Out of all the trips we’ve went to this semester, this play is the one trip I probably could have seen in my free time. I’ve always loved both Broadway and off-Broadway plays and I secretly wanted to be an actress in my young life (hehe).

I felt that the actors of On the Stool at the End of the Bar really put their heart and soles into the performance. Their talent was undeniable and was definitely something I’ve never seen before. There was intense drama, emotion, and content. As I said in class today, I found the homophobia to be very overwhelming. The “F word,” as Professor Ugoretz called it, is such a hurtful term and so hearing it consistently throughout the play was a lot to take in. Like Farzana, I didn’t realize the play was not meant to be set in the present day. It makes so much sense that it wasn’t because I don’t feel that there is as much homophobia today as their was thirty years ago.

As far as the story line goes, I definitely agree with the idea that if the family knew about Chris’s “situation”from beforehand, there would not be a play at all. I liked how there wasn’t necessarily a “happy ending” because this story could potentially happen in real life and in real life, there usually ISN’T a happy ending. The play actually had a perfect ending in such a way that no one could really determine if it was a happy one or not. The audience got to decide on their own!

I really enjoyed the performance at Carnegie Hall! It was my first time going to a classical music performance which heightened my excitement. I was a little bored during the first act…maybe because I was too excited to hear the Four Seasons. So I definitely preferred the Four Seasons over the first segment, but I really enjoyed both halves of the concert. With my lack of experience and knowledge of classical music, I couldn’t really tell when each season ended and a new one began, but I still knew that my favorite seasons were Winter and Summer (Thanks Hannah for letting me know which was which :)). I especially enjoyed the intensity of Winter and, as Josh said, the change in tempo.

As per the violinists, I felt the same way as Jeanette did in terms of the way they looked like robots! The violin is an instrument that drives the musician into a complicated mental state that they appear as machines.  However, at the same time, I realized the violinists were naturally swaying to their own music! Its so interesting how I found signs of both raw talent and inevitable emotion evoked from the violinists.

Had I not been Jewish, I don’t think I would have understood anything that the speakers discussed. I kept wondering if [most of] the class was able to pay attention not knowing the basis of Jewish food. Even though I’m Jewish, I was very unfamiliar with some of the foods they spoke about because they basically referenced Ashkenazi food and not Sephardic food. Sorry guys about those confusing details that we discussed in class! I really wish they mentioned Sephardic food because I have so many questions regarding that topic.

Otherwise, I thought it was really interesting. I’ve never been to a show or discussion that highlighted Jewish food before. And on the plus side, I’m kind of a foodie so I probably enjoyed this more than the average person.

P.S. Matzah balls are best dense!

1) What is YOUR definition of art? Is it subjective or objective? Is the ratio of artist to a work of art 1:1, or are there really multiple artists responsible for a single work of art?

2) What is (in your opinion) the art “capital” of the world? Why?

Due to religious reasons, I was unable to attend the class where the guest, Amanda, came to introduce the art of opera to us. Therefore, my perception of the opera before that Thursday made a complete 180 degree change once I actually saw it. I expected to watch a single woman dressed in an elegant attire sing “opera” for three hours straight without any interaction with other characters. I thought the ONLY pre-requisite to perform in the opera was to just be able to sing with a distinctly powerful voice. But I was so wrong.

When the curtain was raised, I was confused to see multiple men on stage. Already I knew that this performance was not going to meet my expectations in any way. There were so many aspects that I appreciated at the end of the show- the acting, the obvious vocal talent, the scenery, the costumes, the dances, and most importantly, the perfectly captured emotions. I enjoyed my time in the opera more than I thought I would. I really appreciated that the venue provided us with subtitles in front of us because without them, it would have been way too difficult for me to understand what was going on. However, our seats were rather high and so I didn’t have such a great view of the actual performance.

[The woman who played] Carmen’s ability to show her emotions was undeniable. Even though we were so high up, I still felt her passion. She was a little too provocative for my taste (giggle), but she was really able t0 insert so much drama into the performance. Don Jose bothered me a little with his constant mentioning of his homeland and his mother, but he too was able to give his character the appropriate emotion he deserved.

In class we discussed how the opera being in French obstructed our understanding of the content. I definitely agree with that concept, but would like to just add that this language is so beautiful that I think if it were to be in English, it wouldn’t be as audibly pleasing.

I honestly don’t think I’ll be running with excitement to my next opera experience because of its length and my preference of broadway shows. However, it feels incredible that I can say that I’ve been to an opera at all. It’s something that I’ve always been curious about and I feel very accomplished that I did it. I feel more cultured in a way and it’s really awesome. Thanks Professor Ugoretz!

Before Thursday night, when I thought of ballet, I would think about those dreadful lessons I had as a 7 year old.  My mother forced me into ballet, so I unfortunately didn’t have such great memories of the art. I unfortunately quit ballet, and moved on to hip hop for the next 10 years of my life. I really do love the art of dance; but, ballet was simply not for me. As Alex said, it’s one of the more strict forms of dancing. All I remembered was commands such as, “point your toes,” or “fix your posture!” However, I went into Lincoln Center very excited because

1) I am no longer 7 years old

2) I am not the one that has to point my toes this time (thank gd)

3) I’ve never been to Lincoln Center before

4) Ballet truly is a beautiful art form and this time, I get to enjoy it in the audience!

The first act, while beautiful, was very traditional and simply met my expectations. I went in knowing that I would be in awe at how long the dancers were able to support themselves on literally the tips of their toes. Their elegance was lovely and fluidity through their bodies was incredible. It actually made me wish I was a good ballet dancer when I was younger. I enjoyed this act very much but was excited to see the next because Professor Ugoretz had mentioned that it incorporated a story. The dramatic love triangle drew me into the relatable story and performance. It really captured my attention and helped me to appreciate the emotion behind the performance. The third act was definitely my favorite! I never expected a comedic ballet performance and I was so happy to have seen it. For a few seconds, I actually felt like I was watching a Broadway play (minus the singing of course). It was the perfect entertaining I needed to end off the night. I laughed hysterically and  was still able to notice the incredible talent of all 5 dancers!

In the end, I realized how perfect the setup of the show was. It started with a traditional elegant performance that’s purpose was to reveal the raw talent of the dancers. The second brought about a relatable dramatic story that caused the audience to be emotionally invested. The third brought laughter throughout the theater and lightened the mood after such serious performances. All three performances balanced each other out perfectly, making it an amazing night for everyone in the audience!

I found the 9/11 Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial to evoke very different emotions. When walking around the 9/11 Memorial, I was in awe by the beauty of the waterfall and its purpose as well. I’ve been to this memorial before, but I had no idea that the waterfall was meant to reflect the texture of the towers! That was really meaningful and even cool. My elementary school principal’s son, Marc Zeplin A”H, actually passed away on 9/11. Seeing his name at the memorial was so surreal. Even though I was just in kindergarten, I remember that day clearly. But it wasn’t until I was slightly older that I understood the huge loss some of us were forced to endure. Realizing how many names were listed at the memorial, I started becoming a little emotional. These people thought they were heading to work on just a typical Tuesday morning, but instead they were headed to their unanticipated deaths. They each had unique lives and had to lose them  just because they worked in one of two specific buildings in all of New York City.

I wouldn’t say that I was disappointed by the Vietnam Memorial; I just had a different reaction than I did from the 9/11 Memorial. I felt that the Vietnam Memorial did not have the same amount of recognition than that of the 9/11 Memorial. Maybe it’s because we expect soldier casualties from war, but what happened on 9/11 was an unexpected personal attack on our country. As a class, we were the only people visiting and so I felt that it was slightly neglected. But I still loved reading the letters between the soldiers and their families on the wall. It also made me realize the realistic aspects of war. When a soldier chooses to fight, they leave so much behind. They sacrifice so much for such a noble and heroic purpose.

I have so many pictures from both memorials, but for some reason when I try uploading them it keeps saying error and to try again. I’m so upset because I learned how to use panoramic setting on my phone for the first time and it turned out to be so cool! Its fine though because I’ll just show you all in class.

“Sometimes I feel like the world is a place I bought a ticket to. It’s a big show to me, as if it wouldn’t happen if I wasn’t there with a camera.” After seeing his exhibit, I found brilliance in this statement by Mr. Winogrand.

Before actually visiting the exhibit, I could understand the controversy over the quality of Gary Winogrand’s work. “Does he really deserve to be such a successful photographer if all he does is take everyday pictures of random people in the street?” I’m glad to say that by the end of the exhibit my answer was, “Of course he does!”

There are so many aspects to Gary Winogrand’s work that I love:

1) He titles his photographs with just the location the picture was taken (i.e. “Long Island 1981”). By doing so, he lets us (the viewers) to interpret the photos ourselves and give our own meaning to the moment. He gives us the opportunity to become storytellers.

For example, I personally would title this photo: “A Woman in a Man’s World.” Notice how this woman is surrounded by men and only men. Maybe at this point in history, most women didn’t have careers. But this specific woman seems to be determined and ambitious.

2) The thing about passing somebody by in the street is that the concept of you experiencing that same thing again is practically impossible. Everyday moments are only experienced once. Life passes by quickly and we have to appreciate every moment. By this photographer taking pictures of these moments, it is instantly captured and can always be remembered. Most photographers limit their work to the sole concept of what is beautiful, but Winogrand offers a whole spectrum of everyday life and activities. We would never think to notice a person passing by us on the street, but I’m sure glad he did.

3) Every photo depicts a situation that is relatable to our lives. We can relate more to a photo of 2 average women trying to hail a taxi in New York City, than a photo of a 5’11 airbrushed model advertising a $13,000 watch.

I really loved this exhibit. Gary Winogrand’s work actually reminds me of an Instagram account that I follow. It’s called @humansofNY. The bio of this account states “New York City, one story at a time. Currently on 50 day trips across 10 countries.” Like Winogrand, @humansofNY captures daily life moments all over the world. I strongly recommend checking it out!

[quicktime]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSZtAV4W8JE[/quicktime]

I really love the version of this song. The acoustic version really brings something out of the song that the original does not. I feel like everything about it represents beauty: The instrumental tune, Sam Smith’s voice, the lyrics, and the memory it reminds me of. This song really enraptures me (pun intended!) and I could definitely listen to it on ‘Repeat’ for hours. Hope you all enjoyed it!

To be completely honest, my reaction upon hearing about the “Night at the Museum” was not exactly a positive one. I thought of it as a drag, a hassle, and just another night to spend without my friends who chose other colleges. However, once I actually arrived at the museum, my perspective completely changed. I must admit that the enthusiasm of the Macaulay staff was quite contagious. I could sense the inviting energy from each professor and suddenly I realized that I was actually happy to be here. While having little experience with analyzing art, I didn’t have any personal assurance that I would be able to participate in a 6-sided conversation. I’m pretty sure all the times that I have visited museums were not by choice and were simply school trips. On these school outings, I didn’t really have an incentive to appreciate the art. The only art I knew was “arts and crafts,” and to 10 year old me, the artists in these museums didn’t really understand that concept. So, yeah, you could pretty much call me a “museum virgin.” Being one, I couldn’t help but worry that I would have nothing to say and wouldn’t be able to contribute any interesting input. Putting this fright behind me, I sat in my seat and faced 500 other brains who have probably had way more art experiences than I have.

As we lined up to collect our tape recorders, I joined a group of 6 students who pretty much shared the same enthusiasm as me. We were nervous how our recordings would come out and if we would even be able to say anything at all. When we first started recording our conversations, we found that:

1) we were clearly talking over and interrupting one another

2) and we were trying so hard to interpret the art that it came off forced and unoriginal

However, as we continued through the maze of this museum, we found that our patterns drastically changed. We waited patiently for our group members to finish speaking before jumping in with our own input. We also started asking more intriguing questions; these questions weren’t just directed towards each other, but also toward the artist. We constantly asked: “Why would he do that?!” and “What do you think he was feeling when painting/sculpting this?” We carried conversations of both agreement and disagreement and found beauty in art’s debatable factors.  As a group, we shared a variety of emotions throughout this experience, such as anger, happiness, sadness, and confusion. In a way, this experience helped us bond and get to know each other a lot more than we would in class. It also helped me to slowly come out of my shell and be able to speak freely without any doubts in my opinions. I realized that it was alright having little experience with something like this because there’s a first for everything.

Analyzing art started to feel natural to me. It’s about speaking what’s simply on your mind and, at the same time, accessing a part of your brain that you don’t do on a daily basis. I have definitely come to appreciate this activity and am most definitely no longer a “museum virgin.” I sincerely look forward to the upcoming events at museums!