Macaulay Seminar One at Brooklyn College

1. Why do you think certain specific dance art forms such as ballet or tap dancing were created, and do they accurately express human emotion/ serve as an emotional outlet for an audience and the performer?

2. Why do you think there are “suffering artists”? Can someone be an artist without suffering or being emotional about their work?

1. What is in your opinion the greatest purpose of art? Base your answer on history as well as your own experiences and opinions.

2.Art has often created uproar  over the controversial topics it portrays including portrayals of war, genocide, nudity and other sensitive topics. Should art be censored or does all art possess beauty and artistic value?

1. What type of exhibit would you have wanted us to see, other than the Gary Winogrand?

2. What is your favorite form of art? (music, performance, etc.)

THE BALLET

The ballet was very surprising to me. I was of the impression that ballet was stiff, boring, and only for old people. When I saw Fancy Free about the sailors having a night on the town, I was totally impressed. Although it wasn’t the traditional form of ballet and reminded more of regular dance, it was funny, lighthearted and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My favorite though, was the Lilac Garden. The dancers played their parts so well and it was incredibly easy to follow the story even though there were no words. The end was really sad when she ends up actually going through with the marriage. The only thing that bothered me was the wardrobe for the women. They were all wearing long dresses that went down to their ankles. I though this took away from the grace and technique that characterizes ballet. All in all i though it was great. I would have never expected to enjoy it. Ballet is definitely a beautiful form of art.

THE OPERA 

The opera was actually a really interesting experience. The opera house itself is the largest of the three buildings in Lincoln Center. The sheer size and look of the building was really beautiful. The day Amanda came to teach us about opera, when she sang it was amazing. Her voice reverberated throughout the entire floor of the building. Our seats were really high up and the singers’ voices did not have the same power and effect as that day in the classroom. Even so I was very impressed at the various elements that are incorporated into an opera; singing, acting, and even dancing were a part of the show. I honestly think it was a bit long however. The story seemed to drag on in various parts and by the end I was getting a bit restless. Nevertheless Carmen was a really great show the emotion that is so characteristic of opera is what made me fall in love with it. I will definitely go back if I ever get the chance

Just like the ballet, I have had zero experience with the opera.I am however a huge fan of classical choral music which this opera reminded me of. The opera however had many differences from what I normally sing in a choral setting. What really stood out to me was the skill that the singers, orchestra and cast had. Its amazing that such a large opera house was filled with the sound of a pure human voice without the help of any microphone. Carmen is definitely not one of the easier works to perform but it revealed to me how talented these performers were. Everything from the set construction, to the costumes, to the performances reveled the amount of work and dedication that goes into being an opera singer.

Everything about the opera revealed the years of history and hard work behind it. I thought to myself how well the opera house was structured and built so that sound could carry all the way to the topmost level of the hall. The atmosphere carried years of tradition with it. The audience was extremely respectful toward the opera which was interesting to see especially when cell phones went off. Overall the opera was a great experience in which I enjoyed a different style of singing which I love and enjoy.

I’ve never seen a ballet performance on any scale, amateur or professional. My limited knowledge of the ballet is from television and seeing characters on different shows attending the ballet. The ballet was my first experience with a formal aspect of “arts in New York City.”

What stood out to me first was the atmosphere of the ballet. I loved how everyone respected the performers and the ballet itself. The audience was extremely respectful and nothing really distracted me from the ballet. I felt that there was an understood reverence for the ballet from the way in which people watched it. The show itself was extremely diverse. The three shows covered a broad spectrum of emotions which really gave me the full experience of the ballet as an art from. I personally loved the last show because the music was composed by a Leonard Bernstein who is a personal favorite of mine. The dancers did an amazing job bringing this wonderful music to life. The dance and music aspects were not independent but went perfectly hand in hand with each other which I loved.

Q:  If anything could be art, then nothing is art. Where do you draw the line between art and something else? Is it even possible to define art? Is it purely subjective (based on individual opinion) or does there exist a style or work that is objectively worthy of the title of “art”?

1. How has your perception of art changed/improved throughout your experience in visiting and learning about different types and aspects of art? Do you now see art in different things that you wouldn’t have described as “art” beforehand?

I definitely do. However, not exactly the foods they spoke about. I was kind of annoyed that they didn’t speak about more of the Middle Eastern foods because that’s what Jewish food is to me. But we were warned that they were going to talk about Ashkenazi (European) Jewish food and not Sephardic (Middle Eastern) Jewish food, except for Na’ama who brought Israeli and Iraqi food to the table (barely in my opinion).

During the discussion I kept wondering to myself–and to Miriam– how much of all of this is most of the class getting. I think I followed pretty much the whole thing because I understood the foods they were talking about and the words they were saying. That, I would, is what allowed me to enjoy this event.

If I didn’t know what they were talking about, and if it was totally foreign to me, then I don’t think that I would have enjoyed the event as much. It was pretty funny to hear them say “trayf” (not-kosher) and “kubbeh.” And whenever there was a joke, I laughed right along with the rest of the audience.

At one point during the event I thought to myself that they were discussing the history of the Jewish food in New York. Food. That’s what we’re talking about. And then I realized that yes, it is something worth talking about. It should definitely be considered a type of art; people really love making, preparing, looking at and especially eating the food. It’s something the mostly everyone enjoys.

I really enjoyed the Q&A part. There were a few questions that I really thought were good and that I was thinking about beforehand or that really made me think. Others were just amusing to listen to and amusing to hear the answers/responses. It was a really interesting event. I’m glad I got to go.

1) Would art exist independently of human existence?  Why?

2) Do limitations on art stimulate or hold back creativity?