unscrambled #21 – “unknown”
Month: February 2021
Study Hal: Week 34 – Snowy Weather
Ah, February. No matter how much we want springtime, this month always brings us more snow. Hal has been coping just fine staying indoors, but his dog Sparky is a little less patient. He wants it to be springtime, now, and I’m not sure he realizes Hal doesn’t have the power to fix it!
Spring will come soon enough, but in the meantime, I hope you’ve been staying nice and cozy while you’re staying safe. It may feel like winter’s over, but those wind chills are no joke!
If this is your first time, welcome! Hal is a U-M student studying remotely this year. I’ve been sharing all of his challenges, surprises, and distractions on the Study Hal tag, but be sure to come back next Tuesday for another installment!
Black History Month Artist Spotlight
It has officially been two weeks into black history month and as a white student I remember my predominantly white school honoring black history month with one announcement on February 1st- growing up I realize that this is a privilege and throughout this past year I have begun to research, support, and advocate for the social injustices that I have heard so much about growing up. I would like to carry the work and awareness I have built for myself into 2021. I plan to spotlight various black artists throughout this month, I am not trying to be a white savior. I would only like to use this platform as an opportunity to recognize artists that I feel have shaped dance for generations to come.
Katherine Dunham was a dancer and choreographer, she is known for her technique- The Dunham technique. She has been called the “matriarch and queen mother of black dance.”A Chicago native (just like me), she was the first African American women to attend the University of Chicago and earn a bachelor, masters, and doctoral degrees all in anthropology. After graduation she founded the Negro Dance Group, they performed at countless Chicago Theatres and danced with the Chicago Opera Company. Two years after founding her company she was invited to partake in a fellowship in the Caribbean, studying all aspects of dance and the motivations behind the artform.
Katherine Dunham revolutionized American dance in the 1930’s. She went to the roots of black dance and rituals. transforming them into artistic choreography. She was a pioneer by using folk and ethnic dance in choreography performed on mainstream stages. Dunham showed the world that African American heritage is beautiful and deserves to be given a platform. Katherine has been credited for bringing these Caribbean and African influences to a western-dominated dance world.
She returned to the United States with new information on new methods of movement and expression. She then created the Dunham Technique that transformed the world of dance. I am currently enrolled in Dunham technique. As a dancer I pride myself in the ability to transform into any setting I am placed in, however, on my first day of Dunham Technique I realized how out of my league I was. It took my body a few weeks to understand how the technique feels on my body, and I am still getting used to it. I have attached a short class clip of what the Dunham technique looks like, as well as, Dunham dancing in the infamous Ballet Creole.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlpJ6B0uIz8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSTuO5E9_1g
The Artist’s Panel: Valentine
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d show some love to one of my favorite student publications on campus! What The F Magazine is one of the only feminist organizations here at UofM. They strive to provide a safe space for people of any background to share their stories. The magazine has a huge focus on art as well, and artists for the magazine are often encouraged to explore their creativity without the constraints of a prompt. At What The F, authentic storytelling through art is celebrated, and that’s what I’m all about. To learn more about this organization and see some of the great work that they are producing, follow them on Instagram at @whatthefmagazine. Additionally, the design posted above will be sold as a sticker as a Valentine’s fundraiser through What The F! They are launching their Redbubble store tomorrow, February 10th, so be sure to share the love and check out some of the other great sticker designs available for purchase.
A Box on the Bucket List
Hey guys!
This post is going to be short this week. I’ve been spending way too many hours in the past few days working on a project that I am currently super, super excited about. It’s my first full-length, fully mixed song that I am crossing my fingers will turn out professionally enough to put on Spotify!!! That’s a huge bucket list item for me, and if all goes according to plan, the track will be ready by the end of this month. So… keep a lookout for that!
I’m currently recording on my Yeti microphone with GarageBand and my Mac pro. It’s far from a professional set-up, but it’s also incredibly amazing to see just how much someone with zero (and I mean ZERO) experience recording can do with just a few tools. This has proved to me that literally anyone can be a recording artist if they so choose to be. As long as you put in the time to figure out how your software works, you’ll be able to produce some really awesome stuff.
This new song is called “i used 2 sleep with my phone” (I’ve been feeling the artsy lowercase titles lately) and is my attempt at a typical angsty pop song–which is something I do not ever write. It also is definitely influenced by my experience here at UMich with the a cappella scene. At this point I feel like I have a whole choir of my own voice singing behind me on the track.
I will update on here how everything is going every week until the track is released, but as for right now that’s all I’m going to say! Thanks for reading, and if anyone else is a GarageBand fanatic, let me know! I’d love to listen to some of your stuff.
-Josie
©SKETCHES BY MAKO: 12_zwölf_12
I think I’m a bit of a Hopeless Romantic With this predisposition And misconception Of the Causality of circumstances All these faces That have strolled through My memory’s museum And have stolen Artifacts But left footprints of Their own They are no different from Reflections of skies upon puddles Love is only a feeling It is not intrinsically related to Souls or spirits Quite honestly All these characters Lack what I need From a person But god To just reminisce Is quite the melancholic exercise For there lingers hope In future reconnection A fire lit once but abandoned Can perhaps catch flame again
