Student Posts

Posts written by students in The Arts in New York City (Fall 2017).

Fall for Dance City Center

mrajshahiwala

Miami City Ballet, Vincent Mantsoe, Trisha Brown Company and Dorrance Dance Company; that was the order of the program. The order of the dance pieces symbolized the message behind the program, this desire to detach from mainstream society and value what is different and real.

When looking at the order, I realized the first piece juxtaposed the second and the third piece juxtaposed the fourth. However, the third piece’s placement really connected with me and I am going to focus on that in my analysis.

When I initially reflected on the program after I got home, the Dorrance Dance Company piece was the most memorable due to its interesting music and incredible choreography. However, when I began to analyze the program as a whole, the Trisha Brown number kept bothering me, as if I couldn’t figure something out about it.

It was an eerie piece. The red light engulfed the dancers, giving them a warm but alien look. The off-sync imitation led the audience to highlight the other differences between the dancers, like the differences in haircuts and heights. It was as if Trisha Brown was trying her best to make the dancers seem like the same people, but they weren’t, and that was the important thing. Her off-sync imitation choreography spoke volumes to the message she was conveying to the audience. She gave commentary about the forced conformism that society mandates on people.  However, humans are not dolls that can be made to look alike. We all have individual beliefs and traits that make us unique. Therefore, Trisha Brown chose for them to have different haircuts and overall body types, to make obvious the differences they possessed and highlight their individuality. This is made further evident with the Dorrance Dance Company piece following the Trisha Brown piece. The Dorrance Dance Company piece was diverse from the get-go. It had no uniformity in costumes or dancers with spoke to the almost utopian goal of this program. It was as if the Trisha Brown piece was reality and the Dorrance Dance piece was a hopeful future. In the wake of this political atmosphere, the overall program was a refreshing reprieve and proved that though we are all different, we stand together.

Torch Song Analysis on Themes

mrajshahiwala

There were a few prevalent themes that were portrayed in Torch Song, like unrequited love, yearning for normalcy, and the struggle of identity.

The theme I was able to connect to in the most intimate way was the yearning for normalcy. The play portrayed the idea of “normalcy” through Arnold, Ed, and the mother and therefore gave the audience three different perspectives of what “normal” may mean.

Arnold wanted a husband or a lover that could live up to his potential, the “international stud.” He had created this image of an ideal man after being disappointed by so many men, and for Arnold, being with this man would be perfect. This is what he wanted out of his life.

Ed, on the other hand, wanted the perfect wife. The one he could settle down with and have kids with. Ed, similar to society, found his normal life to be with a wife, kids in upstate New York. Basically, everything he didn’t have with Arnold.

Similarly, the mother wanted Arnold to be “normal.” She wanted him to be like the other men who weren’t gay, had families and were respectable in society. She wished that Arnold could provide her with grandchildren and basically a legacy that she could be proud of.

The ironical thing throughout the play is that the characters get the polar opposite of the “normalcy” they crave and it all works out.

Arnold got Ed, who couldn’t be more in the closet about who he was, and was not proud to be with Arnold. Arnold desired a man who could provide him with emotional and physical support and instead gets a man who abandons him for a woman because he wants to be “normal.” However, through this disaster with Ed, Arnold learns to become independent and he realizes he doesn’t need a man to make his dreams come true. He adopts a son on his own and starts fulfilling his dreams on his own.

Ed gets Laurel, who is everything that Ed supposedly wants but that just proves to him that “normalcy” is not what Ed wants. Through the marriage and subsequent struggles with Laurel, Ed realizes that he is gay, and that is ok. He accepts his sexuality and he accepts that he truly loves Arnold.

The mother has Arnold for a son, who embodies everything she believes to be abnormal. However, this causes her to partially accept Arnold, specifically the idea that he is not going to change because of her. Furthermore, she does receive a grandchild, just not in the traditional way, and she has to learn to accept that.

I connected the most to this theme of desiring normalcy because what I desire is against the normalcy of society for the most part. Therefore, it feels like this constant swim against the current, similar to Ed’s struggle for most of the play. However, this play really shines a light on the concept of things always work out and we get what we deserve. I believe this concept does really play out in life, and never giving up for what we believe in does lead to something good in the end.

Torch Song: Music

Asma Awad

One of the first questions that came to mind about this off broadway play was why it’s called “Torch Song.” A torch song is actually a 1920’s term, referring to a sad or sentimental song, typically about unrequited love. Finding out that the entire play itself was named after this term made me think twice about the role of the music played in it. Everything from the kind of music playing to even the absence of music played a vital role in Torch Song. Moments without background music, such as arguments Arnold had with his mother, were accentuated through the lack of music. Without even the most subtle notes of music being played, the tension of the scene was emphasized immensely. The function music played in the play was vital, even through silence.

Although I can’t say I recognized every part of the soundtrack, I knew for sure the music was picked accordingly to the setting. The play started with what seemed like a disco, 80’s type of music, which fitted the timing displayed in neon lights on stage. Additionally, it ended in such a way that the entire scene revolved around a song playing from the radio, which David had dedicated to Arnold. Though there were was no dialogue, the words of the song finished off the play on an extremely heartwarming, touching note. It was a perfect finish to the emotional rollercoaster Torch Song took its viewers through.

Fall for Dance-Vincent Mantsoe

rachelswed

Vincent Mantsoe

Vincent Mantsoe grew up in Soweto, South Africa. Mantsoe learned to dance through youth clubs, street dancing and music videos. He also participated in the traditional rituals involving song and dance that were practiced by the women in his family, who were traditional healers.

In 1990, Mantsoe won a scholarship to Sylvia Glasser’s Moving Into Dance Company. There, he began to explore the possibility of merging street dance with traditional dance. From 1997 until 2001, Mantsoe was associate artistic director of MID. Mantsoe is primarily a solo performer; he has also created work for ensembles including Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York City and COBA (Collective of Black Artists) in Toronto, Canada.

Mantsoe’s choreography combines traditional, contemporary African dance with Asian and ballet influences in a cross-cultural Afro-fusion style. He acknowledges the influence of spirituality in his creative work. He describes his dance as a process of “borrowing” from the “ancestors.” He notes the importance of understanding and appreciating the sources of his traditional movements.

I enjoy his dancing because it is very slow so you can focus on his movements. Also, I appreciate that he is a solo dancer so you can focus on him and not multiple dancers.

References:

http://artsalive.ca/en/dan/meet/bios/artistDetail.asp?artistID=155

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Mantsoe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw0JKIAD0d0

Torch song-Story

rachelswed

The plot and overview of the show, Torch Song, was about finding love and romance. The first scene was called International Stud. In this scene, Arnold talks about how he wants to meet the perfect guy and actually wants to love someone and settle down. He also talks about how he met many people and he still did not find the one. Then he meets Ed, at a bar, who is still “closeted” and does not want to accept who he is as a person. After their night together Arnold does not see Ed for a while. This gets Arnold anxious, and he calls Ed, Ed then states he just wants a “normal” life with a wife and kids. Arnold thought he met the perfect guy and really loves Ed but can not accept the fact that he wants to keep their relationship a secret. They end this “relationship” and Ed dates a girl named Laurel and they get serious. Meanwhile, Arnold meets a new guy, Alan. Arnold really does not love Alan and Ed does not really love Laurel. This still connects with the theme of love since it can often be complicated and hard. When Arnold comes to visit Ed, Ed even confesses he still likes Arnold, nothing happens as a result. After five years together Alan is killed from a hate crime on the street. Arnold misses him and loves him more now that he is dead. Ed leaves Laurel, wondering about what going on with them, and goes to see Arnold. Ed confesses his love for Arnold again and he accepts it and says they can finally talk about it. This show proves how love can be hard but can work out at the end.

Torch Song: Music

eitanarm

The music plays an important role in Torch Song as it helps the audience understand the era of when the play took place. Even without the neon sign that told the audience the year that the events of Torch Song occurred, they wouldn’t have trouble knowing. Most of the music in the play is disco music. Disco music was mainly popular in the late 1970’s to early 1980’s, when Torch Song takes place. In addition, disco music has always had a deep connection to the gay community. Initially, disco music was only popular in the gay community. During that time, you would mostly hear disco music in gay bars or clubs. When Ed meets Arnold for the first time in one of these club, the audience can hear disco music blaring from the background. Torch Song gave me a new perspective on what it means to be in love and what it means to know who you are and the music helped accentuate these things.