Dance Afrika

In the Chicago Tribute there was an article of dance Afrika. Dance Afrika came to Chicago last weekend and performed Friday and Saturday. In the article the Williams, who started Dance Afrika in the early 1990's talked about the form of stepping. He explained how stepping has been around for a long time. It started in colleges when blacks decided to make their won fraternities and sororities. It starts as back as the 1950's. Was kind of whatever. People didn't really get into the stepping until movies came out showcasing this art form. But it had already been around. The author in the article wanted was the readers to understand stepping didn't come out of no where but is deeply rooted in the African heritage and culture. Comparing how steeping is looked at in a new way than before. Now stepping is a mainstream thing when before it was just for fraternities and sororities performing this sometimes complicated foot movement. I also think the author wanted us the reader to understand that stepping like any other dance form has history and was performed by others before, and later the movement was borrowed ad changed and was given a new meaning and name.

jim

jim hall a musician who in his years has played with many artists in his time. He is old and decrepit but still doing it what he loves. The author of the story makes a comparison between pat methane and Jim not so nice but as to give the reader a since of how good he is. In the story the author seems to have a sort of soft spot for Jim explaining how Jim spent most of his time fidgeting in the positions of his chair because he had just gotten back surgery. Throughout the article the author seems to have a soft spot for jim because of his age and gives him praise for doing so. Also the author stress on the music even though I did not start out on top it ended up great

Ashes of American Flags

I ended up finding a review on one of my favorite Bands (Wilco). The review is for their Documentary Ashes of American Flags, where numerous shows were recorded in Washington D.C, New Orleans and Nashville. The reviewer admits that he never thought much of Wilco, but once he saw the documentary his whole perception changed on the band. He says,” The consistently solid performances, which feel easygoing no matter how high the energy level, are all shot through with a wild improvisational streak that runs way hotter onstage than in the studio. In concert the songs become sprawling, massive things—the six main members are frequently assisted by a horn section—and wander far from their familiar arrangements.” I notice that throughout the review his usage of words are so creative the way they are combined and used in every sentence when he talks about the band and his thoughts on them. In all honesty I think it is awesome how he describes the documentary, because it is not in your normal manner. Here are some more thoughts by the reviewer,” The movie doesn't seem to be trying to enshrine Wilco, but rather to portray them as modest rock heroes, unburdened by mythology. The bulk of the footage shows the band onstage, and the DV camera work is appropriately unfussy: Green and Canty don't rely on quick cuts, swooping crane shots, or dramatic pans across an ecstatic crowd, and as it turns out Wilco doesn't need that kind of flash. The film can linger for a remarkably long time on Cline taking an insane solo, because even if all he's doing is playing he's such a physical performer that all by himself he's completely transfixing.” If I were to describe how this reviewer wrote this, I would have to say he had to go in it with an open mind, because he admits at the beginning he never thought much of Wilco and also his usage of words to describe the band are so out there and strong with vibrant feeling and emotion in them. Towards the end he compares this film to another documentary Wilco has done in past, “Everybody in the current incarnation seems to be getting along—unlike in the 2002 Wilco doc I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, which was captivating like a train wreck,” Just in those few words you can see how different reviews are for artistic things and it truly is amazing how words can be combined like that to form your thoughts in such a strong manner.

"American Idiot" The MUSICAL!!!!!

Ok so I hope I am doing this response correctly....here we go!

I read a bunch of articles in the arts section of the L.A. Times and out of everything I saw, there was one article that really caught my attention and actually made me quite happy. I read that coming to Broadway this winter is a musical called "American Idiot." Which is going to be based of of the works of the band Green Day. My initial reaction was "OMG they are making a Green Day musical!?" I really used to like Green Day a lot. They actually were one of my first favorite bands. However in my opinion when they came out with "American Idiot", they for me became a sell out band. The article talks about the plans for the new musical. They compared it to the musical "Spring Awakening" and told how some of the same producers that produced "Spring Awakening" are gonna to be producing "American Idiot." Needless to say, it sounds like it has potential to be an absolutley amazing Broadway musical.

This article appeals to readers such as me who are very much interested in the art of musical theater. In this article the only camparison that I see is that they compare this musical to "Spring Awakening." Actually they have a picture posted of their set and when I saw it, I immediatly thought of "Spring Awakening." So to answer the question, I think that this compares to older work because "Spring Awakening" was an older musical. It seems to have that same look and feel to it. It was great to be able to see and hear about this new up and coming show. It looks to be a great piece of musical theater.

I hope that this is what you were looking for in this post. I think that musical theater is a huge part of my life when it comes to art. It is the art that makes me the most happy.

Art Review Review

Here are some newspapers and links to their Art sections. I want you to find a review of a gallery or piece of art in one of these papers. Then I would like for you to analyze the article looking once for clues to voice and audience. I would also like for you to look at methods the author uses in analyzing the work. Do they compare the work with older work by the artist or work by his or her peers? How much detail do they give of the work, of the venue? What kind of research did they need to do? 250 words.

NY Times
Chicago Tribune
Seattle Times
Slate.com
Times Online

Trip to the Art Insititue

What will help me in writing this essay is taking an actually trip to the museum and viewing the art. When I'm there up close and personal I can get better detail. Being able to see it personally is better than viewing from the Internet. It's something about seeing for yourself. I think seeing personally i can really get alot of detail and feel connected to the painting. I also get a brief description of the painting. Viewing it personally I can look at it from different angles and analyze it. I look at from far and near. I can point out small details that aren't obvious unless you look close or look at for several minutes. Going to the museum with this in mind really helped me analyze the painting with good notes and being able to write about what I observed.

my source from the library website.

I found an article that gives me some info on the artist that painted american gothic. I found this article from the columbia library website. If you go online to the website. On the top row of all the links. on the right should be in the library link. if you click on it they have a search engine on all of the libraries articles. But you have to have your oasis id and pasword. I found a couple of articles on the artist Grant Wood. The articles are mostly about the authors life and I feel like its going to bring some light into writing this essay. I feel like if i get to know the author better maybe I might be able to figure out why he painted that picture. why his style is so unique from other artists. to me it just makes sense. I i have been finding out different sorts of facts about this painting like the the farmer in and the lady are actually father and daughter. I think it's amazing to find that out. I thought they were husband and wife. so by being able to research i found out some interesting facts about the painting.

Picasso vs. The Performing Arts

In my essay, I am comparing the works of Pablo Picasso, whose work I saw in the Art Institute to the art that I am most passionate about, theater. When I was at the Art Institute I saw many pieces of work by Picasso. The one which caught my attention the most was called dancer. I have looked throughout the internet and I have not been able to find anything that relates to that piece of work. So then I thought that I would keep looking and I was actually able to find some information that was able to help me in showing Picasso's passion for the arts. I was able to find out some of the things that were inspirations on his work and what he was possibly thinking about when he was creating the pieces of art. I think that I will probably use what I found there to help me in writing my paper. I also plan on comparing the performing arts to work that could have been done by Picasso. There are many websites out there that can help me into finding out possibly some more about this man and see what his possible inspirations could have been. I will then be able to tie the information that I already have into what I will find and hopefully produce a great essay!

Research! Blog Post #8

For this post I want you to find one resource that you believe will help you in writing essay #3. Then write at least 250 words on what it is and how it will help. Be specific!

Dangerously In Love

My most favorite song is Dangerously In Love by Beyonce. I love this song especially when she performed it live on her tour which was called The Beyonce Experience. Watching her perform it love made me cry because there was a lot of emotion tied to it. You could tell she put a lot of thought into the way that she wanted to project this song to people. She wanted to tell a story with the dancers, and with the dancers in the background while she was singing. I could tell she was thinking of someone when she was singing, and I felt her emotions coming from her heart through her song and to my heart. Every time I hear that song it always makes me cry and it makes me think about my own relationship. It makes me think of how much I love my boyfriend, and how much he makes me happy. It makes me think about certain images and certain things that he does that maybe I take for granted. It also makes me think about the way he has helped through everything and about how things can make you feel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bs92H86piE (This is the link)

Poetry

Poetry is an art form that sticks out to me. poetry expresses emotions. A poet can become very descriptive with their words. Poetry can be written anyway and expressed in many ways. poerty can rhyme, iambic permeter verse, metaphoric or just free verse. When I read poerty I create mental images of what the poet is expressing. sometimes its easy to create the images and sometimes its hard. Poetry can be simple or very complex. I think complex poetry makes you have to sit and reread again until it is understood. Complex poetry can have more than one meaning. One poet I find very complex is Robert Frost. I remember reading some of his poerty in high school, and having to read it more than once to understand it or get an idea. I think poerty is a great way to express creativity and emotions. Poerty is so beautiful because none if it is the same. poerty can take the mind and the emotions on a wonderful journey.

Sidewalk chalk art.

I love coloring and i love making crazy big wall sized creations. so when i was online one day bored as hell with a friend and came across the most amazing thing i had ever seen. The biggest Badest sidewalk chalk art ever. it was amasin the depth and personality that would be needed to creat something so wonderfull. and not not create but let get destroyd by weather. I believe that chalk painters are the most groundede artists and that is why i am inlove with there work. its so beautiful and clean and presice and later in the week a rain storm could wash it away and it will only be documnetd in photograps. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKJ0KYnB5R8
thats a video of the pavement art thats amazing and defies everything. reality gravity EVERYTHING!

SYTYCD

I have religiously watched "So You Think You Can Dance," for the past 6 seasons. I have fell in love with dances and then I think some dances fell short. I have picked guy and girl favorites from every season. Season 3 was probably my favorite. Sabra Johnson was the winner, but my favorite guy and my favorite girl were Danny Tidwell and Lauren Gottlieb. For the dance routine that blew me away Danny and Lauren were partners and dance a comtemporary piece to "Then You Look At Me," by Celine Dion. This is probably one of the greatest things I have ever seen in my life. I have no idea, but i cry everytime I watch it. The chemistry these two have, the choreography. Everything is perfect.

I would have to would have to say a piece of art that stands out to me the most is Donny Hathaway's A Song for You. To be honest its my depression pick me up cause of his effort and emphasis in his voice is warming and forward. Now this may not be the greatest thing I have discovered but one of the top I must say. I would just have to recommend Donny to most anybody because of the simple fact that his music has the power to change moods and things of that nature. Since he passed away sometime ago its sucks that he can no longer create amazing music to keep a good portion of us going. Another piece of his that stands out astoundingly is Giving Up, I mean the man is just singing my prayers. The steady slow rhythm with certain outbursts of soul express the simple fact that he is done with trying. His music is what I feel like a different take on what everyone else sees in life. The calming affect this song has on its listeners is inspiring to watch as you take in the mellow yet strong tone of voice. Over time you get out of the slump that your in or not depending on who you

 are.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIdhzBFbmLU&feature=related

Chris Botti - Emmanuel

One Saturday night I decided to stay in and I believe I made one of the best decisions in my life, because I discovered one of the most moving and beautiful songs my ears have ever heard. The song is by Chris Botti (Emmanuel) and was performed live in Boston. Pbs was doing a special on it and I had no idea who he was, but I have always been open minded to music, so I decided to tune in. I heard a few songs and was quite impressed and decided to go buy the cd the next day. Like any cd I buy, I always put it in the cd player immediately to see if I made a good choice. Well, I went through the first few songs and I was amazed at what I was hearing. I have heard many different types of music, but this was completely new to my ears. Once I got to track 4 (Emmanuel) and listened closely as I drove everything slowed down and I was in complete awe. One note after another changed my complete state. I was in probably one of the most peaceful states I have ever been in and it was all controlled by this one song. It amazes me how different notes can immediately affect how you feel. This song moved me and changed my thoughts about music. I believe if there was a song to describe heaven, this would be of them. Music is a remarkable gift and I am always intrigued when I find out something new or hear a song that captures my ears forever. Music Like this will live on, because it has so much depth to it. Why? Well just listen closely, sometimes words cannot describe the feelings you get.

Burning Monk

I first saw this picture in my AP English Literature class, it immediately caught my attention. I've always loved photography and the beauty of capturing a lasting image of everyday life, but I find it even more amazing to see a photograph of a still moment amongst chaos; which is what I see when I look at the picture of the burning monk. When I first saw the picture of the Monk, I couldn’t help but be shocked by what I initially saw, a man on fire! But, after actually taking a good look at the picture, I noticed the peacefulness of a man burning himself to death in the midst of people running around in their own worlds. Looking at the serenity of a man killing himself, seated, praying, because he’d rather die than to deal with what was to come of his world and the irony of such a man engulfing himself in one of the most violent of natures wonders. This picture will stand the test of time because it captures a moment when time stand still for a moment while a man makes a great statement to the world around him. The picture will also stand the test of time because as long as there is war, something people don’t agree with or something that people feel they need to take a stand against, the picture of the monk will always serve as a reminder of how far someone will go for what they believe in.

You Can't Stop The Beat!

To me, art can be many forms of things such as musical theater, my major here at Columbia. There are many different musicals that I love and there are some I just can't stand. However there is one musical that I feel has been a huge part of my life for many years, the musical Hairspray. This piece of musical theater art has touched my soul in so many ways. The message that it delivers through out the show is that you should embrace who you are and don't let anyone think of you differently because you may be overweight or have a different color skin. The music and dancing keeps me on the edge of my seat and the beautiful colorful costumes just make me feel so warm inside. I have had a lot of friends come up to me and tell me how they think that this musical is just horrible because its just to campy and its a fat girl singing and dancing. This always just makes me so upset because they obviously did not listen to the message that this show tells. That is one thing that I absolutely can't stand, when people find it necessary to critique a musical and don't listen to the message that it gives the audience. I feel that Hairspray really relates to the life that I have lived. Growing up gay and being segregated for it (however the main character Tracy is segregated for being fat not gay.) It really changed my life and I think it has for many others who have dealt with the same sort of issues. You Can't Stop The Beat!

Oversoul

For this blog post, I chose an original piece of art by Alex Grey. Every time I look at artwork by this man, I always see something different. The piece is titled “Oversoul” and it makes me feel almost every emotion and sense I have experienced. Just through this one painting, I can see so many different things going on. Some of the things I believe are happening within the picture are a person who represents all of mankind and he is transcending from our world.This is allowing his soul to break free and leave his body. Now that his soul is beyond the real that we know, he is looking almost as if he is seeing the world around him for the first time. It almost seems as if not only the whole world, but the entire painting is merging from several different aspects to one single light in the middle of the man’s forehead. His soul is becoming one with the world beyond ours.This painting just reminds me of how all of mankind is connected to each other. Even though there is only one person in the painting, I see him spreading out and completely covering the whole canvas. The world, the man, the beyond world are all one and the same. I feel this way about humans. We all live on the same earth, breath the same air, and interact with one another. I don’t understand why then there is so little respect for our fellow man. Racism still exists today and in more than one way. I hear people on the street using raciest slurs and it’s totally unacceptable. Words that demean an entire race of humans are horrible. I feel like if we are ever going to get along with each other, we need to accept people who are different because they are of a different race. This painting reminds me of unity, a unity that does not yet exist.

Peace

We are ODST

Well I never imagined that the greatest piece of art would be a trailer to a Video game. I discovered this trailer on YouTube one day while looking for games t get for the xbox360. The name of the Trailer was "We are ODST". This trailer was for the new video game Halo 3 ODST. When I clicked on it and watched the trailer I felt something that I never thought an advertisement would make me feel. In this trailer I saw what the future could be like form a couple of years from now. We would be at war with aliens and our race would fight to prevent the extinction of humanity. The way the trailer opens up is so moving. Everyone is standing for a funeral of a solider. A boy is handed a flag as if he was some how related to that solider. Then it shows the boy being trained as an ODST solider. As the training gets difficult he continues to move on in his career. There is one shot where he jumps of a ledge and it cuts to him being in a pod of some sort while he is being dropped into a war zone. I thought that was a cool shot because it shows how far he has come and he was ready to jump into the action. The boy eventually battles on and then he get hit by an alien and he res his last rounds as if h is about to die. but he does not instead the alien dies and the boy is left with scars on his face. and then the boy turns into a man with the same scars on his face as a reminder of his near death experience. and as he stands their making a grave for his fellow comrades the men around him our like the younger versions of him self. and they put on their helmets and continue to fight.

I felt like this piece is portraying the future of war how much war will evolve in the future. This kind of viral video marketing is really effective when it comes to selling games. I think this is probably one of the best and most artistic commercials i have ever seen.

Blog Post #7

For this post I want you to argue for a piece of art. Tell us why a certain painting, movie, play, song, tight rope walk, etc... is the greatest piece of art you've ever discovered. Be specific, what about this piece of art works? Don't just say it's amazing; it blows my socks off; it makes me want to create. Tell us what specifically is different about this piece than other pieces of the same genre. What makes it innovative? Why do you think it will stand the test of time?

Do this in 250 words or more. Also post a picture, you tube video, etc... of that piece.

Plus, I want you to make at least one comment on one of your classmate's posts. You must do this to receive full credit!