Author Archives: Caitlin

“The Flowers of War”

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During the time of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, film director Zhang Yimou decided to pick up a novel called 13 Female Martyrs of Nanjing by Yan Geling.  He was supposedly trying to find a distraction from the pressure he was facing during the rehearsals for the opening ceremony of the Olympics, but he did quite the opposite.   The novel is the story of the Nanjing Massacre, also known as “the Rape of Nanjing” told from the point of view of a 13-year-old girl.  This horrible event, which took place in December of 1937, involved the raping and killing of over 200,000 people in Nanjing, China when it was occupied by Japanese troops.  The 13-year-old point of view is what specifically caught the attention of Yimou.  So many television programs and documentaries have attempted to re-create this occurrence in history, but only 13 Female Martyrs of Nanjing has done so in a light that inspired Yimou.
Now, three years later, Yimou’s film, titled The Flowers of War, had its premiere in China and in the United States.  It is China’s official submission for the Academy Award for best foreign-language film (not to mention it stars Academy Award winner Christian Bale).   Most importantly, though, are the unique troubles that it faced with government.  Yimou stated that filming in China was almost a game in that an all-powerful Communist Party limited him.  He explained that “all the locations are owned by the government,” and “you must go through censorship after the movie is made.”  Especially because Yimou is well known, the spotlight was completely on him.   The Communist Party has always tried to manage the image of the Rape of Nanjing in efforts to reflect the relations between China and Japan.  So with all of this censorship, how accurate can a film about such a rough topic be?  And what is art that must be changed by people other than its creator?  Despite the challenges, Yimou makes it a point to say that he is truthful to history, though.  And in the process he had the opportunity to bring out a lot of Chinese culture.

Conlangers in High Demand!

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What is language? Is it just a complex system we use to communicate that took thousand of years to evolve to its present form? Or is it a system that can now be created within a matter of decades? Apparently, it’s both! Language is defined to be a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings, and the combination and structure of these factors create an art form. It is becoming increasingly popular for science fiction and fantasy films in Hollywood to create new languages. What do I mean by that? Let’s use the example of James Cameron’s Oscar-winning film “Avatar,” that came out in 2009: it took almost 20 years for it to be released because of elements such as animation technology, and linguistics. Aside from purposely waiting for the right technology to be able to create his vision, James Cameron made it crucial to have a conlanger (someone who creates constructed languages) create the language of Na’vi, which took years to create. In this futuristic film that takes place in the middle of the 22nd century, our planet comes into contact with indigenous humanoids that have a society like ours, which included a language that has intricate structures and rules. The authentic-ness that this language added to the film made it all the more popular and of higher demand.

Now, more films are being released that have “actual” languages and are not a bunch of randomly sounds that are made to sound “extraterrestrial”. Because I’m biased, I would argue that they wouldn’t be as well thought out and as captivating as the Na’vi language in “Avatar,” but it’s downright awesome to see them be created. Being an Anthropology major and having an uncommon liking to Fantasy and SciFi films, makes it that much more exciting to see. It makes me question whether or not we’ll be seeing any of these “created” languages become officially used in our world for the hell of it. It’s definitely possible, seeing how are world is so obsessed with the future and aliens. It’s also amazing to see the art form of language become more and more developed and evolved. The way we communicate and express ourselves is very much an art form!  Who knows, maybe you might find me in the credits of a blockbuster film as the Conlanger (my new favorite word)! Ok, so it’s a long shot, but it’s fun to imagine, and isn’t this what it’s all about, imagining a new way of communicating and putting it to life?

 

Underground Moving Art

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On Saturday, December 10, 2011, on my commute over to the American Museum of Natural History, my peers and I were lucky enough to come across a vintage train running on the F line. We were on the E train when we got off on the 53rd and Lexington Avenue stop, when we came across the green, vintage train going the direction we came from. It did not stop us from spontaneously running across the track and getting on the train, despite the direction it was heading towards.

Every year, the MTA expresses its spirit during the holiday season by releasing 1930s trains during the holiday season, every Saturday in December!

The train interior had a very 1930s feel. The seats were some sort of straw-like material that was ironically firm, but cushioned. The seats, themselves, were only wide enough to sit three people at their max. The doors read “Keep Hands Away From Doors,” which I found really funny because I pictured someone getting their hand getting chopped off if their hands did manage to get stuck (sorry for the gruesome image). If you looked up you would see a clean column of ceiling fans along the train cars, which you have to admit, is pretty awesome. The thought of having fans to circulate the air in the hot summer days inside the New York City subway system is pretty refreshing, being that not all current trains are consistently air conditioned. The windows were also allowed to be opened more than today’s trains!

However, out of all the cool features that the 30s train had, the advertisements were the most fascinating, for me. From used cars and cigarettes to Coca-Cola and Gerber, the variety of the ads are astounding for the confined space they had to be placed in. I would like to estimate and say there were about 30 different ads on one side of a train car whereas today, are ads are enlarged and reproduced in the same train. I like how most of the advertisements were colorful and drawn rather than a collection of photographs; it almost seems like ads were subtler and simpler.The little catch phrases like ” Say ‘Luckies’ are less irritating” and “You can’t have my number fella if you’ve dull white teeth!” within the advertisements were really cool to see because they were so authentic to the time period, which makes them all the more interesting. In the end, it was a great experience seeing the artwork of the 1930. It was interesting to see how advertisements have changed since then. I’m so excited to visit the New York Transit Museum again after that experience because it reminded of how much we can learn about our history in the art that is found in places we see as “everyday,” like trains, for example. Make sure to catch one of these vintage trains. Find out when and where here!

 

 

A Macy*s Christmas

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Has anyone realized how powerful Macy’s Inc. is? It wasn’t until recently, when I wrote a six-page paper on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (I still don’t know how I got six pages out of that one), that I understood the power Macy’s has on the economic prosperity New York City. Granted, it’s been at it for a long time. However, just the Thanksgiving Day Parade alone shows how powerful it is; millions of people around the world tune in to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade every year. The message of the parade is to celebrate the history of America and blah, blah, blah… No one is being fooled; every one knows that the Parade exists to start the shopping season… I mean, the “holiday” season. So, what does this have to do with art?

Let’s use the example of the famous Macy’s holiday window displays. People from around the world visit New York City during the holiday season to see/visit the Rockefeller Tree, Times Square, and Macy’s in Herald Square, “the largest store in the world”.  And this is where they’ll find Macy’s holiday lane and the renowned window displays that take approximately half a year to create and fully develop. In this article you learn the steps taken to create these intricately beautiful and “jolly” displays. They are meant to tell a story within six windows (this year it is, “Yes, Virginia…”). More than 7000 people pass by them a day, during the peak of the season!  This form of artwork requires 14 paper artisans, 4 carpenters, 6 electricians, and the designers. If it weren’t for Macy’s these displays wouldn’t be as popular; if they weren’t in the famous Macy’s at Herald Square, this beautiful form of art wouldn’t be regarded with such high esteem. It’s interesting to see how a department can do so much for New York City and the artwork within it, even if it’s just holiday display.

Lysistrada Jones, A New Musical

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First off, I would like to promote Studentrush.org because they asked me to, and I’ve seen some great shows because of them for the most, $5.00. Second, I would like to promote the new musical, Lysistrada Jones, that made its Broadway debut less than a week ago. It was young, fresh, comical, and great entertainment and I recommend it to everyone. What’s different about this musical is that it plays into pop culture, which makes it a great show for a Broadway Show “Virgin” (BSV) to see. I’m looking forward to taking my roommate and her friends, all BSVs, to see this one.

Lysistrada Jones is a musical comedy about Lissie J., a student at Athens University, who gets tired of people losing and giving up around her. So, she gets herself to have the will-power (along with her posse of girlfriends) to stop having sex with their basketball-player boyfriends (who are on a team that hasn’t won in 30 years), in order for them to have the incentive to win a game. It’s a show about determination, student activism, and living life to the fullest. I find it fascinating that this show plays on the Greek classic comedy of Aristophanes, Lysistrada, by adding modern twists and turns that are sure to have you laughing. So, go on, and get yourself a ticket for this musical and you’ll be able to say that you were one of the first to watch a show that may end up being Tony-nominated sometime in the future.

Here’s a review on Lysistrada Jones!


Maybe Books Aren’t Doomed After All…

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For years now, many have been wondering about the fate of physical books after E-readers made their debut. After the Amazon Kindle came out, people began seeing the possibility of finding new ways to read and help the environment (myself, included). Now, someone may argue that E-readers are decreasing the value of physical books and EVEN literature when their being placed in machines. They might argue that you don’t get the same effect when you don’t have a physical book in your hand. I completely agree with them! However, being a Kindle owner myself, I can argue that it helps the environment by using less paper (sorry I had to go there, but it’s the truth). It’s also less expensive if you’re an avid reader because E-books are cheaper. And honestly, I read more often with my Kindle. How, you may ask? I can read or have MULTIPLE books at a time (something not everyone can do) while commuting and traveling wherever.

Because I’m a fast reader and can read a 600-page book in a couple of days, I love that I can go on vacation and not have to worry about how many books I can take on my trip. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely have not completely converted to fully E-book reading; I have a good-sized collection of printed books, but it definitely has changed how much I read. Why am I talking about this? Apparently, many people are feeling the same way about E-readers. There’s a universal idea that E-readers are handy to have and very convenient, but as more and more of them are being commercialized, for example, in the holidays, people are becoming less attracted to buying them and buy physical books instead. Maybe after seeing the second-largest bookstore chain, Borders, go out of business, made people fear the fate of books and made them go back to the “old ways.” What ever happened, I think it’s a smart idea to balance it out. For example, when at home, I prefer to have an actual book in my hand, but when out and and about, I use my E-reader.  Here is an article that talks about people are buying actual books for the holidays rather than E-readers this year.

A Christmas Story, the Musical!

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Anybody who has a weakness for heart-melting holiday movies knows the famous Ralphie who wants a BB Gun for Christmas. What many don’t know, however, is that A Christmas Story has been made into a musical! Yes, that’s right, a musical. If that isn’t exciting enough, there’s a possibility that it can make its debut on Broadway. But, because the theater business is so competitive and risky (like Zachary F. mentioned in his blog, “Bonnie and Clyde the Musical… An Epic Failure”) it is still very unclear as to what the future holds for this musical.

Fortunately, A Christmas Story the Musical!, has gotten relatively positive reviews from its five-city tour, and has the appeal of the holiday season, which makes it likely to fall in the footsteps of shows such as “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Elf”, which have had seasonal runs on Broadway . I hope that this musical becomes a success and achieves the greater goal, which is to appear on Broadway, because its interesting to see how the charming and classic story can be reinterpreted (the original film, A Christmas Story, was an interpretation of the 1966 book “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash”) linto another artistic medium. The reviews that the musical pretty much completely followed the storyline of the film, with the emphasis on special famous scenes from the film, makes the show all the more likely to end up on Broadway.

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Central Park has a soundtrack! What?

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The musical duo Bluebrain has created an album, Central Park (Listen to the Light), that is specifically supposed to be the soundtrack for Central Park. How does that work exactly? Well, the soundtrack is an app for the iPhone and iPad that’s meant to measure the listeners movement and location and know which piece to play. So, the music will not play until the listener enters Central Park. There are 400 tracks that play depending on where the listener walks or stops. For example, the Lake has a specific track that supposedly follows water-like melodious movements. The app is currently free, but Bluebrain hopes that it becomes a commodity, which brings up the argument of creating art for money.

Although Bluebrain hopes to make some money out of it, I don’t think that changes the beauty of the art. I feel that any artist, nowadays, hopes to make money while they do what they love to do because in the end, that’s how our society works. I actually think it’s quite neat that someone was able to come up with this idea and isn’t capitalism supposed to encourage innovation?

Honestly, I find this to be fascinating! I’ve heard a snippet of Central Park (Listen to the Light) here  and I find it to be very beautiful and relaxing.The music is all instrumental and there are few instruments that are interchanged, depending on the track. I think this is a great thing to have for someone who is just looking to have some alone time, strolling down Central Park with some soundtrack music lightly playing. I will surely be downloading this app before it becomes a commodity!

 

Occupy Wall Street and The Attenuating Educational Funds in the Arts

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On Thursday, November 17 , the second-month anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) Movement, the Mobilize for Economic Justice rally in Foley Square took place. It was an event filled with both anger and hope as people including college professors and students, came together to unite in an act of civil disobedience. With the exception of few arrests, this event was suprisingly refreshing; it felt good to hear the many opinions of the people that represent the “99%” who targeted issues such as budget cuts and funding the arts.

One issue that I find to be extremely essential to the OWS cause is the underfunding of the arts in the education system due to budget cuts. In this past fiscal year, budget cuts have had a detrimental affect to the arts-in-education system. In http://www.academyofart.us/budgetcuts.html it explains that because of the economic downfall, budget cuts have increasingly threatened the use of arts in the education system, which is dangerous. Why would it be dangerous? Well, according to the article and the protestors at OWS, funds have been taken away from the arts by placing budget cuts on schools and causing them to cut “the arts” out of the picture. What is being argued is that the arts have an important role on the overall happiness of kids in the education system. Studies showed that test scores went down when schools cut the arts! I find this to be a reasonable and essential argument.

From personal experience, I have seen how budget cuts have affected the lives of kids in the education system. Being that I went to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for Music, Art, and the Performing, I was constantly surrounded by arts which was part of my curriculum. I could say I was lucky enough to not have to experience the major changes others younger than me had to experience in my school. Although, my school was luckily heavily funded, compared to many other schools, there were still some major differences from when I first arrived as a freshman to when I graduated. Music classes were beginning to be weaned out; instead of every student taking 3-4 periods of “studio” classes (depending on your major), they began making the freshmen only take 2-3 classes. Now they may not seem like a big difference, but given that we had a rigorous conservatory-like set curriculum, it seemed almost life-changing because the arts had such a big affect on our lives. Even our major school productions such as the annual musical had to deal with extreme budget cuts. It scary to think that money might change the identity of the “Fame” school!

Although this issue, doesn’t seem to be as important to some people I feel like it holds a great deal of pressure on our future generation. If kids in the present education system don’t have the arts to fall back on that promotes creativity, what to expect of them in the future? Who will be handling our money? It is obvious, they will, and I find it to be reckless that we’re not making this issue a more prominent argument. I can say that I mostly understand the “general” cause of the Occupy Wall Street Movement and mostly agree with it, but I wonder if we should be paying more attention to our future generation…

 

 

 

VocaPeople

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My friends and I were lucky enough to attain student rush tickets for VocaPeople for only $5.00 each. In the end, the show was well worth more than what we paid for.

The show was about eight aliens that landed in New York City from their home planet of Voca. Throughout the entire show, they try to give their rocket energy to return home by making music. All the music was a cappella and they sung a huge variety of songs from classics to oldies to movie soundtracks to current and popular house music all with only their voices and mouths to make sounds that sounded like instruments.

I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing while I was watching this cute little interactive show which I wasn’t expecting. They even made Rosie get up and she became part of the show! The overall feel of this comedic musical was comfortable and silly. It was meant to make you feel good and enjoy the show as it was. It was perfect for all age groups although, there were some parts that seemed not age appropriate for younger kids. But, I realized after that the kids wouldn’t have understood anyway.

Along with being in all white which made them look more comical, the VocaPeople each had their distinct funny traits that went with their voice types or “beatboxing” style. The characters ranged from lead beatboxer, Scratcher, who did just that, made scratching record sounds and the likes to, Bass, who had one of the lowest ranges I’ve ever heard in my life! It was amazing.

I recommend it to everyone! It’s a cute and feel-good show that will leave you humming and singing some of their catchy tunes on your commute back home.

JoBro Joins Broadway for Fans in February

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Nick Jonas, known as the lead singer and songwriter for the pop rock band, Jonas Brothers, has been recruited to be the new spokesperson for Kids’ Night on Broadway this coming February. Having experience in the Broadway scene (no pun intended) and being a favorite for young fans made him the perfect candidate for the job; which involves getting kids and adolescence (6-18 yr olds- yes, that includes us), alike, to come to Broadway shows during the dry season in February by being able to see shows for free with an adult who purchased a ticket. He will also be replacing Daniel Radcliffe’s role in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in late January, which will also bring more audience members for that specific show.

What’s even more amazing, besides Nick Jonas (sorry for my fan-girl sappiness) and free tickets, is that most Broadway shows are participating in this event including the popular (and expensive) shows such as The Lion King, and Wicked. This seems really interesting and will probably really effective in their cause to get more people (with the target at kids) to attend more Broadway shows. I will definitely try to see Wicked during this time, which has been on my “Broadway” bucket list for a LONG time!

I recommend all of us take advantage of this amazing opportunity and be on the look-out for these deals early next year!

To see more Click here!

Baryshnikov Donates His Archive for Aspiring Artists

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Mikhail Baryshnikov, a world-renowned dancer, has decided to donate his collection of videos to the New York Public Library. This collection of hundreds of videos date as early as 1960, when Baryshnikov was still a boy, until the present. He seeks to provide an inspiring and informative archive of information for aspiring dancers and artists, alike. Because Baryshnikov worked with some of the most important and influential people in the dance world, many of those moments and events are stored in his amazing assemblage of videos, making it a hot commodity.

I’m amazed that Mikhail Baryshnikov would donate something so important to him. Baryshnikov was one of my idols when I was an aspiring dancer and I would love to see the videos that he attained over the course of half a century and I’m sure many others would feel the same way.

Click Here to see what Baryshnikov said in an interview about what he hoped his donation would do for the general public and what his collection meant for him!

 

 

 

Memphis!

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On October 1st, I, along with Rosie and Shane, went to see, Memphis, winner of the 2010 Best Musical Tony Award, on Broadway. We originally did not have any idea what Broadway show we wanted to see. We just wanted to see one!

After much deliberation, we decided to head to Memphis to see if they had student rush tickets. They didn’t have them, but they did have relatively cheap tickets available. Once we bought our tickets, we all got really excited- I had seen the show once before and absolutely loved it and wanted to see it a second time, Shane had heard great things about the show (a lot from me) and really wanted to see it, and Rosie had never seen a Broadway show!

After killing some time at Times Square’s famous ToysRUs and buying over-priced candy in order to avoid buying some at the theater, we walked back to the theater. Once we were seated, we started analyzing the theater’s ornate decorations. The consistent gold paint and grandiose chandeliers were the characteristics that gave the theater its old and beautiful charm.

The show began about 30 minutes after we were seated and it started with a rush of amazing choreography and music. Although I knew how the show would end the entire time, I was still completely entranced in what I was seeing and listening to. It was hilarious and I found myself still chuckling minutes after a joke. The music was so catchy that I found myself singing the songs during intermission and after the show. The leads were absolutely amazing and I was in awe of their talent.

When I saw the show the first time, an understudy was playing the part of the male lead, Huey. He was good, but I found his acting abilities better than his vocal ones. And again, the second time I saw the show, an understudy played the role of Huey. However, this understudy was different and had an extraordinary voice. So, I was pleasantly surprised and found this experience to be better than my last (there were also technical difficulties that caused the show to be stopped when I saw it the first time).

I don’t like to give summaries of plots because I, myself, prefer not to know the plot of a broadway show before I see one. But, let’s just say that it’s set in the 50s in Memphis, Tennessee where there before segregation was abolished. The two main characters, Huey and Felicia, who are white and black, respectively, fall in love as they struggle to make their way to success while dealing with social pressures and conflicting dreams and aspirations. Most people would assume that by the end they both become super famous and live “happily ever after.” In fact, it doesn’t end that way which is sort of depressing and refreshing at the same time; you want it to be sappy and predictable, but end up being intrigued when it doesn’t turn out the way you thought it would. That’s all I’m willing to expose.

While watching Memphis!, I couldn’t help but think about the present and how there still is racism and prejudice against races. It was sad to think about, but hopeful too. I think about how far we’ve come since then and I can feel a bit of pride. I can’t even imagine what my life would be like if their still was segregation or if my parents would not have been able to in an interracial marriage (my mother is Dominican, and my stepfather is Polish and Swedish). I don’t want to imagine it, actually.

On a good note, I LOVED Memphis! I recommend it to everyone! The characters are interestingly complex, especially my favorite character, Huey. Shane didn’t like the character so much, so I guess you either love him or hate him. 😀 Either way, the show was great, it’s a must-see, and… HONKEY DO (Huey’s signature saying which had no actual meaning)!!

My Late Review on the 9/11 Memorial Service at The Riverside Church

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On my way over the church, I was feeling, for the first time, nervous about being underground. Hearing about terrorists threats on the 10 year anniversary of that dreadful day had made me extra alert and paranoid while I was attempting to read a book for my Anthropology class. I was slightly uncomfortable and ready to get off the train. Finally, I reached 116th Street and I zoomed out into the street. I eventually met up with some of my peers and we headed off to the church.

When we arrived, I was in awe of its grandeur and aesthetic beauty. I had visited that neighborhood so many times while growing up because I lived in Manhattan and my pediatrician was at St. Luke’s Roosevelt hospital on 113th Street and I NEVER knew such a gorgeous place existed. We quietly sat down as the Queens College Chorus began to take its positions. I believe the chorus sang a SATB Alleluia first. I loved the simple harmonies and the way all the voices were balanced enough to sound like one voice.

The chorus then went on to sing America the Beautiful which was my favorite. I had never heard that choral version and was pleasantly surprised. The soloist had a captivating voice, but I have to admit that the chorus part was my favorite. There were some points in the piece where the chorus made very cool sounds that you find common in a cappella groups. It reminded me of my high school, LaGuardia High School. I found myself closing my eyes and just listening to the music and realizing how much I missed music and being part of an ensemble.

That was how I experienced this service. I felt like maybe it was a sign that I shouldn’t let go of music entirely.

 

Ana’s 9/11 Experience

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Unfortunately, I was unable to successfully upload my video of Ana’s experience.

I will give a brief summary of what she shared with me.

Ana was eight years old and in the third grade on the day of the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. She doesn’t remember much of the specifics, but remembers that she did have to leave school early. What was most memorable to her, on this day, was that she and her family ate at a diner that same night. She remembers hearing her parents discussing what had happened on that dreadful morning and being confused about the tense whispers. So instead of trying to engage in her parents tense conversation, she and her brother entertained themselves by reading about the presidents on their children’s placemats.

Because she was so young and didn’t live in the city, Ana had a completely different experience than of those who were old enough to understand what was going on and lived in the city.