This weekend, I had the pleasure of attending Musket’s production of “Catch Me If You Can” at the Power Center. It was my first time experiencing a musical in this venue and only my second musical at the University of Michigan. The audience size was astounding, making the experience feel even more special. Knowing that this turnout was just for one of the three showings filled me with pride for the level of interest in the arts here.
“Catch Me If You Can,” based on the thrilling cat-and-mouse film that a friend had once insisted I watch, claiming it as one of their favorites, did not disappoint. The adaptation captured the essence of the movie perfectly, delivering key plot points with a humorous and entertaining twist. It brought back the excitement I felt watching the film for the first time. The performance of “Fly, Fly Away” by the leading lady was particularly moving, and the closing songs “Goodbye” and “Stuck Together” added a delightful charm to the narrative. Watching the evolution of Frank and Carl’s relationship from tension and pursuit to a surprisingly touching embrace was emotional.
Although the musical didn’t cover Frank’s eventual role in the FBI, the ending felt fitting and left the audience on a high note. Musket, founded in 1908, continues to be an integral part of the University of Michigan experience, offering students various opportunities to engage, whether as actors, crew members, or audience members at the distinguished Power Center. This production of “Catch Me If You Can” was a testament to the vibrant and talented community at UM and a reminder of the power of live theatre to captivate and move us.
I hope you’re having a wonderful start to the new semester! I am thrilled to extend an invitation to you for the upcoming performance of “Asking Alice,” a collaboration between creators from Performing Arts Technology and Dance!
Event Details: * Date: January 19th & 20th * Time: 7:30 pm (Doors open at 7:00 pm) * Venue: Arthur Miller Theater (Adjacent to Pierpont Building) * Tickets: Free- available at the box office a half-hour before the show
“Asking Alice” is a futuristic reinterpretation of Lewis Carroll’s novels, in which Alice ventures through a cyber Wonderland on a journey of reinvention in an increasingly digitized world. Along the way, she encounters iconic characters and creatures from the original tales. The work features dance, robotics, and an original score featuring a solo cellist. Don’t miss this whimsical show, playing this weekend only!
We looking forward to welcoming you to Wonderland!
Hello everyone!! As we approach the end of the semester, I wanted to take a moment to extend warm regards and share a unique collaborative endeavor that has been brewing in one of our classes, involving students from the PAT, Stamps, and Dance departments.
Titled “Missing Piece,” this project is more than just a performance; it combines live performance art, dance movements, and live piano interludes. What makes it truly special is the active involvement of our audience. We’ve extended an invitation for them to bring objects of personal significance, items that hold meaning and significance to them, and seamlessly incorporate these objects into the fabric of the performance itself.
As we eagerly await the culmination of this project, I can’t help but anticipate the final recorded performance. It promises to be a testament to the power of collective creativity and the magic that ensues when diverse talents intertwine to create something truly special.
Stay tuned for the final performance video, as it’s sure to encapsulate the essence of our collaborative efforts and the meaning behind “Missing Piece.”
In this week’s Collaborative Projects: Experiments in Interdisciplinary Installation and Performance course, our team embarked on a remarkable journey to create an impromptu installation performance at Duderstadt. Our creation, known as “Rebirth,” unfolded in a unique and unexpected setting.
Our creation, known as “Rebirth,” unfolded in a unique and unexpected setting. The elongated corridor of Duderstadt became our canvas, providing a space for contemplation and decision. As visitors approached our installation, they were met with a choice, symbolized by two distinct pathways. Our creation, known as “Rebirth,” unfolded in a unique and unexpected setting. The elongated corridor of Duderstadt became our canvas, providing a space for contemplation and decision. On one hand, participants could opt for a fresh start, a metaphorical rebirth. This path offered them a certificate of renewal, accompanied by the collective applause and praise of those around them. It was a moment of catharsis, a symbolic shedding of the old and embracing the new.
The essence of “Rebirth” lies in its whimsical and spontaneous nature. It’s about offering the Duderstadt community a lighthearted and bright interlude, a moment of joy and warmth. Just like the “Free Hug” campaigns that have traversed the globe, “Rebirth” was a reminder that happiness can be found in the most unexpected places and through the simplest choices.
As a team, we hope that “Rebirth” brought a smile to the faces of those who encountered it and encouraged them to consider the transformative power of the choices they make. In our world filled with deadlines, exams, and responsibilities, this installation performance was a brief but essential reminder that we hold the power to start anew at any moment, with just a simple decision.
It’s another sunny day here in Ann Arbor. I don’t know about you, but that automatically boosts my mood – plus it’s practically the weekend already!
This week I had the opportunity to chat with Cinderella Ksebati, Co-Founder and Music Director of BlueNote Vocal Jazz Ensemble. As another fairly new organization on campus, I was excited to learn more about how they have adapted this year and what their upcoming plans for performances were like. Let’s dive right in!
Founded in 2019, BlueNote Vocal Jazz Ensemble aimed to help fill the void of limited opportunities for students to participate in vocal jazz on campus. The group consists of both undergraduate and graduate students, including a mix of SMTD and other schools. They were able to perform on campus at the SMTD’s “Collage” event, as well as a few off-campus opportunities before campus shut down in early 2020 due to COVID-19. This hasn’t stopped Cinderella and her team, though. They are still working just as hard to “revitalize the attending-a-jazz-concert experience and in 2020-2021”.
“We are thinking, okay, how do we present this using technology, using what we have at our disposal, and continuing to make art, create jazz music, and start to get people engaged with this genre. And bring it back to the forefront of the arts as is such an American tradition, we want to bring it back and take bits and pieces of those traditions honoring and paying homage to all the vocal jazz greats. Of the groups like, for example, Take Six, New York Voices, so some of our program for the upcoming project that we’re working on, “Let’s Go to the Movies”, encompasses a couple of those things. We are mixing the media, we’re doing a 30-minute jazz film and we’re using all vocal jazz repertoire.”
To prepare for that project, BlueNote has been meeting via Zoom 2-3 times a week and using an online audio workstation that allows them to hear a little bit of the “blend” that vocal groups work so hard to achieve in performances. They have also incorporated a few individual, in-person rehearsals, following county and university guidelines.
Though Cinderella does miss in-person performances, she notes that there have been some interesting developments in vocal jazz, at least in BlueNote, that she hopes will continue after COVID. Specifically, adding more storytelling into their performances is something she has really enjoyed.
“It won’t necessarily be a film next year, who knows, but I certainly think that that is going to be changing some things and just in terms of our passions of the group members.”
Check out their most recent YouTube video above, performing “Walkin My Baby Back Home”.
BlueNote’s newest project, a short jazz film titled “Let’s Go to the Movies”, will premiere in April. You can stay up to date on their upcoming events by following their Instagram and subscribing to their YouTube channel. Lastly, keep in mind that the group holds auditions every semester, so definitely keep an eye out this Fall if you’re interested in singing!
First off, I don’t watch the Grammys or follow the awards; I have no idea what the categories are, how the winners are determined, or how Billie Eilish can win 5 Grammys, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year (what’s the difference again?). But I did catch the aftermath this year, namely the musical performances which tend to be an iconic part of the awards show. Personally, I was most interested in the performances by Tyler, the Creator, Bilie Eilish, and Lil Nas X, of which Tyler is the most senior, having been rapping and pushing the limits of the genre for the last decade, while both Billie and Lil Nas are recent stars on the hip hop/pop scene. All performances were interesting in their own way and extremely telling of the current music industry, and for that reason I want to look at how successful each performance was and what defined them.
My favorite performance by far was Tyler, the Creator performing a medley of songs off of his most recent album Igor, which you may remember me writing about last fall. It ended up winning Best Rap Album of the Year, which is somewhat controversial, considering how experimental and genre-breaking Igor truly is. Many critics of the Grammys (including Tyler himself) point out the historical connotations of the Best Rap Album award, which has been one of the only awards consistently won by African American musicians, and feel that the forcing of Igor into this category further displays the role of the rap award as a participation trophy for African American artists.
Regardless of the politics around the award, nobody can argue that Igor didn’t deserve the Grammy; it truly is one of a kind, a fusion of multiple genres and saturated with personality and aesthetic. Tyler brought these exact qualities to his explosive performance, featuring a beautifully sung intro, then wild and intense effects followed up by an insane, almost heavy metal raging and dancing, leading to another beautifully sung reprieve, and finally a crescendo of visceral craziness and adrenaline, leading to a fitting climax. I definitely recommend watching it yourself; words can’t do it justice. Even if you don’t usually appreciate that style of music, I think the performance is objectively fantastic. I found that my heart was racing when I was watching, and I caught myself smiling at the end, that’s how much I was drawn into the over-the-top qualities of the performance. Not only was it more entertaining than any other performance, it actually put the music on display, perfectly conveying the themes and emotions that go along with the album.
The next performance I watched was Billie Eilish performing an acoustic song off of her most recent album with her brother on the piano. It was certainly well done and haunting, but its impact was almost insignificant compared to Tyler’s. I should acknowledge my bias towards Tyler first however; I simply appreciate his style and musical development more than Billie’s. I was a fan of hers when she first started, but I quickly felt like all of her music sounded the same (which is a pretty generic critique, I know). Perhaps her style is just meant to be subtle, and I missed the point of her performance, but regardless I felt like it left a lot to be desired, which is surprising considering how many Grammys she won.
Last but not least was Lil Nas X performing a medley of Rodeo and Old Town Road, both viral hits last year. They’re great songs and all, certainly very catchy, but it’s hard for me to see him as anything more than just a meme. I don’t mean that with disrespect; I definitely think there is a place in pop culture for viral music and his endearing personality, but I think he objectively lacks the artistic skill of more serious or developed musicians. He might grow into a more serious artist one day too, who knows, but for now I think his music is just meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator of today’s pop culture, which I think was put on full display during his performance. Studded with other celebrities and musicians, his performance felt like an odd fever dream with some familiar faces, but no unifying style. It was practically a musical advertisement for the music industry, not an example of outstanding creative performance. It makes sense that Lil Nas would rely on the reputations and popularity of other musicians, considering he has just started making a name for himself, but it certainly doesn’t help him to stand out or create his own musical legacy.
Hopefully this didn’t turn into a rant (it can be hard to tell sometimes), and I think my biases are pretty obvious, but regardless I think that comparing these iconic performances can reveal a lot about what makes award show performances so important, and what makes a performance stand out or blend in. In my opinion, Tyler’s performance is the gold standard of memorable, experimental, mold-breaking, and artistic. It might not be fully appreciated by general audiences, or appeal to the popular culture spheres of today, but I think it will be remembered as iconic in the history of award performances. The other performances will likely be forgotten by the next Grammys, but hopefully those artists will have another chance to prove themselves with more experience and perspective under their belts.
This week I had the opportunity to chat with Cinderella Ksebati, Co-Founder and Music Director of BlueNote Vocal Jazz Ensemble. As another fairly new organization on campus, I was excited to learn more about how they have adapted this year and what their upcoming plans for performances were like. Let’s dive right in!
