Watching “Complexions” at the Joyce Theater was a novel experience for me. I’ve watched dance performances probably a hundred times before but never one in a setting like this. The fact that everything in the theater was copyrighted reminded me right off the bat that this wasn’t one of my old dance recitals but a real professional debut.

The first act, I have to admit, was particularly boring for me. Perhaps it was because I was expecting something more exciting than what I was given. I understood the ferocity in the dancers’ faces and their movements but nothing really stood out. Eventually, I shamelessly dozed off until intermission.

The second act was my favorite one. Maybe it was because I had just woken up from a nice ten minute nap but I think it was mostly because of the specific part of the act where one of the dancers was engaged in shadow dancing. While another couple was in the middle dancing, this lone dancer was dancing against a white background. The lighting emphasized his shadow against the background and it created this really cool simulation. Suddenly, it felt like the dancer wasn’t on stage but that he was in the back doing his own thing. There was also another part where all of the dancers got up and close to the edge of the stage. They were so close to the audience that you could hear their deep breathing loud and clear and watch drops of sweat glide down their faces. It was kind of disturbing to see this because I’m used to the classical ballet dancer: the ones that are in sync and perfectly composed. I think the choreographer purposely put this in to ignite some kind of feeling in the audience.

The third act was, without a doubt, the liveliest. In fact, if they had thrown in some singing, it could’ve easily been a musical. Not that I’m complaining. I love dancing that follows beats and rhythms because that is my comfort zone. Unfortunately, while exciting, the act loses points for originality.

All in all, it was a very different experience watching this dance performance in relation to my old dance recitals. I wouldn’t exactly pay to see this again but I’m glad I did.

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Isa Genzken, a female German artist, recently had her work on display at a exhibit at the MoMa. Because of Professor Eversley’s membership (thanks!), Jeong Woo and I were able to view her work in private setting.

The title of the exhibition was called “Retrospective”. This is entirely reflective of Genzken’s work which largely dealt with the post-war urban environment. The sculpture above was one of the most notable ones for me because of its simplicity and its position. On the outset, it can easily be dismissed as a couple of frames on top of each other, but in an architecture perspective, it reminded me of the the foundation or framework of a building. It made me think of Genzken’s view of rebuilding Germany after the World War II. The position of the work is also interesting. Professor Eversley had mentioned that the work must’ve been purposely put under the skylight to direct attention to the buildings outside. This reminded me of photography class where we learned about leading lines. Lines provide direction to the viewer; guiding them toward where to look. This sculpture guided the viewer to the skylight, and where the sculpture was the beginning of the making of a building, it directed us to look at the prominent skyscrapers outside. It’s a bright outlook when emerging from troubling times.

Overall, I felt like the exhibit was very interesting. Genzken’s later works were, understandably, less of of war and more about color and dioramas. Personally, I’ve always gravitated toward works that depicted a specific time period. I’ve always felt that those works were always rich with culture and history that may no longer be around.

Perhaps it was the lighting or perhaps it was the lack of foot traffic in this particular area of the museum but this group of stained windows stuck out beautifully to me.

This group of windows was Louis C. Tiffany’s creation. The middle window was the view of Oyster Bay from his country estate, Laurelton Hall. It bears an almost identical view from the house. The two panels surrounding the view are of grapevines. Almost three-dimensional, these grapevines contain hues of a variety of green but at a close vantage point, you could also see the blue, purple, and even pink. In the late 1870s, Tiffany was the one who introduced innovative techniques into stained glass. I’ve always admired stained glass that I frequently saw in churches. If the light hits the glass at just the right angle, the piece of art can be magical.

Of all the times I’ve been to the MET, one thing that never changes is the Sackler Wing.

This wing houses the Temple of Dendur, constructed by an Egyptian Emperor around 15 B.C.E. This is a constant fixture in the MET, perhaps because it would be very difficult to do away with, but also because it is an iconic presence. This temple was a gift from the Egyptian government itself in commemoration for the United States’ assistance in saving various Egyptian monuments during the construction of the Aswan Dam. It showcases Isis, Osiris, their son Horus, and the other deities in Egyptian culture and also carvings of papyrus and lotus plants to the Nile god Hapy.

The Sackler Wing is a common place for entertainment for profit and nonprofit companies. It hosues half a thousand guests for dinner and dancing. I can only imagine how breathtaking the temple would be at night with glorious lights and decorations.

Late “Fun Home” review!

For the first time in my 18 years of life, I attended an off broadway play. Shameful, I know, but you always remember your first and I definitely will for this one.

‘Fun Home’, a new musical directed by Sam Gold and composed by four-time Tony Award-nominated composer Jeanine Tesori, was a triple threat. It weaved the genres of tragedy, comedy, and musical into a successful source of entertainment but also great insight on social and familial problems.

The opening scene of ‘Fun Home’ was a powerful one as it gloriously displayed the Bechdel’s hectic and distressed home with the meticulous Bruce Bechdel, played by Michael Cerveris, at the forefront. Mr. Cerveris played the character of Bruce with great ferocity. Even through the stability of home improvement and funeral work, Bruce’s life was uncomfortable and unfulfilling and it showed through the performance of Mr. Cerveris. Though I had imagined Bruce as a much more distant and colder character from the novel, Cerveris’ portrayal convinced me of an equally dissatisfied Bruce.

One might’ve thought that the frequent transitions between young, middle, and older Alison would’ve been confusing but I felt that these added to the story and its themes. It showed how Alison’s father, regardless of how neglectful or unrelatable he was to her, shaped her own life, every step of the way. Sydney Lucas, playing young Alison, was simply vivacious and stunning in her performances. Her scenes were the most compelling and invigorating. Alexandra Socha also played college Alison in a great and unique way. From the book, I understood that college Alison was an awkward character but when Ms. Socha portrayed her on stage, it was awkward in an awesome and empathetic way.  The rotating set was surprise to me and at the beginning, I was afraid that I would be distracted by the other sets on the stage. However, each scene utilized the setting very well. From the hilarious commercial filming scene in the funeral home to the tense scenes in the study, every performance brought its best so it was easy to disregard the extra sets in the foreground.

I do believe, of course, the tragicomic is a lot more in depth but the play provides a good support and complement. The musical pieces flow extremely well with the scenes and don’t seem to come of nowhere. The pieces often stole lines from the tragicomic and made them catchy and relatable. The story in the play was obviously cut down from the tragicomic but the weirdest thing was that whereas the play actually made me laugh at times, the book did not at all. Personally, I thought the book offered too much information in one frame but the play offered just the right amount to keep me interested. They kept the powerful scenes of the book (although I do wish they included more self revelation scenes of Alison’s sexuality during the college years) and brought them to life.

Overall, for my first off Broadway play, I’m glad that ‘Fun Home’ was the one.