to stay home as a way to help slow the spread of novel coronavirus. Musicians have joined the campaign. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi turns up the volume on just …
Circus Renz Berlin’s fleet of blue, red and yellow trucks have had a fresh lick of paint over the winter. But now, as coronavirus measures shut down the entertainment industry across Europe, they have no place to go.”It’s catastrophic for …
Singer-songwriter Bill Withers has died. He wrote and sang a string of soulful songs in the 1970s that have stood the test of time, including “Lean On Me,” “Lovely Day” and “Ain’t No Sunshine.” According to a statement …
The director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Health, Anthony Fauci, considered by many to the be the face of the U.S. battle against the coronavirus, will be immortalized Friday with his own bobblehead figurine.The bobblehead figures are …
American country music singer Dolly Parton has launched “Good Night with Dolly,” a 10-week read-aloud series for children on YouTube and other internet platforms.“This is something I have been wanting to do for quite a while, but the timing never felt quite right,” Parton said. “I …
Medical authorities say public education will play a key role in stopping the spread of the coronavirus in Africa. VOA’s Salem Solomon has a look at how prominent figures are using music as a tool to reach people …
Postponing the Tokyo Olympics to 2021 will make the event more costly for all parties, the International Olympic Committee acknowledged on Thursday, although it offered few details on what the final bill might be.Four directors of the Olympic body held …
Ellis Marsalis Jr., jazz pianist, teacher and patriarch of a New Orleans musical clan that includes famed performer sons Wynton and Branford, has died after battling pneumonia brought on by the new coronavirus, one of his sons said late Wednesday.He …
A growing number of Americans are being ordered to stay home to help contain the spread of Covid-19. So musicians who can’t stop playing are finding creative ways to share their music, both online and in places close to home. VOA’s Julie Taboh found several Washington area musicians who are keeping the music flowing for audiences everywhere. …
The Wimbledon tennis championships in London — widely considered to be the world’s premier tennis event — will be canceled this year due the coronavirus pandemic. In statement Wednesday, the All England Tennis Club (AELTC) and the committee of management of …
66-year-old Helen White doesn’t believe in stereotypes. She is sure anyone can do anything – regardless of age. That’s why she is a pickleball coach, and promotes this unusual sport based loosely on tennis as way for the elderly to …
With professional sports leagues all over the world on hold because of the coronavirus outbreak, stars from the National Basketball Association are turning to video games for some competition. Kevin Durant leads a roster of 16 active players set to compete …