The Arts in New York City

Over already???

Wow.

I think this was a pretty successful seminar for me, we learned so much! My favorite part was that we were analyzing stuff that I normally wouldn’t go out of my way to view. We were taught to look at art and ask ourselves not only if it is good or bad, but also why it is either of these.  What makes a piece of art “good” to someone? How can costume and scenery, stuff I often take for granted, add to the meaning of a piece? Questions such as these, and more, changed my perceptions of artwork.

Deciding what artwork affected me most was extremely difficult, but the work that first came to mind was The Metal Children.

In my high school English class we read a play with a lot of cursing. When one of my friends had to play the part of the foul-mouthed woman, she would actually say the curse words. It was interesting because everyone else refused to say them, and this girl never curses. Ever. She later confessed that she was a strong advocate against censoring literature, and I just found this so interesting. When reading Adam Rapp’s play The Metal Children I became even more interested in the subject of censorship, and the way it was presented. In the book it is highly debatable whether the town’s actions are appropriate.

The play affected me so much because it made me think about issues I can understand and relate to. It opened my eyes to the views of different communities and made me question the role of censorship in our own society. Since I do not usually read plays aside from the few English teachers assign, this play was refreshingly modern and engaging. Out of all the plays we read, this play was by far the best: I couldn’t put it down until I finished! Overall, the story was fantastic: it opened up a good discussion, and allowed us to analyze our own society through the issue of censorship. The play really made me think and form my own opinion on the issue, which was harder to do for some of the other works that I did not enjoy as much.

The work that I thought was least successful this year is an obvious choice:

RALPH LEMON!

Oh my goodness.

Just thinking about it still makes me hysterical with laughter. I mean who would have thought there was so much meaning in a guy twirling a sock on stage? Or, who would find the meaning of the holographic blobs (which was all I could see)? I certain didn’t find anything complex in it. I think the class just totally missed the mark with that piece. Yea, it was complex and abstract and modern, but no one was expecting it at all. When Catherine Profeta talked to the class, not many people knew what to say. It was so shocking to hear all the complexities and meaning that were everywhere in the play. It kind of made me feel stupid that I didn’t understand it, but at the same I think that I was not in the right mindset for viewing the “dance.” I was expecting music, form, and structure. This dance destroyed all my previous notions of dance pieces. In this way, I guess it was good that we were able to view something different, but it was too different to be considered truly enjoyable. The audience really should have been warned that they weren’t really going to see a dance.

Even though I think this piece was the least successful one of the semester, I still do not regret seeing it. It’s a good story to tell a friend. It also shows that one can find, or place, meaning into the most abstract and obscure things. To an extent, I enjoyed all the works we read and viewed this semester. They allowed me to view art in ways that I have not bothered to or even thought of before.

Wow…I can’t believe it’s the end of the semester already. In just a few short days, I will be a second semester freshman—time sure does fly! With the conclusion of finals just around the corner, this is the perfect time to reminisce about the incredible performances we have seen this semester.

By far, my favorite performance this semester was the opera Contes D’Hoffman. It was my first time at the Metropolitan Opera (or any opera for that matter), and I was beyond amazed. Of course the sets and costumes were colorful and spectacular, but besides that, there was a lot to be gained from seeing the performance, including exposure to an art form I wouldn’t have otherwise experienced. Despite the fact that it didn’t end until after 11 PM – a little late for me – I am extremely happy that I had this opportunity rarely afforded to college kids.

Initially, I didn’t think I would be able to enjoy the performance since I don’t understand French, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. For starters, there were subtitles on the seats in front of us, which enabled us to understand everything going on. Additionally, the interactions among the characters, as well as the scenery and costumes made the plot of the opera graspable.

Recently, in my anthropology class, we learned the importance of accepting and embracing other cultures. This is precisely what an opera in another language expects us to do, and I think it is incredibly important for college students, who will be the leaders of tomorrow. Although cultural barriers present difficulties both in the work place and the real world, different languages and cultures add excitement into our lives.

Before seeing the opera, we were told that in allowing college students to see the opera free of charge or at a reduced cost, the patrons of the opera hope that the students will become the future patrons of the opera. Although I don’t plan to become a member of the Metropolitan Opera House, if my future boyfriend asks me on a date to the opera, I will most certain say yes. =] If it hadn’t been for this performance, I might have been a little more hesitant, unaware of what to expect from the show.

Of all of the performances we attended, I found the Ralph Lemmon Dance to be the least entertaining and it affected me the least. The performance started out with a movie that added nothing to the performance. I suppose it was a description of how the show came to be, but the only thing I was able to focus on was the guy dressed up in a rabbit costume. I travelled to Brooklyn to see a show, not a movie. This was only the first thing I disliked about the Ralph Lemmon Dance.

The “dance” section of the piece was a bunch of people jumping around and climbing on top of each other. Not the dance performance I imagined. Where was the music? I guess Ralph Lemmon left it at home that night, since the piece certainly needed music. And the woman who wouldn’t stop crying? Many people got up in the middle of the performance and walked out. Why was she crying? This was not clear, another aspect of the show that was detrimental to the overall quality.

Now, let me say that it wasn’t all bad. After discussing the piece in class and with Ralph Lemmon himself, I realized there was some light to the performance. Ralph Lemmon referred to the piece as an experiment, and that it definitely was. He is an artist, and artists have the right to be creative and imaginative…there are no limits to what art can be. Does he have the right to call it a dance? That is debatable. Dance is a defined art form; however, it does encompass many forms and ideas. Either way, I did not particularly like the performance. Still, I do not regret seeing it…every form of art contains a lesson to be learned.

Overall, this semester was a wonderful semester, and Arts in New York City was a great addition. We had the opportunity to travel to the city to see many performances, and then write about them and discuss them in class. I personally enjoyed Contes D’Hoffman, in addition to The Little Foxes and Taxi Driver. Although I did not see the importance of the Ralph Lemmon Dance, it had its place in our curriculum this semester in addition to our many other performances, readings, and discussions.