Macaulay Seminar One at Brooklyn College

I don’t like to dance, but I took dance lessons when I was very young. However, I stopped because I don’t like to dance. After that, I don’t think I ever pushed myself to dance again.

HOWEVER, I love to see people dance. Actually, I wish I could do that and going to the American Ballet Theater was incredible.

I wasn’t too fond of the first act; mostly because I can’t remember it. I guess you do remember the things you like.

The second act and third act were incomparable because they both did different things. I liked them both actually.

The second act was built upon a story and I am very proud of myself that I understood it (haha). It was just really cool how they integrated story and dance together. The costume, lighting, set design was amazing too (mostly because it took 30 min to fix during intermission). I especially liked the lighting because the dancers’ shadows looked like they were floating, which was a pretty cool effect. However, I thought the story kind of dragged towards the end.

The final act was more experimental. I like it more because of the music change and the fast pacing, but it was too short!

Overall, although I prefer other dances over ballet, I really enjoyed my time especially going with a group.

Thursday’s event was my favorite event thus far. Seeing the ballet was an absolutely incredible experience. The way the dancers moved, the costumes, and the sets were beautiful and unbelievable. The first part of the ballet did not have a story and was a very traditional piece. The costumes were standard ballet tutus and the dance was what one would expect when going to a ballet. However, the way the dancers moved and twisted their bodies with such ease was mind blowing. I particularly enjoyed when the entire company was on stage. The shapes and patterns they formed showed the vision of the choreographer. Our seats were especially advantageous and helped us to see the picture the company was trying to create. Also, the chemistry between the male and female dancers looked effortless. In fact, everything the dancers did seemed effortless. Throughout the entire performance they had very emotional or smiling expressions on their faces as they did movements I cannot even dream of doing. The second part of the ballet had a story that went along with it, and the stage was completely transformed by the set and costumes. Although I found this part of the ballet to be a little boring, the way they were able to communicate the story without any words demonstrated true talent. The dancers were able to communicate emotions, events, and even thoughts through their facial expressions and their movements. The third section of the ballet was interesting to me because of the way they used costumes and a very simple set. When the dancers first came out on stage, I thought there costumes reflected different colors when the light hit them, but then I realized that the front was a purplish-gray and the back was a bright pink. Each pair in the duets had the male in a purplish-gray body suit and the female in the pink body suit, perhaps showing the differences between males and females. The company’s two-toned costumes showed that men and women are also very similar. The movements were very beautiful in this section of the ballet as well, and they were enhanced by the symbolism of the costumes.
One thing that I noticed and was interested by was the fact that none of the men were en pointe. While all of the women were en pointe, the men did standard ballet. It is because going en pointe is considered to be more feminine, or is there a better reason for this difference in technique?

I am only titling this as “Vietnam Memorial” because I missed out on going to the 9/11 Memorial. I actually have been to the 9/11 Memorial and I honestly couldn’t do again. Don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful, but the whole thing was just very distraught (at least when I went). I felt more of a connection to the 9/11 Memorial because when I was younger, I used to live in Corona, Queens and I was at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School. Everyday, even if it was foggy outside, I was able to see the twin towers from my room. On 9/11/2001, I was in class and everyone was being taken to go home and I was one of the only ones that was still in class not knowing what happened. When I got home, I looked out my window and all I saw was black smoke in replace of the twin towers. I already knew what had happened, but didn’t know how. I turned on the television to watch cartoons and nothing was on besides the news. Immediately as soon as I realized what had happened, I tried to call my mom because I knew she worked in Manhattan. She wouldn’t pick up and I was worried, but I had my sister and grandmother’s company. She got  home tiredly (she had to walk home from Manhattan) with pictures (that she didn’t allow me to see). For me, the thought that this happened is so unexplainable. Even as a kid, I understood what was going on.

Everyone probably felt differently about the two and they aren’t comparable because it was two totally different events/circumstances/etc.

The Vietnam Memorial had a different feel to it. It’s a vibe that I can’t explain, but it was more mellow to a certain extent. I try to think of the situation the soldiers were in especially as they were writing. When, where, why, how? I obviously won’t understand their exact feelings. As for another story, my step-dad always talks to me about the times he was in Vietnam. He has been on several tours and has experienced many gruesome things. He has weak legs because of all the wounds and scars. His teeth were messed up from being blown up a bit (don’t really know how to describe it as good as him), but fixed. He is infected with Agent Orange. His friends died during and years after the war (because of repercussions). I think to myself that could’ve been him. And that is a sad thought.

P.S. – Sorry for the lateness!

Opera was something that I’ve always held close to my hard and had a great respect for. I guess it brings me back to the times before my mom decided that voice lessons were getting expensive and that I should stop. They were times that I loved and  feared. The fear surprisingly was more from my teacher than the actual performing. While doing scales, she would viciously grab at our diaphragms to remind us to use them for support and pull our chins down so that we could project more. Starting at ten years old, I was probably able to sing opera when I turned twelve and she assigned me the song “Think of Me” from The Phantom of the Opera. It took a long time and it was still really difficult.

This is why I give props to the opera singers I saw that night (it was my first time going to an actual opera). Not only are the notes tremendously high, but they’re moving around, lying down or sitting which is extremely difficult. That skill takes a lot of hard work and dedication.

Despite the fact that I knew I had a biology lab waiting to be done and an 8 AM class the next day, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not only was the singing phenomenal, but the sets and costumes were beautiful. I know the set was either a hit or a miss for most people, but I thought it was so clever in how it sort of let your own mind start imagining the scene because of the simplicity of the actual one. I also loved how the four main characters were wearing all white starting off, and then it started getting stained with green as they ran around the forest. So far, this has been my most favorite experience in Macaulay and think it’ll top the ballet, too but we’ll see. 😉

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Puccini’s Tosca at the Met with my family. Going into it, I knew the opera’s reputation as being one of the finest of its breed, and I knew the major arias, like Vissi d’Arte. All of this prior information, however, did not prepare me for the magnificence that was Tosca. The protagonist, Floria Tosca, is a singer and infamously jealous lover. Her boyfriend, Mario Cavaradossi, is a painter. The basic plot of the opera is that the evil Baron Scarpia gives Tosca an ultimatum: Succumb to my lust, or have your lover Cavaradossi hanged. Feigning agreement, Tosca stabs Scarpia as he goes to embrace her. Mario is killed by what is supposed to be a mock execution, and Tosca commits suicide, as not to be caught for the murder of Scarpia.

What amazed me most about this opera was not just the impeccability of the music, but the complexity of Tosca as a character. She is kind, passionate, and gentle, but at the same time, jealous and fierce. She overcomes her docile nature for the sake of the love she shares with Mario; she slays the Baron to save him. The commitment Tosca has to Mario is beautiful and inspiring, as is this opera as a whole, despite its grim ending. It was so engrossing and enchanting, that even though you could predict the sequence of events after the Baron’s ultimatum, it was still surprising and emotionally debilitating to see the story end in such tragedy. Needless to say, Tosca exceeded by expectations and manipulated my emotions completely.