Bedugul Coffee: Meet the women shaking up ancient dance

The Huffington Post

Culture Shift is a weekly newsletter curated by the HuffPost Culture writers and editors.

This week we're talking about art history emoji, the women shaking up ancient dance, the best comics on the Internet, the book world's franchise problem, and why you should stop saying the phrase "this isn't art."

Comics Look A Lot Different On The Web, But That's A Good Thing

The comic is one example of how artists can use digital screens to their advantage. 'I'd like to see more online platforms offer legitimate, well-paying opportunities for cartoonists, and I'd also like to see cartoonists push what can be done on the Web,' Foster-Dimino said, noting that comics are seldom outfitted for a smartphone screen, typically looking better on a tablet or computer. She admires fellow artist Maré Odomo for occasionally tailoring comics for mobile viewing, 'since viewing images on a phone is a special kind of intimate experience.'" (Read more here)

Meet The Women Radicalizing One Of The World's Oldest Dance Forms

"One of America's most unusual dance dynasties reigns in Minneapolis: the trio of Ranee Ramaswamy, and her daughters Aparna and Ashwini. In just over two decades, their company, Ragamala, has become the standard bearer of a singularly successful kind of hybridity, merging ancient traditions into high-end productions that major grant organizations find hard to resist. Their only other members are not of Indian origin. Together, the five dancers travel the world with first generation Indian-American women accompanists, bucking the classical hangup that true virtuosity is the domain of men." (Read more here)

I Beg Of You, Please Stop Saying 'This Isn't Art'

"One person gazes into a tranquil painting of water lilies by Claude Monet and can't help but well up with tears. Another, unmoved by Impressionism, stares at a bawdy self-portrait by Cindy Sherman and feels transfixed. Someone else is still bored with both, preoccupied with a bit of three-dimensional chalk art made to look like gummy bears. You see, we humans are capable of having very, very different tastes in art." (Read more here)

Haruki Murakami's Early Stories Aren't Just For Superfans

"The author refers to them as his kitchen table novels, crafted at late hours after clocking out of his day job. 'They are totally irreplaceable, much like friends from long ago,' he writes. 'They warmed my heart, and encouraged me on my way.' In speaking of these works so preciously, Murakami is being humble. While they're sure to delight fans, they're beautiful stand-alone works in their own right." (Read more here)

The Movie Biz Isn't The Only One With A Franchise Dependence Problem

"Thanks to Watchman and What Pet, the most noteworthy books of this summer read like they could have appeared in newspaper headlines fifty years ago. But there are only so many lost manuscripts and easily persuadable superstar authors (a la E.L. James) for the industry to hang its hat on. Publishers can't look to the franchise reboot effect to save themselves the way movie studios do. They'll have to create blockbusters the old-fashioned way: on a wing and a prayer." (Read more here)

The Art History Emoji We Desperately Wish Were Real

"It's been over two years since the glory days of #emojiarthistory, when the art world banded together to adapt art classics into emojis using the options available. But a girl can't help but dream. What if instead of using two dancing ballerinas to signify a Diane Arbus photo, there existed a whole realm of ready-made art emojis based off the cannon of art history?" (Read more here)

Meet The Chinese Rappers Bringing Hip-Hop To The Middle Kingdom

"Earlier this week, the Ministry of Culture banned 120 songs from Chinese websites on the grounds that they 'trumpeted obscenity, violence, crime or harmed social morality.' Hip-hop accounts for just a tiny sliver of mainstream music in China, but at least 50 of the 120 banned songs are by mainland Chinese and Taiwanese rappers. No one ever thought hip-hop and the Chinese government would be a match made in heaven, but this was pretty cold." (Read more here)

12 Books That Will Lift You Up When You Are Down

"Sometimes, you need a pick-me-up. You're feeling blue, down in the dumps, maybe even dealing with a lump in your throat. Whichever idiom fits your situation, you're just not feeling like your best self. To abate the waves of sadness, or palpitations of dread, we've compiled a list of books that can help lift you up in these less-than-desirable times. From a graphic novel to a memoir to a fictional story of intrigue to a picture book adults can enjoy, here are 12 very different books you should read." (Read more here)

BONUS: TRIVIA NIGHT

Huffington Post Culture editors are teaming up with Electric Literature and BOMB Magazine to host our third night of trivia at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe in NYC. Get ready for 1.5 hours of arts, books and culture revelry. There will be prizes. There will be a cash bar. There will be weird and wonderful lightning round questions. (Read more here)