Macaulay Seminar One at Brooklyn College

I spent all summer participating in a program that was housed on west 65th street, a short two minute walk from Lincoln Center, although I had never gone in. Lincoln Center has always been in my mind this otherworldly, magical place that contained fabulous people and things. Going to the ballet the other night gave me a little glimpse of that. Just attending any sort of show at night in Lincoln Center was fantastic–all the lights and people and fancy dresses.

The show itself was lovely. I loved the progression it took from classical and traditional to contemporary and then to downright theatrical and funny. And through it all, it was beautiful. After the first performance ended, I must admit I was a bit dubious of this whole ballet “thing.” The entire time I kept thinking about how restrained it looked, how formal it was. I felt like they were performing for me; I wanted to feel like I had just stepped into someone else’s world, into the world of a dancer without her knowing I was there. I was supposed to be an onlooker. But instead I felt like they were putting on a show specifically for the audience. And maybe it should be like that, but I didn’t want that. The other two certainly made up for it. They held the same grace and composure as they had in the first one, but they were also looser and more relaxed and, most of all, they told a story, which is what I wanted so desperately to see. The second one really pulled at my heartstrings; I felt sad, heartbroken for the mismatched lovers. And the last one exhibited a different emotion in me: humor and lightness, but still legitimately felt.

Dance has always been something I love (and something I wish I could do). I love observing the elegant motions of the body and the incredible way in which it moves across the stage. Dance is simply awe-inspiring. Clearly I’m jealous of all those who can dance. But as long as I can be engrossed in it by being a mere onlooker, I think I’ll be alright.

It’s hard for me to formulate my thoughts on the ballet performance properly. Ultimately, I’d like to say that I enjoyed this ballet far more than I had expected. I’ve never been one who appreciates art on more than just a surface level, but this seminar has definitely changed that. The performances left me wowed by the beautiful dances and the aesthetic beauty of the dancers.

However, the first act- though I appreciated the skill and dedication that was evident in every movement made- was my least favorite. To be fair I’ll say that the first act was the only type of ballet I had known to exist before Thursday night, so I had expected it to be a bit more moving and inspiring, since ballet is supposedly an amazing form of art. I didn’t realize that some of the more moving and inspiring dances came in totally different forms, like the second act. That first act had expectations way too high to meet. I didn’t realize that there were so many different types of ballet, each with its own purpose.

In all honesty, I’ve been trying to wrap my head around the idea that the third act was actually a ballet. I feel more inclined to call it a performance that incorporates ballet but is not a ballet in itself. I just don’t feel comfortable calling that a ballet. Does that make sense?

Also, regarding something Prof. Ugoretz mentioned in class: ballet is soooooooo about the physical beauty and movement of the human body. That sounds like a really simple statement, but what I mean to say is that all of the dance moves skillfully and beautifully communicated different feelings, and many of them were very suggestive. There’s just so much more to ballet than I have ever or probably will ever understand!

SIDE POINT: Why is “theater” spelled “theatre” if it is clearly the American Ballet Theatre!? It is clearly not the British Ballet Theatre. These spelling things confuse me sometimes.

I had no idea what to expect from the ballet, but turns out that I loved it so much that I asked my mother to buy us tickets to go see the Nutcracker together. The only word that I can use to describe the ballet is MAGICAL. Everything about the entire experienced provoked this feeling of enchantment, from the Lincoln Center Square, to the performance hall, and of course to the ballet itself.
I loved how the ballet was split up into three different performances. My favorite act was the dance that gave the story of the forbidden love, that was basically a story of a love triangle. Since I am not a dancer and I don’t have much experience with it, I was shocked to find myself really understanding the entire dance and I was able to figure out which characters were the bride-to-be, the fiancee, the lover, and the mistress. I couldn’t take my eyes off the stage the entire time. The other two scenes were also very enjoyable and I loved how they added a comedy aspect to the ballet because I always associated ballets with just a romantic aura, but it showed me that imagination can go beyond anything we expect. I am so grateful to have been able to experience the ballet and get that feeling of magic within me.

Walking off the train got me somewhere I never expected to be. For someone who has lived in New York her whole life, it’s actually crazy that I’d never been to Lincoln Center before Thursday Night. Getting dressed up and meeting up with our class was a great experience. Lincoln Center was beautiful and I really enjoyed looking around at how nicely the whole area was put together. The fountain was stunning. I loved getting together with my peers to watch something that I’ve never had much interest in and being able to really enjoy it. I never went to a ballet before and it definitely was different from what I expected. I don’t even know how to describe the night, but it was incredible. The way the ballerinas (and male dancers) made it look so easy was crazy. I really couldn’t understand how hard the moves had to be to do and I still can’t. They looked flawless. At first, I doubted the order of the three ballets, thinking that maybe the last should go first. I thought that because it gives you a kind of rush, it would make you want more. After speaking to everyone else though, I changed my mind. The order was perfectly thought out. First came the traditional stuff, the parts that you expect to see when coming in. That stuff would seem boring after the last ballet, but just seemed beautiful when it was placed first. I also loved how at the end they incorporated all different kinds of dances and performed it into a ballet. It was lovely to watch and also had its funny perks.
It was great and I really enjoyed the experience.
I was nice and decided not to post the pictures. (Alex and Farzana)
(:

It’s almost impossible for me to write this post considering I was speechless after walking out of Lincoln Center Theatre… It was simply perfect.  I had done ballet for about two or three years and seeing them on stage made me miss it so very much.  Dance would have to be one of my top three favorite forms of art.  I feel dance is something almost everyone can relate to.  Its something we do every day, whether we realize it or not, with body language; it’s all about inner expression through, the simple idea of, movement of the body.  I defiantly got that from the dancers at the performance the other night.

Ballet is known to be one of the more strict forms of dancing.  However, I still got a sense of emotion, passion, expression, and all the elusive characteristics art has to offer through the slightest movement of the dancers.  Though what I noticed the most was the placement of the head, over exaggerated character movement and the connection the dancers made with each other and the audience.

I remember after the first act turing around and talking to (who, if I remember correctly, was Norma) and saying how I felt the dancers were not completely in sync with one another.  She agreed and we found it a little strange.  But it was, without a doubt, made up for during the next two pieces; I was blown away completely.  While watching I was just amazed how communication was established.  There was a presence of bodies on stage and no words were spoken, yet almost everyone in that theatre was on some sort of elevated emotional level.  I of course admired the artistic genius behind the performance but was reminded constantly of the physical demands this art form demands.  It was beyond impressive to see the, almost super human, stamina, balance, and strength; all while being graceful, and seeming weightless, made it that much more impressive.  Leaving the theatre speechless, holding on to all the emotions that were given to me, somewhat as a gift, was something that I never want to forget.

I was really excited to see the ballet, and for good reason… I loved it! To begin with, I love to go to Lincoln Center (not that I’ve been there so many times beforehand, only a few). I love the feeling right before we go in to see the performance; all dressed up, excited for what is to come, anticipation for the feelings I’m going to get from the performance…

So about the ballet. I really was amazed by it all. During the first ballet I started to notice that the ballerinas weren’t all in synch with each other. I got a little disappointed, but then I realized that I can’t even do a quarter of what they’re doing so who am I to criticize? After those thoughts I decide to focus on the actual movements of the body.

As I looked at their legs moving so gracefully, I thought that it is something that should be so effortless, but it’s not. I started to think of the way we all walk on a regular basis. Now, it seems so clunky and ungraceful. When we were going back home, I wanted to badly to be able to dance like a ballerina, so gracefully.

Another thing I thought when I payed attention to all their movements was yoga. I just did a yoga class this week and it was really hard for me, well, because I’ve only done yoga once or twice before in my life. Some of the dance moves that the dancers performed reminded me of some yoga positions. For example, in the last ballet, one of the sailors was standing on top of the bar and quickly changing positions. A lot of those positions were the same, or similar, to some of the positions that were really hard for me to do because of balance and flexibility.

Noticing how precise each move is really made me realize how hard it must be to keep a perfect form. Ballet really requires a balanced, flexible, strong body. Plus I love how well they can portray a story and evoke emotions (like in the second performance) without speaking, just body language. It was really beautiful to watch. Props to all you ballerinas and male dancers out there!

P.S. I really enjoyed hanging out with all you guys… You made it even more enjoyable than it was already!

This was not my first time going to the 9/11 memorial. I had visited when it was newly opened and you needed tickets to enter. This time was entirely different. I was immediately surprised at how many people were actually at the memorial. When we met up at the corner I actually thought it was just a park. The memorial itself was not what I expected I don’t really understand the concept of two black holes in the ground. Seeing the water descend into nothing inspires a somber mood, but not one that particularly made me remember those who lost their lives and how horrifying that day was. The fact that there was all these tourists around posing and smiling taking pictures really bothered me I feel as though the memorial did not do a good job of portraying its true purpose.

The Vietnam War Memorial was a completely different experience. When we got there, the sun was beginning to set and there was no one around. It really didn’t look like much at first but as I got closer i could see there was writing on the mural. This to me was the most important element of the memorial. There was a letter from a soldier to his girlfriend saying how he cant get the images of his friends’ gruesome deaths out of his mind. This was very powerful it made me think and appreciate the sacrifice of those soldiers.

This was the first time  I attended both the 9/11 and Vietnam Memorials. I was shocked at the difference of the two.

The 9/11 memorial to me is beautiful from an architectural and artistic point of view. I loved the square shape of the memorial. The waterfall streaming from the sides of the memorial looked beautiful. But what scared me was that the water was flowing into a black hole. Looking at the hole, I had an eery feeling. I kept thinking about how the water was streaming down into the hole and into nothingness. I began to think about all of the people who died from the tragedy of 9/11. I did not want their legacy and memory to go into nothingness. I wanted people to remember Frank c. Salvaterr and Dowell Jr. who perished on 9/11. I wanted people to realize how crazy 9/11 was. How crazy the people who were behind 9/11 were. I want someone to make sure that this never happens again. At the memorial I took a picture of 3 names and a rose. The rose signified that it was the person’s birthday recently. The whole time I kept thinking about how that family is never going to be able to spend another birthday with their loving relative.

I was shocked to see that there were no people at the Vietnam memorial. The memorial was dark and drab with not a single person in sight. I felt bad that no one was at the memorial. There were millions of people at the 9/11 memorial. I felt as if the Vietnam memorial was neglected. I loved the letters that were written across the Vietnam memorial. One of the letters that stood out to me was: I just wanted to let you know that I am OK… Love Kenny. I could imagine that his parent’s must have been so happy to receive a letter that their son was OK. I know I would be.

Memorials to me are a great idea. It is a great idea to build something that represents something that happened in order for everyone to know and remember what happened. By seeing a memorial people will learn to never forget. Memorials are a good way to help people deal with their pain experienced by the tragedy. When people see the 9/11 memorial for example, they know that they are not alone. Other people lost people from 9/11 and there are families that know what they are going through.

Both the 9/11 museum and the 9/11 memorial are powerfully striking. They are extremely well structured and trigger deep emotions in visitors.

The memorial’s use of water is interesting. The square gap in the ground creates a feeling of absence. The water flowing into the large hole appears to symbolize life going down the drain. Furthermore, the seemly endless second square that the water flows into appears to indicate that the civilians’ lives are eternally lost and mourned over.

The museum’s use of space and light is extremely effective in portraying the story of 9/11. Upon entering the exhibit, there is a large picture of the New York City Skyline. A shadow is cast upon the upper left corner of the photo–coming from the darkness of the following exhibit. This shadow appeared to be approaching the towers. This was very well done because the variation in lighting served to symbolize the impending doom approaching the World Trade Center.

The museum also tugged on my emotional strings because of the way it is personalized. Throughout the museum, there are different gadgets available to pick up that one puts to one’s ear to hear audio recordings. Some devices play dialogue between staff involved in handling the 9/11 attack. You can hear the shock and fear in their voices. There are also powerful recordings that play the messages family members left for their loved ones while on the doomed flights. They were forced to tell their families that they were on a hijacked plane and they hope they will make it home, but that the chances of making it off the plane safely were not in their favor. Passengers were expressing their love for their families and their distress regarding their horrible fate. This was extremely powerfully striking and evoked a sense of sorrow and empathy. Unfortunately, the people who made those calls never got to speak to their families again.

Freedom Tower

Projection of photos taken on 9/11/2001 depicting people’s reactions upon seeing the destruction that took place on that day.

Projection of photos taken on 9/11/2001 depicting people’s reactions upon seeing the destruction that took place on that day.

The class trip to both the 9/11 Memorial and the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial was not my first time visiting those places. I’ve passed by the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial frequently and glanced at it a few times, and I’ve visited the 9/11 Memorial on numerous occasions. I always have something new to think about when I visit the latter. Growing up and going to school a few blocks from the WTC buildings has given me a unique perspective on the incident. I was in Kindergarten when the planes struck and brought down the Twin Towers. My family had to stay at my uncle’s in New Jersey for over a week until we were cleared to come back to Battery Park City. I wasn’t quite old enough to fully acknowledge the catastrophe when it happened, but I’ve developed a deeper understanding of it as I grew older.

I truly appreciate the scale of the memorial pools and think that they represent the memory of the people and the buildings quite well. The fact that it’s a commonplace for hundreds of people to convene and experience the grandeur of the event and the memorial itself is very impressive. Looking at the memorial as a work of art, I always enjoy the texture and shine of the water, which to me looks like the facade of the Twin Towers themselves. The fact that the names of every person who died as part of the attacks are a part of the memorial evoke a sense of unity between all the mourning families and even others just admiring the memorial. Another noticeable aspect of the pools/fountains is that you can’t see the bottoms. From what I’ve heard this represents the idea of eternity, specifically how the event will never be forgotten. I wish we would also have had the chance to go to the museum there too as it’s equally as impressive, if not more.

The Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial is quite different from the 9/11 Memorial in terms of size, media, and popularity. As opposed to two large, deep pools, this memorial consisted of a medium-sized wall of glass panels. The wall was inscribed with quotes and letters from soldiers, their family members, and military officials. The outstanding effect of this was a sense of reluctance. All of the inscriptions conveyed this feeling in their text, and it was exacerbated by the fact that there were so many and that the fonts were often small and difficult to read without proper lighting. Also this sense was heightened by my own fatigue and the fact that our class was the only group of people viewing the memorial. Despite this I still enjoyed the memorial and appreciated its differences from the 9/11 Memorial.