Fredrik Lerneryd Captures Beauty & Ballet Magic Of Mike Wamaya's Kibera Dance School

Fredrik Lerneryd Captures Beauty & Ballet Magic Of Mike Wamaya's Kibera Dance School

"The sun rose in Kibera this morning, and it rose in my world, too, with my rapture over these Fredrik Lerneryd images of ballet dancers in the Kibera neighborhood of Nairobi. They are my best Christmas gift.

Anne of Carversville has a long psychological, emotional and now functional relationship with Kibera. Initially, my lovefest with the largest slum in Africa was triggered by JR's famous 'Women Are Heroes' project, with Kibera being one of the four slums featured in his everyday examination of the beauty and heroic female efforts worldwide. Over time I pieced together collection of intimate and deeply personal connections to Kibera through my muse Dan Eldon.  The functional dimension of AOC's connection to Kibera is GLAMTRIBALE's support of The Kibera School for Girls, with 5% of revenues. Another 5% is earmarked for elephant conservation.

The dancers photographed by Fredrik Lerneryd learn dance through a program run by UK-based charity Anno's Africa, which provides alternative arts education to over 800 children in Kenya. "

As Trump Readies Planned Parenthood Rodeo, Half of Trump Voters Support Funding & Expect Him To Stand Down

As Trump Readies Planned Parenthood Rodeo, Half of Trump Voters Support Funding & Expect Him To Stand Down

Planned Parenthood is sending a message to Donald Trump and the Republicans: They will defund us "At Their Peril". 

In a shocking-to-many new study by Harvard's School for Public Health, almost half of Trump supporters are against cutting all federal funds to Planned Parenthood. Add Clinton voters with 70% wanting continued federal funding for PP and it's clear that making defunding Planned Parenthood a top priority could be perilous for Republicans. 

The primarily women's health-care provider followed up on the study results with focus groups this month with Trump voters in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin, writes Vogue. Many men had a lot to say. Dawn Laguens, executive vice president and chief brand officer of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF) explained the essential nature of Planned Parenthood clinics in rural, medically underserved regions, including those in key Trump-supporting states. 

Tony Gum Creates 'Mercurial Aesthetic' Free of Racial, Cultural Or Sexual Oppression

Tony Gum Creates 'Mercurial Aesthetic' Free of Racial, Cultural Or Sexual Oppression

Women artists were more obvious in this year's Art Basel in Miami, and especially at PULSE Miami Beach.

At Christopher Moller Gallery, young Capetown artist Tony Gum, born Zipho Gum, was such a smash in New York March 2016 and then Art Basel Miami December 2016, that she was just named in ArtNet's 14 Emerging Women Artists to Watch in 2017.

Vogue called Tony Gum "the coolest girl in Cape Town", based on her tightly curated Instagram feed. Her Instagram becomes a gallery to communicate with corporate brands like Coca-Cola and Adidas about issues of race, women, pop culture and art through the lens of her own penetrating, clear-eyed, articulate and sophisticated vision.

'Nasty Woman' T-Shirt Raises Over $100,000 In Trump's Name For Planned Parenthood

As the Donald Trump Administration launches its full-frontal assault on American women (you know, grab 'em by our pu#sies so we know who is boss), Katy Perry steps up to the plate reminding us that 'nasty women' get shit done.

After Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton a 'nasty woman' during October's third presidential debate, the Internet and Twitter immediately claimed the term as a rallying call for women worldwide. The Cut reports that even today, the 'Nasty Woman' merchandise is flying off shelves shows no sign of slowing down.

The most successful item to date is Google Ghost's 'Nasty Woman' t-shirt, which donates half of proceeds from shirt revenue directly to Planned Parenthood and in Trump's name. The donation to date is $100,165 for Planned Parenthood.

If you are ready to rally for 'Nasty Women' worldwide, join us at the Washington DC Women's March on January 21 or at marches in your local community. See Women's March on Washington FB page.

Related: With regard to top Hillary supporter Lena Dunham's 'Distasteful Joke' about abortion, we can only say: with friends like her, who needs enemies. Thanks Lena for fueling every dirty, rotten image of feminism worldwide. Talk about East Coast, liberal narcissism that damages dirt poor women in Texas. Just yesterday, Texas -- which lost its big case to derail abortion and contraception rights in Texas -- moved again to block Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood for any reason.

American Ballet Theatre's Misty Copeland Returns To Cuba As Cultural Ambassador

“It’s a great honor to be here,” Misty Copeland, the first Afro-American ballerina of the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), said in the venue of the National Ballet of Cuba (BNC). Copeland joined a group of U.S. personalities of culture, sports and the performing arts for a mid-November 2016 arrival in Cuba, after the renewal of diplomatic relations between both nations.

Misty Copeland is not the first figure of the ABT to come to the island, where cultural exchanges have been permitted for years. She was preceded by Cynthia Gregory, Ted Kivitt, Eleonor D’Antuono, Cynthia Harvey and other dancers. On Cuba reports on the decades long collaboration between American Ballet Theatre and the National Ballet of Cuba.

Misty Copeland Covers Self December 2017

Misty Copeland Is 'Misty On Pointe' As Self Magazine Prepares To Close Its Print Publication AOC Body

Misty Copeland Is 'Misty On Pointe' in Self Magazine's December issue. Self's February 2017 issue represents the last print issue of the women's health, wellness and fitness publication. With the exception of special issues devoted to core topics important to readers, Self will move to a strictly digital platform, facing the reality that its print advertising pages were down 32% through October.

Related: Misty Copeland Is Promoted to Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theatre in AOC Women In-Depth -- includes 60 Minutes Interview and multiple Copeland articles.

Read Misty Copeland's interview with Self.

AOC in Cuba

Jennifer Lawrence Talks Clinton Politics & America's Future On Good Morning America

Jennifer Lawrence Is Lensed by Ben Hassett In 'Extra Terrestre' For Yo Dona December 2016

Top actor Jennifer Lawrence spoke out Monday morning about her post Trump-election mindset. "I didn't mean to speak to only people who voted for Hillary ," Lawrence told Micael Strahan on 'Good Morning America.' "I meant to just speak to the divide . . . for any presidential candidate, being very extreme is scary, left or right."

The 'Passengers' actor made headlines post-November election, when she penned an essay for Broadly Don't Be Afraid, Be Loud: Jennifer Lawrence on What We Do Next.

Do not let this defeat you--let this enrage you!

Aline Weber Hangs Out At Prada As We Drop Into Marfa, Texas

Snuggled in a vast expanse of desert, nearly 20 miles from the next town and some 200 from the nearest major airport, the place is the subject of much modern lore—people return awestruck from the tours of the Chinati Foundation, filled with wonder from the desert landscape and starry nights, and amped up on their great Instagram snap in front of Prada Marfa. Needless to say, Marfa has amassed a lot of hype.

Aline Weber Hangs Out At Prada In Marfa, Tex By Marc Pilaro For ODDA Spaces Issue

When Prada first opened a store in Marfa, Texas, lots of people were incredulous. After all, in 2007, Marfa Texas, population 2,485, went dark. The town was so broke that it couldn't pay its electricity bills, requiring the new mayor to turn off Marfa's streetlights -- every last one. 

"Today, Marfa lights up the sky," wrote City-Journal in a recent article. In 2015 an estimated 38,000 tourists -- mostly art lovers -- traveled from worldwide destination to this West Texas town. More than 45,000 are expected this year. 

Marfa has become more than a place. It is a “destination,” an arts-world station of the cross, or, to mix religious metaphors, a mecca of minimalism. What Lourdes is to ailing Catholics, Marfa is to aficionados of conceptual sculpture and painting. Think Art Basel in Miami, or Documenta in Germany. The temperature here in June can be scorching, but Marfa, in any season, has become supercool. “London, Paris, Rome, Marfa,” boasts a popular T-shirt sold at Squeeze, a tiny deli in the heart of town that specializes in chocolates and fruit and vegetable drinks.

In March 2016, Vogue writer Steff Yotka spent a weekend in Marfa, writing:

Snuggled in a vast expanse of desert, nearly 20 miles from the next town and some 200 from the nearest major airport, the place is the subject of much modern lore—people return awestruck from the tours of the Chinati Foundation, filled with wonder from the desert landscape and starry nights, and amped up on their great Instagram snap in front of Prada Marfa. Needless to say, Marfa has amassed a lot of hype.

GQ toured 7 of the Coolest Homes in Marfa, Texas in their current issue.

Writing about Tom Ford's new Golden Globe nominated film 'Nocturnal Animals', Mr. Porter drops into West Texas, with a stop in Marfa. Actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Amy Adams for Best Actress. Tom Ford received nominations for Best Director of a Motion Picture and Best Screenplay of a Motion Picture.

'Loving' Star Ruth Negga Covers Vogue US January 2017 By Mario Testino

'Loving' Star Ruth Negga Covers Vogue US January 2017 By Mario Testino

Read more about Ruth's interview. 

On Site: Decoding Betye Saar's Uneasy Symbolism At Milan’s Fondazione Prada

Writing for Hyperallergic.com, Seph Rodney surveys the work of American artist Betye Saar at Milan's Fondazione Prada. AOC wrote about Saar in advance of the exhibition opening, but Rodney's impressions put the works in an environmental context and also filtered through the writer's own personal thought universe.

My favorite work in the show is a small teal room titled “The Alpha and the Omega” (2013–16), which contains a related suite of individual works, including a suspended structure threaded with neon tubes and representing a ship. Below, a small playpen holds a collection of inflated balls, two empty chairs face each other across a board set up for an unfamiliar game, and two fancy birdcages sit quietly with entire worlds contained within them. This room is a bit more enigmatic and quietly serene. According to the gallery guide, the installation looks to represent the entire journey of a human life. “The Alpha and  the Omega” also demonstrates that Saar can do more than manipulate racist icons; she can give you a glimpse of her internal life, tell you that she is ready for tomorrow to arrive.

Related: Racist Objects: Confronting Racist Objects The New York Times

A Painful Past Still Present The New York Times

For a more detailed discussion of the art of Betye Saar, read our exhibit opening overview: Assemblage Artist Betye Saar Shows 'Uneasy Dancer' At Fondazione Prada Opening Sept 15-2016

Diana Gordon, Beyonce Songwriter, Launches New Feminist Anthem Called 'Woman'

Songwriter Diana Gordon has written memorable lyrics for Beyoncé, including three song on 'Lemonade': 'Sorry', 'Don't Hurt Yourself' and 'Daddy Lessons'. Having worked for years in dance clubs under the name Wynter Gordon, the songstress just premiered her first music video on Vogue.com: 'a feminist anthem called 'Woman'. 

In the video, shot by director Cameron McCool in grainy black-and-white around New York City, Gordon and a group of bare-chested pregnant women in tailored topcoats are the ultimate symbol of bad-ass feminine power. “We shot this video on a cold day in November; five pregnant women on the cusp of giving birth, and hungry, everyone having to pee at the same time,” wrote Gordon in an email. “This song, that celebrates your mother, my mother, your sister, and my sister, is just my way to stand up for the woman next to me and all those unseen. In a time when we are still defending our right to choose, pay equality, moral and ethical equality; a time where single motherhood is on the rise and women are in the trenches raising the next generation largely by themselves, we have to be all-encompassing and stay strong through the worst of situations. We need to stand together.” Words to live by. Watch below.

America's Alt-Right White Men Attack Liberalism With Pizzagate & Moral Outrage

Over the past six weeks, the alleged story of Hillary Clinton and other prominent members of the Democratic Party establishment participating in an international child sex ring has morphed into a front page story. "It began in October, when a baseless rumor about emails allegedly discovered on Anthony Weiner’s laptop made its way through Twitter and 4chan and conspiracy-theorist websites", writes Slate.

Self-deputized online investigators combed through the emails of Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, dumped by WikiLeaks. Finding only campaign talk and recipes, the 'investigators' concluded that innocuous terms used in Podesta’s emails were actually a series of secret codes: “pizza” for girl, “ice cream” for male prostitute, and so on. Comet Ping Pong, a Washington, D.C. pizzeria that had hosted a Democratic fundraiser, was identified (also baselessly) as a headquarters for sex-ring activities. The conspiracy theory acquired a name, “Pizzagate.”

On Sunday a man wielding an assault rifle entered Comet Ping Pong, saying he was there to investigate Pizzagate. 4chan users are confident that the man is part of a false-flag operation being carried out by the establishment to discredit their investigation. Consider that every falsehood has another one to explain why it isn't.

The Clintons have been accused of every possible crime over the course of their 30-plus years in politics, but this one takes the cake, so to speak. We should remember, however, that America has been obsessed with child-sex-rings for the last 30 years. Slate reviews this sordid history of false allegations.

Related: Trump Fires Adviser's Son From Transition for Spreading Fake News The New York Times

Leonardo DiCaprio Meets With Trump & Ivanka To Talk Green Jobs

Just as Al Gore talked green jobs in his recent meeting with president-elect Donald Trump, Leonardo DiCaprio and the head of his foundation Terry Tamminen focused their 90-minute environmental presentation on job creation in the green sector when they met with Trump, his daughter Ivanka and other members of the Trump team on Wednesday at Trump Tower in New York.

"Today, we presented the President-elect and his advisors with a framework — which LDF developed in consultation with leading voices in the fields of economics and environmentalism — that details how to unleash a major economic revival across the United States that is centered on investments in sustainable infrastructure," Tamminen said. "Our conversation focused on how to create millions of secure, American jobs in the construction and operation of commercial and residential clean, renewable energy generation."

The Oscar-winning actor has been a strong advocate of fighting climate change and preserving wildlife, and his recent documentary, "Before the Flood," addresses the peril that the world faces because of climate change.

DiCaprio previously met with Ivanka Trump and presented her with a copy of the film.

On Wednesday Trump also announced that Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt -- a tremendous foe of the climate change and environmental protections -- will head the Environmental Protection Agency.

Doutzen Kroes: An Angel For Elephants By Ruven Afanador For Bloomberg Pursuits

Doutzen Kroes: An Angel For Elephants By Ruven Afanador For Bloomberg Pursuits

Doutzen Kroes has been a voice for elephants and steps up again to lead the Knot On My Planet campaign. Kroes is deadly serious about the need to put an end to the ivory crisis and elephant extinction -- a passion burning inside her since she first visited Samburu, Kenya. 

Doutzen Kroes Leads Knot On My Planet, Igniting Fashion Industry For Elephant Conservation

Stella McCartney Delivers 2016 Kering Talk On Deforestation & Sustainable Viscose

Salma Hayek supported good friend Stella McCartney's 2016 Kering Talk Monday evening at the London College of Fashion. Her nature-inspired print dress came from McCartney's vegetarian fashion collection. Hayek's husband, Francois-Henri Pinault, the Kering CEO, attended as well.

The focus of Stella's talk was the issue of deforestation and sustainable sourcing of viscose, one of the most used fabrics in the global fashion industry. 

The Stella McCartney lifestyle brand was launched in partnership with Kering in 2001. Fifteen years later, the designer is the luxury industry's most consistent voice for animal and environmental welfare and sustainable design. Materials like organic cotton and recycled cashmere are fundamental to the brand. 

When McCartney first launched her label she was “ridiculed” for banning leather and fur from her collections. “I was told definitely I would not have a business, I wouldn’t have an accessories business…by people I worked with, that I looked up to." But as luxury consumers have become more conscious of the impact of their consumption decisions on the planet's health, Stella McCartney sales have risen annually in the "double digits . . . for a while now."

“Fashion is one of the most harmful industries on the planet, and I think people are a little more aware of that now,” Stella said in her Kering Talk. While she says she doesn't want to preach, McCartney didn't hesitate to call out her parent company. “I’m sure [Kering] will give up python farms very soon,” she said wishfully. She was especially adamant that fashion companies trade out real fur for faux: “You really can’t tell the difference. There’s no reason to kill 15 million innocent creatures.”

Nicole Kidman Is Full Throttle Sumptuous In Yu Tsai Images For Flaunt Magazine

Nicole Kidman Is Full Throttle Sumptuous In Yu Tsai Images For Flaunt Magazine

Kidman is currently starring in 'Lion', a true story inspired by Sue Brierly, who adopted Saroo Brierly., living in an Indian orphanage. 

As an adult, Saroo Brierley, now an Australian citizen uses Google Earth to find the family that he was separated from in India. Sunny Pawar commands the screen for much of the film’s first hour, playing Saroo as a 5-year-old lost on the streets of Calcutta. It marks his first screen role, one that’s already earned him raves. Variety critic Peter Debruge wrote that Pawar is “so adorable he could set off an Indian adoption craze.”

Priyanka Bose and Dev Patel join Kidman and Pawar in the cast.  

'Years of Living Dangerously', Gisele's National Geographic Series On Climate Change in Amazon

GISELE IN THE AMAZON RAINFOREST, TALKING CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ON TREES FOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.

'Years of Living Dangerously', Gisele's National Geographic Series On Climate Change in Amazon

Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen is among the most successful talents of all time. Gisele continues to dominate the Forbes Highest-earning Models List in 2016, with an estimated earnings of $30.5 million last year.  

Not everyone knows that Bündchen has been a dedicated environmentalist for many years. Next week the opening ceremonies star of the Rio Olympics takes cameras with her on an expedition into her home country. Starring in an episode of the award-winning National Geographic Channel series 'Years of Living Dangerously', Gisele next week directs an expedition deep into the Brazilian rain forest for a closeup view of deforestation and its effects on climate change. She explains:

Adriana, Elsa, Romee, Josephine & Taylor In Sports Bra Victoria's Secret Heaven

Adriana, Elsa, Romee, Josephine & Taylor In Sports Bra Victoria's Secret Heaven

Besides Trump's Inflated Ego, Is His Business Success For Real? NYT Investigates

Besides Trump's Inflated Ego, Is His Business Success For Real? NYT Investigates

Donald Trump & the Politics of Disgust | Trump Praised Saudi Arabia's Sharia Laws For Divorce

Donald Trump & the Politics of Disgust | Trump Praised Saudi Arabia's Sharia Laws For Divorce