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Recently, I have been reading a lot of Dickinson poetry for a class I’m in. It was like stumbling upon something I never knew I needed– this sharp intake of intense and almost painful breath, but which somehow expanded my chest and helped me feel with more clarity. I am so incredibly taken by Emily Dickinson’s poetry. I like poetry– I knew that coming into this class– though I didn’t do it for simple pleasure. I liked it the way one likes a nice sunset with no one to share it, a starry sky without a map of the constellations, a lovely glass of wine amidst chatter– the slight recognition of something one cannot know, the offering of a few intrepid interpretations, and a pleasurable indifference to the God-given beauties of the world. Isn’t that such a horrible way to go about living? To feel only the things that affects one’s life and ignore everything else… or to brush aside those deep, dark, unexplored but richly felt emotions… to pursue just that flighty, ugly happiness that comes and goes… to be half-human…

Emily Dickinson is not half-human. She is so human that it hurts. She is so human that it makes those sunset-star- watching, wine-drinking detached fools say things like “I am glad to not live near her”, or that her poems did not rhyme or flow well enough, or that she wrote small garden poems… she felt things so deeply and purely and her poetry is nothing but emotion manifested in language, arguments given form, death breathed to life.

Needless to say, she has inspired me so. It is fascinated to find myself in her poetry. She agonizes over her lack of faith, over death, over fame, over God– and these things torment her, I think. I think they kind of torment me, too. And it is beautiful– I would argue maybe sacred– to realize this in words. It has been the greatest pleasure to read her work.

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to watch Netherlands Dans Theater perform. Based at The Hague in the Netherlands, Netherlands Dans Theater (NDT) is known for being one of the best contemporary dance companies in the world. This concert lived up to that reputation and more.
Originally, the company was founded in 1959 by Benjamin Harkavvy with the intention of breaking from the Dutch National Ballet, which is more focused on classical dance. This new company wanted to focus more on using classical ballet as a foundation for exploration and development of new ways of moving. Since their founding, NDT has grown into a powerhouse company in the dance world, featuring a main company, a second company, and various training programs for pre-professional dance students.
Today, NDT performs extensively in their home country as well as internationally. Their focus today, in the words of current artistic director Paul Lightfoot, is still “artistic creation, not just choreography.” Their main company is made up of twenty-four dances from around the world, and the world’s best choreographers strive to set work on the company. On Friday and Saturday night, Ann Arbor audiences had the opportunity to see the company perform a triple bill, with two works by NDT’s resident choreographers Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, and a third by Crystal Pite.
Performing to a sold out Power Center audience, NDT amazed, inspired, and transcended. They were both accessible to audiences that normally watch dance and also challenging to those who are accustomed to being audience members. They embraced physical beauty and virtuosic performance qualities while telling complex narratives and portraying difficult emotions. This performance was intensely important because it showed how necessary dance is in storytelling. These artists are from all over the world, and yet they were able to convey a message to everyone in the audience—everyone speaks body. Everyone moves; therefore, everyone dances, at least a little bit. NDT’s movement was otherworldly, but their storytelling was intensely human.

Last night, I went to the Out Night screening of the Ann Arbor Film Festival, and it was such a unique experience. It was also endearing to see members of the Ann Arbor community come together to watch and participate in the film festival. I had never gone to the AAFF before, nor had I known that it is the oldest avant garde and experimental film festival in North America. This year marks its 56th anniversary.

Out Night featured a collection of experimental short films with LGBTQ themes. For instance, the first film used stop motion and data collected from floppy disks to assemble a dizzying piece of AOL chat exchanges and homoerotic nude photos, presenting the online persona of a man named “jim.” Another film was shot as a music video and had two elderly women escape together from their boring “sitcersize” class. Overall, the films each had truly indescribable qualities, from using hand-drawn animation, to old footage from the 80’s, to a documentary approach, in order to create an individual piece of art. At the conclusion of the screening, audience members could vote on their favorites (or least favorites).

I walked away a little confused, but inspired. As an art student, I appreciated the hours of hard work that went into each film and the creativity it took to conceptualize that creative work. I realized that there were dozens of people involved in the making of the films, and countless people who helped put together the entire festival. If you haven’t been to the AAFF before, I strongly suggest you check out what’s happening and bring a friend! There are also afterparties and other events this week. Let yourself be inspired! https://www.aafilmfest.org/

Recently, I had the opportunity to watch the movie Black Panther. I am an avid fan of all superhero movies, so I was especially excited to watch this one. I had already heard great reviews from my family and friends, and it truly did not disappoint. Here’s why:

1.) There’s a believable villain: in many superhero movies, the bad guy’s character is simply that: bad. There’s so backstory, no reason, he (or she) is just a bad person. However, in Black Panther, the antagonist gets a backstory that is fleshed out, believable, and humanizing. It was refreshing to see a villain portrayed as a human.

2.) The women. T’Challa might be king, but the women that surround him are equally as strong and powerful. From his sister and mom to his all-female squad of warriors, the women in Black Panther are not afraid to be confident. They are unapologetically excellent at what they do, and while they do fall in love and have lives, they are individual beings all on their own.

3.) The diversity. Seeing a movie with a cast made up of primarily people of color was so needed and so amazing. It’s said over and over again that it’s important to see more diversity on the silver screen, and its true. To see a superhero and his team as a group of people of color was very empowering.