Daily Archives: December 13, 2013

Complexions Review

Complexions Contemporary Ballet at Joyce theater showed me a side of ballet I was oblivious to. Instead of appearing soft and delicate, these dancers were stomping their feet and used the dancing techniques we learned about in class. While I found it difficult to follow the storyline of the acts, I was still able to form my interpretations of their dancing.

The dancers wore nude costumes during the first act which I thought symbolized a type of birth. They were revealing themselves to us in this performance. Instead of focusing on the colors or designs of the costumes, I focused on the dancing since the costumes were minimalistic. This scene had a dark atmosphere which I had not previously experienced at a ballet.

I thought the second act had something to do with a heart beating. Everyone was in skeleton costumes and the background music was just one beat being repeated. As the beat sped up, so did the performers. Their bodies also were pulsating in synchronization with the music. It was an innovative way to show the conscious movements, the dancing, of the human body with the subconscious function, the heartbeat, of the human body.

The final act was my favorite because it was dedicated to happiness. The music was had lyrics for the first time in the show and was upbeat. The dancers pranced freely around the stage and wore bright colors to show their cheery mood. There was also a part where they had couples dancing together but I think they would switch partners. I’m not sure if this was supposed to a statement or just a way to create more movement but I interpreted it as a statement. The dancers found joy dancing with each other and interacting.

I was excited to have such great seats. We were so close that I could see the sweat coming off the dancer’s bodies and hear them breathing. I think even seats in the back would’ve been good for this performance. Since it was a group performance, seeing the dance from a distance would allow a better perception of how the group functions and effects each other.

MoMA – Margritte – THE MYSTERY OF THE ORDINARY

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On November 19th, we went to visit the MoMA. This was my first time visiting the MoMa so I was not sure what to expect when I got there. After getting settled, a group of us went to check out the Magritte exhibit, which features paintings by René Magritte from the year 1926 – 1938. As I read the description outside the exhibit, I was a bit curious as to what his style would look like. The description was that Rene Margritte developed key strategies and techniques to defamiliarize the familiar. It also said that he was a surrealist and how he wanted to overthrow what he saw as oppressive rationalism. When I first walked in I began to understand what they were talking about. I noticed many abstract paintings like people kissing with cloths over their heads, wooden planks, scenes and all different kinds of paintings. I also noticed a lot of paintings of dismembered human body parts and of people with certain features exaggerated. Another theme that I noticed was the display of many cut-up paintings. One example was L’ÉVIDENCE ÉTERNELLE, a portrait of a human body that was cut up into 5 different sections. According to the description, it was painted in 1930 and appeared in many early Surrealists exhibitions. “The fragmentation underscores the tendency of the human eye to focus selectively rather than comprehensively in its vision.” As I continued to explore the Margritte exhibit, I came across a painting that should be familiar to all of us. It was The Key of Dreams, which is also on the front cover of our book Ways of Seeing by John Berger. Embarrassingly though, at first I did not recognize or acknowledge it to be the same painting but after Professor Eversley approached me and pointed it out, I began to realized where I had seen that painting before. Overall, the exhibit was very interesting and for my first time ever coming to the MoMa, I was quite satisfied with what I saw tehre.

Tosca Review

 

Tosca was the first opera I ever saw and I have mixed feelings about it. We had seats that were close to the stage which kept me paying attention since I could see the actors’ emotions. Following the plot was fairly simple once I remembered to turn on the translations, but I do think it alters the experience. I find that translating art, in this case lyrics, from one language to another changes the meaning. The emotions are lost in translation and English has a lot of filler words which distract from the point. Regardless, at least I was able to follow along with the show.

The sets were really beautiful throughout out the show. The first set was supposed to be the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle. I thought that the huge painting was a nice visual element to look at since most of the stage was empty. The second set was Scarpia’s apartment which looked just like I envision a classical Italian apartment; lots of reds, dark colors, and a painting. The hidden door on the right side of the stage was really cool since it shown extremely bright when it was open. It was a clever idea to have it look so icy since it was a torture room. The final scene was supposed to be the Battlements of the Castel Sant’ Angelo. The building  on stage gave a realistic depth to the stage. All the set designs were enriching to the context of the play and set the mood for the scenes.

The actors in Tosca were super talented and must be dedicated to their careers. the notes that they are able to reach can only be reached with a lot of practice. Each actor commanded the stage with their voice even though the stage was big enough to swallow them. Tosca has a simple storyline but the delivery of the actors made the show. Although they were a bit overly dramatic for me, it is the opera afterall.

Lincoln Center architecture!

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Hi everyone! Hope you all had an awesome time at Tosca! I know I did! I passed by Lincoln Center but never had any reason to actually enter the area. It was absolutely beautiful! The Christmas tree was an awesome touch too! The fountain was the prettiest part. I loved how it was in the center of Lincoln Center. Do you guys see what I did there? Haha. Also, I love the bird eye’s view. It looks completely different from up here! I never noticed the design of the circles and all of it leading to the center when I was down there. The fact that Lincoln Center is in the middle of a modern world makes it more mysterious behind its closed, glass doors. I hope to see many more plays/operas in the future!

Don’t underestimate the places you go! Especially in New York City! Have an awesome break, I’m going to miss you guys! 🙂