Category: Open Mic (Page 2 of 2)

Attending Brooklyn College’s Open Mic was a truly remarkable experience. It is one thing to hear renowned writers perform but seeing your peers perform poetry, songs, scenes, and monologues is something unique and rewarding. It was amazing to see the amount of talent that students in Brooklyn College possess and how each performer was completely open about their feelings and lives in their presentations. No one held back and every performer gave their presentation their best effort. No one judged anyone for their honesty and the atmosphere was really relaxed and inviting. A performance that really struck me was a performer who performed a song. The lyrics were so honest and he was a really talented singer. Another fascinating performance was a girl who sang a song about little red riding hood. She had a really unique interpretation of the fairy tale. A lot of the poetry was really well written; it was surprising that students could write so well. I truly enjoyed my experience at Open Mic.

Right away I sensed an open, welcoming environment at the open mic. When the performers presented, one could tell that experience varied and was certainly not required. I loved the idea of one having the opportunity to openly show what they enjoy doing in their spare time, something they genuinely put effort into that is not simply done for the sake of a class assignment. The judgment-free zone consisted of an open audience, which I believe is encouraging and comforting for performers and shows that their work is valued and appreciated by others.

As for the performances, one of the most memorable one for me was the poem about Tarzan and Jane. When the poet went on stage, I noticed that she seemed uncomfortable and stumbled upon her words at first. Nonetheless, as she progressed, she naturally picked up her pace and rhythm, going about with ease, and the whole work just flowed and moved the audience with it. Her relationship with her boyfriend, running in parallel with that of Tarzan and Jane, was depicted and I personally felt like she had just told me a story that had years worth of value in a span of a few minutes. I felt her emotions, her plea, and her commitment. On a side note, I’m usually not a fan of pubic display of affection, but I actually fell for this story, surprising myself. She was so passionate and as a special bonus, her boyfriend was actually in the audience. I couldn’t help but keep looking back and forth between the two and empathizing for them.

There is something about the passion of a  performer that draws you in even if the actual content of the performance is not the best. This is what I saw at the English department’s open mike. Yes, some pieces were better then others, but the passion I felt in each performance was consistent.

I especially liked this piece a performer wrote about his mother. He performed it so seamlessly, and with so much feeling, I could see every line he read coming to life in front of me. He ended his piece with a brilliant haunting line:

” Why would you want to wake up from your nightmares when the person haunting your dreams is still alive in them?”

I have never been to an open mic before, or anything similar to the open mic, so I didn’t know what to expect. I was happily surprised.

I was able to tell which performances were from first-timers and which were from experienced students. There were certain acts I absolutely loved, like Robo-cop. I loved the movement on stage, and that it wasn’t just words. I enjoyed the performances as well. Everyone that sang or played the guitar put their heart and soul into their performances, and it showed. I would get goosebumps from certain performers. It was unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed, and I am so happy to have attended the open mic.

Brooklyn College has so many talented students, and open mic should be a larger event than it already is. More students should join in and it should be held at the performing arts theater.