Author: Alexandria Strother

When I told my friends I had bought a 3 day pass to Lollapalooza they were horrified. Not because they objected to the festival or the line up, rather, that my going to the festival violated every expectation which they had of me and what is typical “Alexandria” behaviour. I am the girl that will drive 8 hours to see an opera, dances with her fingers in her ears in the basement of the Blue Lep because the music is too loud, and won’t be in the same room as smoke – cigarette or otherwise. This is not the type of girl who goes to Lollapalooza.

Like many things in my life, purchasing my Lollapalooza ticket happened on a whim. I was going to be living in Chicago for an internship, so when my phone buzzed in Theory class reminding me that tickets went on sale in 5 minutes I slipped to the computer lab and bought a pass. I figured that worse case I could easily sell it.

My experience at Lolla was a mix of amazing highs and mediocre (verging on mildly miserable) moments. Eminem’s performance Friday night was one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had. Though he started with new songs that I was not a huge fan of, his concert was pure spectacle and from the moment he revealed that Rihanna would be joining him onstage the concert featured hit after hit culminating in with an encore of Lose Yourself.

On the other end of the spectrum was Sunday evening. After surviving a day of on and off rain it poured continuously for at least an hour. Worn out from the previous days, soaking wet and disappointed by the performance of The Avett Brothers, which barely resembled their recordings vocally, my friends and I left Lollapalooza early to shower and sleep before leaving for work at 5.50 am the following morning.

Would I do it again? The answer is yes and no. I will never do a three day pass again. A total of 30 hours on your feet over 3 days (not including commute to and from the festival) is miserable – I don’t know if I have ever been as tired as I was Sunday night – but I loved the music and the experience of the festival. With ear plugs in hand I was able to survive the blaring bass with limited damage to my ears, though there was a distinct ringing until Monday afternoon, and I look forward to becoming a Lolla one day pass regular.

Our generation has been defined by technology. From iphones to ipods, surface pros to high performance computers, we have grown up in an age where Google always knows the answer, you aren’t dating until it is Facebook official, and leaving home without your phone simply isn’t an option.

Technology has allowed for new types of art to develop and flourish but it has also changed the way which the classical arts are experienced and pursued. The Metropolitan Opera in New York City is one company who has accepted the challenges and advantages which technology presents. In 2006, the Metropolitan Opera launched their program “The Met: Live in HD” which live streams opera performances to movie theaters around the world. The live transmissions has made the physical location of the operas more accessible, and while a movie theater experience is different than an opera house, the transmissions have added a aspect to the performance – the art of filmatography.

Designer Lesia Trubat González created a wearable electronic called E-Traces which has added an additionally layer of art to the classical art form of ballet. The concept of the technology is to capture the movements which occur during dance and translate them into a two dimensional visual experience. The sensors are attached to the pointe shoes and, when in contact with the ground, the sensors record the pressure and movement of the dancer’s feet then sending a signal to an electronic device which shows the data graphically.

While E-Traces is not revolutionary, it is an interesting application of how technology can impact the manner in which art is experienced. This technological advancement, along with programs such as “The Met: Live in HD”, have provided new avenues to experience the classical arts making them more accessible and practical in today’s technology infused society.

Growing up, I loved Halloween. For an evening I was able to pretend to be someone or something else and be rewarded for it with a bucket filled to the brim with various fun sized candy bars. On Halloween you forgot your troubles, ignored your homework and became a princess, a cowboy or whatever else struck your fancy. While the night had to end and you still had to do your homework, Halloween was different than just playing dress up. There was a purpose, Halloween meant a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup in your lunch box everyday for the next two weeks, wrappers stuffed into jean pockets and lingering compliments on the originality and craftsmanship of your costume. For most people, Halloween is a once a year opportunity to lose themselves in someone else but, for me, that was never enough and so I found theater.

I suppose the connection between Halloween and theater is a bit odd to make. Yes, they both involve costumes. Yes, those involved typically are boisterous and uninhibited. Yet for me, this is not where the similarities end. There are many reasons that I love theater but as a performer the ability to find myself in someone else and to lose part of myself for an hour or four (if it happens to be unedited Shakespeare or Handel) is a near addictive experience.

But then it’s over. The curtain falls and the person you became disappears as the part of you that you left behind returns. Instantaneously you are transported back to exactly where you were just a few hours before; your troubles return and impending deadlines demand your attention. Yet, just like Halloween, the actual event may be over but your efforts have not been for naught. You are welcomed back from who you pretended to be to the person you are as the audience applauds your accomplishments. The next day, your name appears in the paper with (ideally) a glowing review as all your friends compliment your performance and promise to come see the show as soon as they get the chance.

That’s the magic in Halloween. For one night, everyone gets to experience the joy of performing without the stage fright, memorized lines and months of rehearsal. So however you celebrate tomorrow night, I hope you have as much fun as I have on stage and that you revel in your reward.

Growing up, I never dreamed of becoming Miss America. My exposure to pageantry consisted of Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality, commercial “sneak peaks” of Toddlers in Tiaras and stereotypes of bleach blondes dyed orange by too much spray tan. So last year when a family friend suggested I compete for the title of Miss Washtenaw County I politely declined, knowing that I was not the type of girl who did that sort of thing. This year, the allure of scholarship money overpowered my doubts and on the day of the deadline I submitted my entry form, not fully realizing what I had gotten myself into.

At orientation I discovered exactly what I had signed up for. As expected, the other contestants were gorgeous. Not the fake, too much make up kind of beauty that looks good from a few feet back but the girl next door kind of beauty generated by an immense confidence in themselves and a genuine smile. Beyond that, they were smart. Students at top universities with majors ranging from logic to dance, I heard discussion of 400 level math classes, impressive work experience and lofty career ambitions. Needless to say, these were not the girls I expected and I was intimidated.

Every volunteer I interacted with had only the highest of compliments to pay to the Miss America Organization and now having been through the local level of competition, I understand why. Each contestant is scored in 5 categories which have been designated the following percentage of the final score: Interview – 25%, On Stage Question – 5%, Health and Fitness (commonly known as swimsuit) – 15%, Talent – 35% and Evening – 20%. This scoring system rewards talented young women who are able to intelligently discuss issues currently facing our country and generation, who also are able to exhibit poise and confidence in front of large groups of people. The competition helps improve the contestants’ public speaking skills and awareness of current social issues. Additionally it helps to develop stage presence and increase their comfort level on stage in front of large groups of people.

When the results were announced I was completely taken by surprise. I entered the competition for fun. Worst case I would spend my Saturday in pretty dresses and best case I would earn some scholarship money. So when they called my name as Miss Washtenaw County 2014 I was stunned. The next 15 minutes in which I took my first walk as MWC 2014, took photos with the other contestants and my family, and proceeded to the afterglow are a blur.

If you had told me a month and a half ago that I would be Miss Wastenaw County 2014 odds are I would have burst out laughing. However, I cannot be more excited to spend the next year working on promoting my personal platform, Women in STEM, and supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals as part of the national platform. This year will be an adventure and I’m looking forward to every moment of it.

Last Friday evening I attended the UMS performance of Kiss and Cry. Until about 5 pm that evening, I had no idea what the show was about, just that I had free tickets (make sure you check out Passport to the Arts for more opportunities to see top notch performances for free throughout the school year) and no plans. As my sister handed me my ticket, she told me the premise of the show: finger ballet. For 90 minutes – with no intermission – I would be watching nothing more than two fingers move around on a miniature stage, filmed and projected on a screen hanging from the rafters of the Power Center Stage. Needless to say, I was concerned. Here I was attending a show I had little to no interest in and accompanying me was a friend whose attendance at theatrical events was limited. If I wasn’t going to enjoy this show, what would they think?

As we waited for the performance to begin I flipped through the program and scoffed when I saw the title of choreographer next to a name. The title of choreographer implies that choreography was done. How could someone who uses two of their fingers be considered a dancer? And without dancers how could someone be said to be a choreographer?

After the show I hesitantly waited for my friend to reveal their thoughts on the performance, and to my relief we both had thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

The performance of Kiss and Cry was more than two fingers alternating which was bent or straight and doing their best to mimic traditional dance. There was a clear story, disseminated to the audience through a narrator, following the five loves of our main character, Giselle. While the projection always focused on the table sets and the doll or hand representing Giselle, the audience was free to see what was out of the scope of the camera. This direct commentary on the power of forced perspective was especially poignant in the final “pas de deux” of the piece. On the projection, fingers were seen swirling and stretching in a manner that, while originally interesting, had become trite over the course of the evening. Subtly lit from above, the interaction of the bodies of the two performers moving between embraces and touch in an intimate and near dance performance pulled focus providing new insight to the finger dance.

The most impressive aspect of the entire performance was the camera work. Most of the show consisted of continuous shots that gave the performance a unique fluidity. The lighting in each shot was nearly perfect – an impressive feat given the live nature of the performance – and had the resulting film been the only thing shown to the audience I would have still been entertained.

I am afraid that this post resembles more of review than a blog post but I was so struck by this performance that I couldn’t help but talk about it. Even now when I reread what I have written the performance sounds interesting although weird at best. Yet, there at the theater there was something indescribably relatable hidden behind the layers of strange spectacle.

Would I see a show like this again? I guess it will depend on my mood, but this show made me think. Think about what is normal in art and in life, what is seen and what is hidden, and reminded me that the beauty of art is finding humanity in the unexpected. So for me, that was an ideal way to spend a Friday night.

In writing, a common complaint is suffering from writers block or the inability to write something meaningful or even to find a topic which inspires deeper thought. Since writing involves the creation of something from nothing often when writers block occurs nothing is created because there is nothing to be said.

In the world of performance art there are many times when a performance is done but nothing is said. Since the performers are provided with lines, music and blocking it is easy to simply go through the motions of the piece without looking into the greater meaning. Often in musicals and operas this ignorance is permissible as much of modern performance practice relies on spectacle rather than creating a connection between the written work, the performers and the audience.

For big budget venues their reliance on spectacle results in high quality performances which fill the houses because of the awe which million dollar sets, choruses of a hundred or more voices, dancers and technically brilliant singers inspires in the audience. Yet, for smaller companies who lack donors with deep pockets to supplement ticket revenue relying on spectacle is impossible due to monetary restrictions. It is these companies who are forced to say something with their performances or serve the stereotype that these “High Art Forms” are unrelatable to the masses.

To relate to the masses and make “High Art” relevant to modern audiences without big budgets and the crutch of spectacle, companies must find the meaning behind the words and notes on the page. It is only by finding this meaning that the audience will be moved, and will begin to develop a relationship of understanding with these smaller budget companies. Their productions will be just as, if not more powerful than those of the big budget theaters where spectacle fills their houses supported by interpretation. However, if these companies do not find something to say they will find that shortly there will not be an audience there to listen.