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June 9

American virtuosity

What is Stanley Crouch referring to at 35:55 when he speaks about American virtuosity being based on making something difficult seem easy? Mention is made of Lincoln Kirstein but a quick search doesn't trace the idea back to him. Bus stop (talk) 03:25, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

It's hard to tell exactly, because it isn't a direct quote, but it appears here that Kirstein said such a thing about ballet dancers under the direction of George Balanchine, per this document. I'm digging for other sources of the quote, however. --Jayron32 04:16, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, this is pretty close: "Most important, they must make these very difficult things look beautiful and easy",[1] and "Once he had trained dancers who could perform the ballets in his head, he created a faster, more angular way of dancing -- to match the style of New York. He invented a new kind of plotless ballet -- like the modernists who were painting abstract pictures. Like many immigrants to America, he combined the traditions of his past with the vital spirit he found in his adopted country."[2] Thanks. Bus stop (talk) 05:05, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

And then there is Piet Hein's Grook:

To make your way in learning

When other roads are barred

Take something very easy

And make it very hard.

Bielle (talk) 16:27, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. I wasn't aware of Piet Hein or the literary form Grook. Here is one I like:

A MAXIM FOR VIKINGS

Here is a fact

that should help you fight

a bit longer:

Things that don't act-

ually kill you outright

make you stronger.[3] Bus stop (talk) 21:48, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I like grooks. Don't I, Bielle. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 05:56, 10 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Box with diagonal line = cavalry

Why is a box with a diagonal line typically used to represent cavalry in diagrams of battles? Example. Google mentions this phenomenon in many places, but always (1) referring to it as a common thing, or (2) talking about a line of cavalry troopers advancing in a diagonal direction. Nyttend (talk) 13:08, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Cavalry strap: NATO_Military_Symbols_for_Land_Based_Systems#History. Fifelfoo (talk) 13:54, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Any connection to the way a knight moves on a chessboard? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:20, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

The article linked by Fifelfoo above says that it was "inspired by the cavalry sabre strap", presumably meaning a crossbelt. In chess, the bishop moves diagonally; a knight moves two spaces and then one at a right angle, or one space and two at a right angle. "The complete move therefore looks like the letter L." Alansplodge (talk) 16:28, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

This is a much older convention than the 1984 date mentioned in the NATO Military Symbols article; this 1912 map of The Battle of Waterloo and this 1828 map of the Battle of Talevera both use it. Alansplodge (talk) 16:44, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Finally, I found this 1763 map of the Seige of Havana which shows the same symbol, but whether it actually represents cavalry or other troops is unclear. Alansplodge (talk) 17:02, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Alansplodge, those maps are a very cool addition to the answer!184.147.118.213 (talk) 17:06, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. I suspect the origins are lost in the mists of time. This article says that the symbols originated "throughout Western militaries during the decades after Waterloo", although the example that I found (above) predates that by half a century. Alansplodge (talk) 17:16, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I have now added a paragraph to the NATO Military Symbols page, in line with the source linked above. Alansplodge (talk) 18:02, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with 184.147.118.213: this was a really helpful series of maps, so thanks a lot! I had already guessed that "its origins are murky" might be the answer, but I had no clue if that were the case. Nyttend (talk) 19:48, 9 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]