Category — Drama

This trip was by far my favorite! I loved it. It wasn’t like the previous trips where I had to struggle to feel connected. I was mesmerized by the story from beginning to end. As one shock led to another which led to another and so on, I could not lose my focus. The story was really intense and my emotions were definitely swayed by it. I keep wanting to cry, but then kept laughing at points too. It was such a weird mix of emotions, but that’s what made it so special. I actually felt connected to the story. Sitting there and watching it, I knew it was fake; however, my reactions to it couldn’t be more real. I really was looking forward to the play before we went but it definitely was not what I expected. It surpassed my expectations by so much and it was a great way to end our trips. After the show, a bunch of us were all just talking and the excitement about the performance was amazing. We kept wanting to recreate it in our own way for class because we loved it so much. I think that’s true art. When you look at art and have the urge to do some of it also, then you know it truly affected you. So happy I came.
Going to miss this class.
Love you guys

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!

When I went to the opera, I expected to enjoy the experience more than the actual opera. After I went to the opera, I found I enjoyed the actual opera more than the experience.

I was not expecting the opera to resemble a play or a show. The singers are also actors and there were actual sets. Not only was I surprised by the sets, but also I was also surprised that they moved and turned. The actual opera, the singing and acting, was my favorite part of the opera because I was not expecting much. I my mind, I picture singers on a stage, singing a play or performance. Similar to script reading, only the script is being sung.

However, I think I would have enjoyed the opera much more if I could see the singers/actors closer and if I could hear them better. I now know that they were singing without microphones and I know that it is amazing that their voices could fill the opera house like that, but I wanted to feel the music the way I did when Amanda Hick sang to the class. I know people probably say this all the time, but when Amanda sang to us, I literally got chills. I was also battling with looking at what was happening on the stage and reading the subtitles. I wish I understood French or that I had shut the subtitles off and just watched the opera.

I think I understood and I actually enjoyed the opera because I could follow the storyline. I understood that Carmen was meant to be this temptress and how she could ruin a character like Don Jose. She was very seductive and so willing to use her sexuality to get what she wants. She used it to wield this power and have men almost worship her. Don Jose gave up everything for her until he went mad. I also think I was expecting the opera to be so dramatic, similar to a Shakespearean tragic play.

Unfortunately, I was extremely uncomfortable while watching the opera. There wasn’t much room for my legs, not that I have long legs, but I get fidgety and I like to cross my legs. I did not have the room to do so. The velvet seats, although nice, were creating a wardrobe malfunction. Every time I would slide off or on the chair, the friction between the velvet and my jeans would pull my pants down. Not lying. And I just kept thinking about how uncomfortable I was the whole time. However, the velvet on the stairs and the giant chandelier were absolutely stunning. The chandelier looked like an explosion of beautifully shard glass.

I think I am ambivalent about my opera experience. I don’t want to say I liked it because there were things about it that I did not like and I don’t want to say I hated it because there were things I liked about it. I think if I ever get the chance to go again, I will definitely shut the subtitles off, pay attention to the seat choice, and wear a belt.

The American Ballet Theatre was absolutely beautiful. From the sets, to the dancers, to the music, everything was beautiful. Every single “act” brought something new to the performance and I enjoyed every single one.

The first act, “Sinfonietta,” seemed to be about symmetry. There was no real set during this act, which made me think that the focus must really be the dancing. The choreography seemed to alternate between one, to two, to a group of dancers. The dancers did a lot of running and jumping in this act. I noticed that they made the choreography look so easy, when I know it is not. I know that the dancers have to be in control of almost every muscle in their body during the dance. I cannot imagine the work and hours of practice that went into each practice. However, something I did notice that bothered me was the actual sound of the dancers shoes hitting the stage. For some reason, the sound of the ballerinas coming down on their feet distracted me from the actual dancing and the orchestra too. I know it is foolish to be bothered by it because these dancers are coming down on their feet with their full body weight and coming down after being so high off the stage. Still, the sound bothered me and I found myself paying attention to it often. The music in “Sinfonietta” was high-spirited and mimicked the high-energy dancing. I was heavily relying on the orchestra for some kind of story line, but then again, I think this act was meant to focus more on the actual dancing and choreography and not on a story line.

The second act, “Jardin aux Lilas,” was the most emotionally touching act of the entire night. This act’s story line was taking place in a garden, which was beautifully created on the stage, where there is a farewell party. The garden party is meant to celebrate or focus on a soon to be married couple, however, it ended up focusing on the tension between lovers. The bride appeared to be set up, or arranged to marry a much older gentleman, whose costumes varied much differently from the rest of the dancers. There was a longing between the bride and the man she truly loved and wanted to be with. The audience is left hoping and expecting a final kiss between the bride and the man she wants to be with. Unfortunately, this final, farewell kiss never comes. There is also tension and a different sense of longing between the groom and his mistress. The theme that rang through this act was yearning and longing. I also thought that this choreography told the story of how unfortunate life can be. Both the groom and the bride seemed to be aware that they would not be happy in this forced union and wanted to be with other people. This specific act, more so the scenery and set, reminded me of Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Nights Dream. I actually think someone(s) in the class mentioned it during the act. Something I think that is important to notice is that the title of this act, “Jardin aux Lilas,” means “Lilac Garden” when translated into English. The thing to note is that lilacs represent the emotions of love, which I see very fitting for this act. The dancing obviously mimicked longing and orchestra played softly. The music made me feelsad and almost depressed.

The third and final act, “Fancy Free,” was my personal favorite. This specific act seemed to be more along the lines of modern ballet, not that I would know (this was my first time seeing a ballet). The story was about three, humor-filled sailors. The sailors were spending “a night on the town” when they started competing for the attention of two dames. The sailors were competing for their attention and almost asking the women, “Pick me, pick me, pick me.” Their dancing was high-spirited. I almost forgot that I was watching a ballet when one of the dancers jumped on the bar table and jumped back off. The choreography of the dancing captured the humor between the sailors. At one point the sailors burst into fighting each other in a very sill manner that was hard to take seriously. The orchestra, of course captured this silliness. The music was light-hearted and I think it was also meant to capture the time period in which this story would take place, perhaps the 1940s or 50s. The way the act ended was neither woman choosing a sailor, I think they just walked out of the bar and in the middle of their fighting, the sailors did not notice. However, a third woman comes out and the cycle starts again.

     I definitely see myself going to another ballet in future. The only things I did not like about the ballet were the actual sound of the dancers shoes hitting the stage floor and the amount of clapping the dancers received. I did notice that the curtain was lifted around three times and the clapping continued for quite a long time. I thought this was basically feeding the dancers’ egos. However, after I thought about it, I think they deserved it. They made each movement and motion look so graceful and beautiful. I cannot imagine the amount of energy that went into each performance and I think that it is appropriate that their hard work be appreciated with a few rounds of clapping.

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!

Although I was too short for the seat I was sitting in, I really enjoyed the opera. It’s my second time attending an opera. Both times I found myself thinking that I wish I knew the language so I could just watch instead of going back and forth to reading the screen in front of me (which was especially annoying because I only needed my glasses for the stage, so handling them was quite bothersome when I wanted to read the words). However, I realized that most people in the theatre probably don’t understand the language (just my assumption), and thought that maybe it’s apart of the art… I don’t know.

Anyway… Regardless of those small complaints, I still enjoyed watching the opera. I like the story line. It’s pretty cool that the main character is a gypsy because it’s like the hipsters of our time (free love for everyone-peace). Their voices are amazing! The fact that they are able to sing the way they do is incredible!

Within the dialogue there were a bunch of references to previously said things. For example, in the very first scene with Micaela, the guards call her a bird that is flying away (out of the fence—like a cage)… They’re potential love interest just flew away. That was explained when Carmen started talking about Love as a bird that can’t be caught or caged. That was cool to notice.

Also, I don’t know how true or consistent this is, but Carmen first warned the men that if they love her, she won’t love them back (and beware). Don Jose didn’t love her back and that’s why she loved him (she loves the one who doesn’t say anything). Then he starts to voice his love for her and she starts to lose interest in him… She warned him!

Of course I have to mention the last act! The bull fight in the arena and the fight between Don Jose and Carmen were happening at the same time to play off of one another. It went even further to show that just as Carmen was killed, the bull was killed too… Or maybe Carmen was the bull. A wild thing that couldn’t be contained and was finally put to death. That was great!!

And shoutout to a lot of you—Alex and Ana Luiza in particular—for adding to the entertainment. 🙂

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.

[quicktime]http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/ugoretz14/files/2014/09/Art-Relfection-Video1.mov[/quicktime]