In 1987, on the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi, a naturalist and wildlife photographer named David Boynton captured on tape what many environmentalists feel is among the saddest sounds ever recorded.

It’s believed to be the final mating call of a male Moho braccatus — a small songbird — singing for a female that never replied.

Researchers posit that the last female of the species perished in a hurricane five years earlier. Within a few years of Boynton’s recording, the species was declared extinct.

But the lost songbird returns in Dance NOW! Miami’s new contemporary ballet titled Love-less: Dance of the Last Moho braccatus.

It makes its world premiere this week during the company’s season finale called Love Lost And Found.

The piece was created by DNM’s co-founder and co-Artistic Director Hannah Baumgarten, who says she first learned about the bird during a screening of the Sam Green documentary 32 Sounds at the Perez Art Museum in Miami.

“I heard this haunting call with no reply,” says Baumgarten. “And I was awash with so many feelings about love and loss that I just knew in that moment, I was going to make a ballet about it.”

Baumgarten says she saw parallels between the songbird’s story and how human beings cope with loss and their own mortality.

“”For me, personally, this piece became about the observations I made with my parents as I’m watching them age,” she says.

“And I’m watching my mother grapple with the differences in the speed at which she and my father are aging.”

DNM’s season finale also marks the world premiere of Traces, by the company’s co-founder and co-Artistic Director, Diego Salterini.

“It is the other end of the spectrum,” says Baumgarten. The piece charts the universal search for love, seen through the eyes of one woman.

Dance NOW! Miami’s season finale clocks in at only 80 minutes long (with two short pauses) but covers a lot of ground.

In addition to the two world premieres, DNM will perform Tandy Beal’s Forest Dreams; Deco-de, Salterini’s homage to Art Deco design and architecture; and an excerpt from Blue Pencil, DNM’s commentary on government censorship and repression.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: LOVE LOST & FOUND
Dance NOW! Miami
Program III Season Finale

WHEN: Friday, May 8 in Lauderhill &
Saturday, May 9 in Aventura
Both shows 8:00 pm

WHERE: Lauderhill Performing Arts Center
3800 NW 11th Place, Lauderhill, FL

Aventura Arts & Cultural Center
3385 NE 188th Street, Aventura, FL

More information: dancenowmiami.org

Trust remains a primary barrier to broader crypto adoption, according to representatives from the National Cryptocurrency Association, Circle, U.S. Bank and ChangeNOW at Consensus 2026 in Miami.

Ali Tager of the National Cryptocurrency Association said research shows “the number one barrier to non-crypto holders is they just do not get it,” citing complexity, jargon and misinformation as persistent challenges.

Panelists from Circle, U.S. Bank and ChangeNOW said trust is built gradually through user experience rather than technical claims. Britt Cambas of Circle said “you are not going to get technical trust in 30 seconds,” emphasizing clarity and reducing complexity as prerequisites for adoption.

Rachel Castro of U.S. Bank said trust is central to financial services and “very easily broken,” adding that rebuilding it takes significantly longer once lost.

Speakers highlighted customer support and human interaction as critical differentiators in crypto platforms. Pauline Shangett of ChangeNOW said “the primary factor of trust for me when it comes to a web3 project is a feeling that you are working with real people,” pointing to gaps in user support across the industry.

Cambas said reducing ambiguity in products and partnerships is key, noting that simplifying complex systems can drive adoption more effectively than new features.

Panelists also pointed to education as a necessary step for onboarding new users. Tager said the industry must “make it super simple, make it accessible, make it trustworthy” to reach mainstream audiences.

The discussion, moderated by Ashley Wright, focused on designing systems that prioritize transparency, usability and communication, with speakers agreeing that trust must be embedded across product design, customer engagement and regulatory frameworks rather than treated as a standalone feature.

Last week, PetaPixel reported that the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix has strict rules on what cameras are allowed in — so one photographer brought along a tape measure to prove that his gear was eligible for entry.

Roberto Baldea says on Instagram that a security guard on the gate told him his lenses — an 18-35mm and a 70-200mm — were too big. But he had a cunning plan.

“They didn’t want to let me in with my camera and my lens,” Baldea says. “I came prepared. This is a measuring tape from Ikea, and the guy was beefing with me. He was like, ‘It’s not six inches, this is too big for six inches’.”

The lens that Baldea brought with him, as he demonstrates in the video, is exactly six inches. “Be aware, photographers, bring a measuring tape if they say there’s a certain length limit. Don’t let them get to you,” he adds.

Baldea thanks professional motor sports photographer Jamey Price, who initially sent out a public service announcement about the strict rules at the race.

“I told you all,” Price responded to Baldea’s video. “These tracks want to create issues. Security isn’t hired by their high IQ levels. Well done for being prepared.”

On the event’s FAQs page, under cameras, it says that “point-and-shoot cameras and cameras with consumer-grade detachable lenses no longer than six inches will be allowed in order for guests to take photos, provided that they are only for personal and private non-commercial purposes.”

Fortunately for Baldea, he was able to get his cameras in and captured photos of the action as well as race winner Kimi Antonelli. A few years ago, at the same event, one fan wasn’t so lucky after he was turned away from the gate for having a mirrorless camera with him. Undeterred, he returned the next day with a floppy disk camera.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.