Author: Ella Larsen

PREVIEW: midst of a moment

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What: a dance concert featuring the choreography of four seniors in the Bachelor of Fine Arts, presented by the University of Michigan Department of Dance.

When: 

  • Thursday, November 17, 8:00pm
  • Friday, November 18, 8:00pm
  • Saturday, November 19, 8:00pm

Where: Performance Studio Theatre at 1000 Baits Dr, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, also available via livestream

Tickets: free at door 1 hour before the performance

This dance concert will honor the artistry of four seniors: Katey Besser, Isabella Payne, Jack Randel, and Brooke Taylor. The program consists of eight works choreographed by the students, including solos featuring each senior. More information, sourced from promotional material for the event, is provided below. The artists’ work draws from a colorful array of themes, each dance infused with the unique passions of their respective choreographers. I look forward to experiencing the synergy generated among these eight pieces, and hope you find time to attend one of the group’s three performances this week.

Program:

“Katey Besser’s A Place We’ve Seen Before, explores protection through a kaleidoscopic expression of togetherness and unity. A multi-media performance, this piece includes screen dance and live performance from varying points of view. Besser’s solo, Light Where She Wanted, embraces the multilayered experiences of past and present.

“In for what remains, Isabella Payne draws inspiration from the aesthetics and haunting regality of Gothic architecture with more commercialized styles of contemporary and Hip Hop dance. Payne’s solo, I Thought You Might Want To Know, contemplates the fragility and impermanence of life.

“Jack Randel’s solo, Loop, confronts how the comfort of dailiness can be a mask for psychological ups and downs. Randel’s Hypnosis, visualizes the journey of finding a way back to an authentic version of oneself in a dreamlike trance.

“Brooke Taylor’s Almost Till, breathes life and movement into a memory from her grandmother’s past of southern Mississippi in the 1930s. Taylor’s solo, Ode to Bea, honors Beatrice Cochran’s struggles and triumphs during the mid 1900s. Both works uncover the reality of racism, violence, survival, and resilience.”

(source: SMTD Department of Dance)

REVIEW: Simona

Ella Larsen 5 Comments

2:40 pm • Saturday, November 5, 2022 • State Theater

Simona was a lovely and in-depth documentary exploring the life of Simona Kossak and the marks she left on family, friends, and the broader Polish environmentalist community. A biologist and environmental activist who spent most of her life secluded in the Białowieża* Forest, one of Europe’s last old-growth wildernesses, Kossak’s story is told through conversations among family members, friends, and former colleagues, accompanied by archival photos taken by her life partner, Lech Wilczek.

I appreciated the candidness with which most of the interviewees discussed Kossak’s life. In particular, the ongoing conversation between Ida Matysek (the film’s main narrator) and her mother, Kossak’s niece, created an overarching narrative for the film that focused more on Kossak’s personal relationships with her family than her scientific career or activism. By balancing this narrative with insights from Kossak’s professional acquaintances and friends, not only did I gain a holistic understanding of how Kossak engaged with the world around her, but I learned about the dark as well as light sides of her history.

One of my favorite themes throughout the film was Kossak’s emotional connection with the animals in her care, which the film often  represented as intensely maternal. I came to understand that history would be remiss to say Kossak had no children–the devotion she demonstrated for the animals she raised was no less than that of a mother for a human child. In one heartbreaking story, Kossak raised a lynx she named Agata, who was killed in an domestic accident when Kossak’s partner, Lech Wilczek, lost his balance and dropped a bundle of firewood on top of her. Kossak canceled all engagements and grieved for months, and the incident also strained her relationship with Wilczek as if they had experienced the loss of a child.

Photo by Lech Wilczek; from Opowieść o Niezwyczajny Życiu Simony Kossak by Anna Kamińska, published by Wydawnictwo Literackie, Krakow 2015.

I am left with questions about Kossak’s affection for animals as compared with her love for the forest at large. As a biologist, her interest was in animal behavior, and in her activism much of her work dealt with preserving the diversity of animal species existing in the Białowieża Forest. I am curious about whether she was equally devoted to the conservation of plant life in the forest. One of the stories included in the film was about her efforts to save dying chestnut trees around the school where she worked, but the film framed these efforts more based on her partiality to the trees for sentimental reasons than for environmental reasons. Much of my reading on the subject of forestry and conservation lately has dealt with the importance of trees in global ecosystems, and I know research on the social relationships between trees is gaining more traction in the scientific community as of late. I wish I could hear Kossak’s take on these issues, and see how she would engage in activism against the accelerating deforestation of her beloved Białowieża Forest today. If I can ever find English editions, I hope to add her books about the forest and her experiences there to my shelf.

 

*pronounced bee-ah-wo-vee-EDGE-ah

REVIEW: Aida Cuevas with Mariachi Aztlán

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8:00 pm • Friday, November 4, 2022 • Hill Auditorium

It struck me at some point during Friday’s performance that I was witnessing true mastery of an art form. Aida Cuevas and the musicians of Mariachi Aztlán–and their surprise guest, Valeria Cuevas, Aida’s daughter–demonstrated the kind of personality and confidence onstage that is only achieved by a lifetime of commitment to one’s craft. Aida in particular wowed me with her showmanship. Her banter with the audience felt warmly familiar, almost like they were all in on a little private joke. In a way, they were: conducted almost entirely in Spanish, the performance created a special celebratory bubble of Hispanic language and culture on a predominantly English-speaking, Euro-American campus. In an artistic environment that has historically been exclusive, Aida transformed Hill Auditorium into a space where Hispanics and Latinos were the insiders.

Little moments throughout the evening added to the mood of familiarity and celebration. Before the performance started, El Ballet Folklórico Estudiantil, a dance and mariachi company from Flint, performed a short set in the lower lobby, a space where audience and performers seemed to intermingle at one level, as one community. When I sat down in the auditorium, the couple sitting next to me made small talk for a moment, asking whether I spoke Spanish and suggesting that some 10% of the audience wouldn’t understand a word of the performance, but attended because they love how the music sounds. Later, in a particularly sweet moment, Cuevas wished a young audience member a happy birthday, having chatted with the teen’s mother via Facebook Messenger some time before the event.

The evening’s program took time to spotlight each performer, including the instrumentalists from Mariachi Aztlán. The improvised duet between the company’s pianist and percussionist especially has stayed with me–from my vantage-point on the main floor, I could see their hands flying across their respective instruments, exploring the synergy between their sounds. Near the middle of the performance, after Aida had left the stage to the band for their solos (and so she could complete a total costume change), her daughter, Valeria, entered in her mother’s place. Valeria’s voice balanced dynamically with her mother’s, adding richness to the program, especially their beautiful duet rendition of La Llorona.

Probably my favorite part of the evening was when Aida performed “El Pastor.” Aida’s voice is operatic in quality, and El Pastor exhibits her ability to deftly switch between vocal registers as well as her stunningly regular vibrato. She completed each of these challenging vocal maneuvers with ease; during the instrumental build-up to her vocal entrance, I even noticed as she jauntily tossed her microphone and caught it to reposition it in her hand.

If you didn’t make it to Friday night’s performance, I encourage you to take a look at the video attached below for a small sample of Aida Cuevas’s talent. One thing I know for sure is that should she return to Ann Arbor during my time here, I will be among the first in line for tickets.

 

REVIEW: Czarna owca (Black Sheep)

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9:00 pm • Saturday, November 5, 2022 • State Theater • SPOILER ALERT: 3RD PARAGRAPH

I was pleasantly surprised by the warmth with which Czarna owca (Black Sheep) portrayed its characters. As a family drama and comedy film focusing on the secrets hidden by its characters and how those secrets threaten the destruction of their family, I didn’t expect the characters to be likeable. But even in light of their foibles and poor decisions, moments of humor and kindness help support themes of love and growth throughout the movie.

Czarna owca centers on Magda and Arek, a married couple celebrating their 25th anniversary; their son, Tomek (the movie’s narrator), and his girlfriend of five years, Asia; and their grandfather, an elderly man living with dementia. After an extended introduction of the characters and their existing relationships to one another, the plot begins when Magda comes out as lesbian to her family. From there, the family rapidly splits apart, each member coming to terms with their personal truths while finding ways to live apart. However, the movie focuses on how, even in their fractured form, the bonds that make the characters family still exist to support them in during their individual transformations.

While overall the film was a feel-good experience with several good laughs and a happy ending, there were moments of tropishness. I’m mostly thinking of when Tomek was hit by a car. It was so blatantly obvious what was about to happen, and the consequences were so few, I just had to take the scene in stride. It was like a punchline tacked on at the end, once all of the meaningful growth in the movie had already occurred. I also noticed that 90% of the funny moments in the movie were also included in the trailer, so I didn’t feel like I was getting an entirely original experience watching it for the first time. The plot and characters gave the jokes context, which made them more entertaining, but it was a little unfortunate that I already knew what was coming.

Additionally, I wasn’t sure what to make of the MAGA cap which showed up on one of Tomek’s co-YouTubers during the film. To be fair, Tomek’s friends were visiting the United States as tourists, so perhaps they saw the hat as a bit of tourist gear, or he was wearing it out of irony. And while the symbol of the MAGA cap elicits immediate, divisive reactions in the United States, I’m not sure what kind of connotation it would have in Poland. Whether intended positively or negatively, the hat did develop our understanding of Tomek’s character by demonstrating the kind of people he hangs out with. It let us question whether he is one of them, or something different–more mature–connecting closely with the themes of the movie.

Overall, I’m grateful that the Polish Student Organization was able to bring this movie to Ann Arbor for the night. It was a fun addition to my evening, and I appreciated the film’s statement that sometimes growing apart eventually lets your relationships become stronger.

 

PREVIEW: Czarna owca (Black Sheep)

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What: a Polish comedy/drama film, brought to Ann Arbor by this weekend’s annual Polish Film Festival

When: Saturday, November 5, 9:00pm

Where: State Theater

Tickets: available on the State Theater website, $9.25 for students

Czarna owca, or Black Sheep, is a Polish drama and comedy about a family falling apart at the seams. Magda and Arek have had a successful marriage of 25 years, and are now living with their adult son, Tomek, and his girlfriend Asia, while taking care of their aging father. However, a series of secrets and revelations soon cause chaos, prompting each character to confront their own closely-held desires and fears, while finding ways to mend the tears ripping apart their family. At least, that’s as much as I could find out from the few online synopses available for this film in English. Much of the plotline remains a mystery to me, and I look forward to discovering this family’s secrets alongside the characters this Saturday night.

PREVIEW: Simona

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What: a Polish documentary film brought to Ann Arbor by this weekend’s annual Polish Film Festival

When: Saturday, November 5, 2:40pm

Where: State Theater

Tickets: free with reservation on the State Theater website [click here]

Simona is a documentary about the life of Simona Kossak, a Polish scientist and environmental activist. Based on what little I could discern from Google-translated Polish film reviews, Kossak, who was descended from a long line of famous Polish painters, was rejected by her family and chose to seclude herself in Poland’s primeval Białowieża Forest for the greater part of her life. There, she studied animal behavior and advocated for the preservation of the forest’s natural environment. The film explores Kossak’s eccentric life through the lens of her great niece, Ida Matysek, using photographs taken of Kossak by her life partner, Lech Wilczek. I hope the English subtitles for the film do Kossak’s inspiring story justice, and I look forward to learning about what seems like a magical life spent in one of the world’s oldest–and most threatened–forest environments.