Author: IseeUsee

Do you like seeing planetarium shows?

Have you ever wondered what exciting things can happen in a dome theatre?

Have you ever wanted to go see a mind-blowing, 180-degree ancient cosmo show that makes you ascend to a new plane for 45 minutes?

Then you just HAVE to go see the Tales of the Maya Skies exhibit in Planetarium & Dome Theater at the Museum of Natural History. It will be happening every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the months of September and October 2022 (according to the latest schedule) so you have zero excuses to miss out on this phenomenal, mind-bending exhibit. A feast for the eyes.

This show was the perfect intermingling of ancient history, astronomy, myth, math, and all things exciting. Did I mention the part where they take you through how the Mayans predicted solstices and solar eclipses? There was something for everyone there. 

As I sat on the reclining planetarium chair and looked up at the dome screen with my ears feeling the drums of the opening music, I felt transported. For the next 45 minutes, I was experiencing art, science, and culture in a way I never thought possible. It pushed the boundaries of what all is capable in a dome theatre. 

This show is available in Spanish on Saturdays.

To read more about the event check out: https://events.umich.edu/event/95036

This weekend, I attended That Brown Show 2022. It is an event put together by a team made up of different members of brown cultural groups. These groups include a classical music team, classical dance groups, contemporary fusion groups and many more. Every year they come together to put One. Grand. Show. 

This year was the first That Brown 

Show since 2019 and the excitement was unreal. The event was in Michigan Theatre and the grand venue suited the level of the show very well. The line to enter the show extended out of the theatre because so many people wanted in! The audience was super engaged and it consisted of college students but also parents. The show had emcees who introduced the performances and we were taken on a ride. 

The event began with a very skilled and tasteful performance of Indian classical music. They played instruments I had never seen in real life before and they played them masterfully. The auditorium was saturated with the unique tones and sounds of music. The singing was very good too. Theirvoices were powerful when needed and sweet when needed. It was a beautiful performance and for sure an amazing way to introduce the audience to the show. 

After the mesmerizing opening act, the show went into dance performances. The classical dance performances were all stirring and the technique of the performers was great. Their outfits were very traditional and they commanded audiences’ attention well. There were also more modern, fusion dance styles. They had a ton of energy and the dancers were excited to perform. 

They were really creative too! They had

 funny gags in them (that I don’t want to spoil in case they happen next year) and

 really fun story telling elements. The dancers were so energetic and their presence so commanding that it was hard to look away! 

The teams also had videos of them to introduce themselves be

fore each performance and I thought it was so cool. The videos had their own story sometimes and it made the event that much more interesting.I am happy to see so many groups on campus with members that are excited to perform. In every groups’ video it was apparent that the members were frie

nds and enjoyed the whole process of putting together a show. I applaud all of them for their commitment to their art-be it dance, or classical music or singing. Their hardwork and skills were apparent. Hats off to Michigan Manzaat, Maize Mirchi, Michigan Mayuri, WolveRAAS, Michigan Taal, Michigan Sahānā Music & Dance! 

Stepping out of the theater after watching this movie was something else. It was a fresh take on existential movies and featured a lot of contemporary art. It’s hard to describe what Everything Everywhere All at Once is about because… it is about a lot of things. It was about family, the meaninglessness of life, adulthood, regrets, people with sausage fingers, and much more.

This movie was a sophisticated one. It delivered strong messages in a more ‘universal’ way. By that I mean, existential movies usually fall into contemplative, somber genres like film noir and the others but Everything Everywhere All at Once delivers these more complex thoughts about human existence through a family comedy of sorts. 

It is funny, it is emotional, it gives serious takeaways without taking itself too seriously and it does that through a careful display of techniques. This movie capitalizes on a lot of pop art and editing. It does not rely on a lot of cliches and uses unique art styles to deliver difficult to portray feelings like the kind a sci-fi movie about metaverses deals with. 

I believe what sets this movie, a sci-fi about metaverse, apart from other sci-fi metaverse movies is how wholesome it is. Sci-fi movies tend to be very plot-driven. The question they tackle is usually so many magnitudes above everyday life problems that they enter a league of their own where you can’t relate to the movie. It becomes more of an action movie at times. But Everything Everywhere All at Once takes a more delicate approach. 

The choice of a middle-aged Asian immigrant parent in America as a protagonist is strong enough to begin with. Her problems are realistic and she isn’t immediately thrown into the task of saving the world. She works through problems in human ways and overcomes problems like having a better relationship with her queer teen daughter. It’s a really fresh take on sci-fi and what all movies like this can offer. At times the warm family-oriented message can hold the movie back by becoming a little preachy but it is overall a good subversion of the genre. 

I loved this movie because of its creativity and how funny it was. It is the funniest sci-fi movie I’ve ever seen and I highly recommend everyone watches it to get a taste of what cool movies of our time look like!

The Persian student association’s 2022 cultural show Azar was like going to a high class award ceremony and a family event at the same time. This show was a display of cultural pride and love. I got to learn a lot about Iranian culture and what it meant for the performers to showcase their Iranian heritage. 

The audience members were students but a lot of Persian families as well. I have heard from performers that this show attracts Persians from all around Ann Arbor and surrounding areas. In short, this show is a really big deal.

In keeping with displaying Iranian culture and the fact that a lot of the audience spoke Persian, the anchors in the program spoke in both English and Persian. Also, did I mention they had anchors (MCs)? 

As I mentioned, this show felt like a high class award ceremony because between performances there were MCs entertaining the audience and telling them about the show. 

The show had a diverse range of performances. It had a number of dances from different regions of Iran, a stand-up comedian, a few videos about the Persian Student Association, a very funny skit, and a piano performance. 

You could see that the performers were really dedicated to this show. They had a lot of love for their community and it was hard to not love the show because of it. The energy and love were palpable and seeing such diverse performances from areas of the world I did not know much about was an eye opening experience. 

I got to see how college students like me show their dedication to their culture and strive to bring together members of their diaspora. In videos shown at the cultural show, PSA members talked about how essential this show is to them for bringing together community members and strengthening their identity as children of immigrants. It was touching to hear that and realize how this show goes beyond just dances and skits. 

Their strong sentiments translate to a really amazing show and I hope everyone sees a show like this at least once. It feels like being invited to an intimate affair because the show was so deeply embedded in Persian culture and as someone who is not from Iran I could not have experienced that otherwise. I got to learn so much about Persian culture and I am grateful for that. If you get the chance then I highly highly recommend seeing the show!