Category — Dance/The Body/Sport

A few weeks ago I was able to attend a cultural show filled with music and dancing. I got to experience Indian dancing at its finest. Since I believe art to be a form of expression, I believe that dancing can be considered a form of art. Also dancing can fall under the concept of “something hard done well” and made to look easy. Dancing requires skill and practice and even talent. However dancers make it seem really easy to glide across the stage.

While watching the performances at Brooklyn College’s Desi Club Night I was able to recognize the art of Indian dancing. Indian dancing is a lot of hand movement and eye movement. Wherever the hand goes, the eye follows. While dancing, the dancers have expressions that portray the feeling of the music that they are dancing to. This I believe is true art in that even the audience can feel the happiness or even sadness of the singer through the dancers move. It truly inspires me to get out there and try. The body movements seem so effortless and are done with such precision that I consider this to be art. Since we were unable to see a dance performance this year as a class trip I’m glad I was able to still visit one.

Last night, at the Nets and Knicks game, I started to realize many things that I wouldn’t have otherwise realized about Madison Square Garden. Because I’m the least interested in basketball in our trio (Me, Ronny, and Danny), I was able to just look around and enjoy the scenery while the game was going on and not feel bad about missing out. I’d like to first start with the jerseys which i think are one of the most interesting things about basketball. Each team gets a specific jersey so it is kind of interesting to me to see what each team has on their jersey. I really like the Nets Logo, even though its simply just a picture of a bridge with the word BROOKLYN written on it. I feel like even though it is plain and simple it gives people a sense of pride in their borough. Almost half the stadium donned a Brooklyn Nets jersey or Hat and I started to realize how Flashy and Artistic Jersey designers have to make their jerseys. People who watch the sport are going to want to buy the jersey of their favorite player but they wouldn’t want to if the jersey looked ugly. There is some sort of artistic element in the way jerseys are made so that it can appeal to the masses.

The other thing I noticed was the way the game was played kind of reminded me of a nicely choreographed performance. When you think about it, each team has their own set of plays that they have practiced and are now performing for us the people to watch and enjoy. Sounds kind of similar to a theatrical event if you ask me. Not only that, but some of these players are so nimble on their feet that it is just amazing to see. Some of them are so light on their feet that if they weren’t so tall, I swear they would make great Ballet dancers.

Finally, Madison Square Garden itself is just beautiful. You got the Large pictures of the knicks players on the walls. The mass of people wearing blue and orange just adds a nice tone to the garden. Even the court has like a nice glow to it. Whoever designed this building made sure that even though it is a sports arena, it had to be aesthetically pleasing to people

Wednesday night, in celebration of the completion of our first semester of college, Ronny, Fady, and myself went to the Knicks VS. Nets game. It was quite an enjoyable experience for me. I was able to see how the body can really be a form of art. The point guard, Raymond Felton, threw the center, Tyson Chandler many alley-oop passes and one one of them, Chandler even finished it without looking at the hoop. It was truly a sight to behold. The game and the atmosphere were very exciting, as the Knicks won by a comfortable margin, much to our delight. It was especially fun watching the battle between Knicks and Nets fans and how the arena was split between each team. I would definitely consider basketball an art, especially the way Chandler and Felton worked together so nicely. A perfect example of our definition of “something difficult done well.”

Here is the video of Chandler’s alley oop dunk that I mentioned.

To get an idea of what the circus performance is like, you should first watch this trailer, although keep in mind that it doesn’t do the show any justice:

Now to the actual review. I saw this circus performance early during the semester, and it was AMAZING. I’d gladly go watch it again several times. It took place in Radio City Music Hall. The auditorium is gigantic, with seats several stories high, similar to the Metropolitan Opera.

Sitting in one of the front rows, I took a look behind me and saw how the walls are decorated with images of people sitting to watch a show. It gives the illusion that there are way more people than there really are. This was a clever trick done by whoever designed the place.

When the show began, we were introduced to a mad scientist who made strange creations. Among the first of his creations was the people in first act of the show, which were a group of dancers. This and other methods were used to transition between the acts, making them seem like a story line. Similarly, the whole show had a very gothic theme. The show also felt bad-ass and nothing else in the world seemed to matter. This wasn’t your typical tent circus with cute animals; this was a hardcore show.

The acts themselves were mesmerizing and unique. All of the dancers were very skilled. The music made you gawk at what was being presented. Gymnasts did feats that you would never see anywhere else. In one act, they stood inside human-sized hula hoops, holding on to the the edges, looking like the Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci. Within these hula hoops, they would roll across the stage into various formations pleasing to the eye.

Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci

In one act, an artist made images with sand. Using sand on top of a plate of glass, the woman would draw images in the sand with her hands. Light is projected through the glass so we can all see what she is drawing. At the end of her act, she drew an intricate spiderweb. Then, bam! The curtains open up and we see the same spider web constructed out of rope, with gymnasts dressed as spiders crawling all over it.

Intermissions between acts showed clowns who enacted very funny scenes. They picked on audience members, and used a very classic “Charlie Chaplin” style of comedy.

There were many other acts involving dangerous stunts, too many of which to describe in detail. All of the acts transitioned into each other, with a clown intermission in between. A viewer would never be bored. The main reason I enjoyed the show so much is because of the emotion it gave me. The show just burns with passion, confidence, and fierceness. It’s always very difficult to convey those emotions in a work of art. The creators deserve much honor for what they’ve accomplished. When the show ended, I felt like I was only there for an hour, although I’m sure it went on for longer. I wanted to see more. “Epic” is an overused word, and many things that are described as “epic,” don’t deserve that adjective tied to them. However, this show could definitely be categorized as epic. It’s a must-see.

For our assignment, we had to print a picture of the body. My printer did not have ink, so I decided to upload the pictures instead. As you can tell, these are pictures of people dunking. I believe the elegance (in Jordan’s dunk) and the power (in LeBron’s dunk) conveyed by their bodies make these a work of art. It can also be considered artistic how they show the limits of the human body by doing these athletic dunks. In one case, a commentator likened a dunk to the act of flying.