The Art of Choosing

I felt that the variety of art that we experienced (Opera, Dance, Play, Concert) was definitely the best part of this class. We got to experience a little bit of everything and figure out what appealed to us. We found our artsy sides.

There were so many great performances and shows we visited this semester and I would definitely watch a few of them again; however, one of the most memorable performances would be Fall for Dance. I thoroughly enjoyed watching so many different dances in one sitting, it was a whole package deal. The show wasn’t too long or repetitive (except for some of the actual dances) with many little intermissions to get up and stretch, talk with your neighbor about the music or dance you just watched. It was a totally different experience from watching a performance in one two hour sitting, which can be pretty exhausting even for a really interesting plot. What was most memorable about this performance were the dances by the Alvin Ailey Am. Dance Co. Their fun interactive dances with grooving music, contrasted with their darker dances and made it the most diverse performance of that night. This dance performance at City Center was something I really looked forward to when I saw the syllabus and I was not disappointed. Not to mention we had the chance to take a picture with Sebastian Ramirez and Honji Wang after the show.

I particularly enjoyed reading poetry each day before getting into our lesson. One piece that stuck with me was from the beginning of the semester, Deborah Garrison’s “I Saw You Walking”, regarding the appreciation the narrator has for a survivor of the September 11^th attacks. I was moved by the affection that the narrator had for this perfect stranger and admire the truth that it speaks of humanity’s potential for empathy. It serves as a reminder that each human life is important and that, in the face of adversity, we all have the capacity to band together and wish well for others. Overall, I really enjoyed reading the poems; I feel like they helped us to view each of the performances and exhibits from different perspectives and with a deeper understanding as we applied the same critical analysis skills to everything that we took part in this semester.

 

I think for me, attending this performance with the class was by far my favorite, not only because of how great the play and the production itself was, but also how in many ways I walked out of the BAM Harvey Theater COMPLETELY CONFUSED and with a new perspective on art. My eyes were opened and I thoroughly enjoyed the play, leading me to keep an open mind to everything and anything that was left to be experienced and discovered during this course. I think after this particular performance I was able to enjoy the other performances, the exhibitions, the poems, the class discussions etc, all the more and actually see the art and the value (personally) or lack thereof, in them all. It’s been quite a journey this semester through the art that NYC has to offer, and it was well worth it, not to mention how much is still out there, yet to be experienced by us.

The Best of Arts in NYC was the opportunity to join the art world of New York at least at several occasions, such as Fall of Dance. I am sure that this course will further stimulate us to involve ourselves in the world of creative expression more. I know that I will be definitely visiting City Hall on several other occasions. I have this course to thank for that!

-Angelika

I have never been a huge fan of classical music, so I was very skeptical heading into this performance. I thought the only positive of the entire night would be the atmosphere. However, that was a very incorrect assumption, as this turned out to be my favorite experience of the class. The music made for a very relaxing experience, in which it felt like I could just sit back and ponder the world’s problems and, of course, their solutions. Unfortunately, once the music ended, I forgot all my revelations, so we are stuck with the world as it is. I’m actually trying to go back on March 20th for the St. Louis Symphony because I enjoyed this performance so much. I went into this experience with very low expectations, especially compared to some of our other events, but it turned out to be an outstanding experience, which was a very pleasant surprise.

Fictional or real, it does not matter. The best part about New York is the people.

New York runs on people; The people drive New York to where it is today. While there are no such streets paved in gold, all the streets in New York are paved in gold, which shines in every shade of hue possibly perceivable through human eyes.

They make arts and furthermore become arts themselves without comprehending neither the onus nor the glory of being one. They are the man listening to music. They are the six characters searching for an author. They are the theologian living with the prostitutes. They are the man walking at Penn Station. In this manner, they are New York: a gigantic mosaic of different people–many peoples becoming one and one people becoming many.

And we are they.

Watching the documentary about Philippe Petit made me aware of such a crazy, unique, and incredible event. I can hardly believe that someone would have the courage to walk on a tightrope so high in the air, while knowing the police will arrest him. In addition it must have been really hard to plan everything out, but it is great that he was able to get the rope up to the top of one tower and across to the other tower. I wonder what it was like to be Petit when he was on the wire at the time. I am so glad I had the opportunity to spend an evening with my class watching this extraordinary event get planed and performed.