Category: Dance

REVIEW: Exploring the Complexities of Jazz Funk

Minna W Leave a comment

Have you ever been to the video studio in the Duderstadt? It’s a super cool space. This was my first time seeing a performance in the studio. They have a lot of fancy sound and video equipment.

Exploring the Complexities of Jazz Funk is a behind-the-scenes commercial dance video production put on by Lenard J. Foust for his masters thesis. Audience members experience what it was like to film a dance video with all the camera angles, breaks between different takes, etc. It was a really unique experience that made me think about the differences between a live dance performance and one that is filmed.

For the most part, I enjoy live dance performances a lot more than filmed ones. This is mainly because I get really annoyed when the camera zooms in and out so I can only see one aspect of the performance. For example, when the camera only focuses on the dancers’ faces, I can not see their footwork. Or when the camera only shows one dancer so I miss out on the synchronicity of the ensemble, which is often a crucial element of the performance. I saw a lot of this happening during Exploring the Complexities of Jazz Funk. They also had busy projections in the background during the videos. I thought it was unnecessary, a little too “busy,” and distracted my focus on the dancers.

Even so, I understand why camera movement and somewhat-psychedelic backgrounds are so widely utilized while filming dance performances. With the shortened attention spans of this generation, it takes more and more to keep audience members intrigued. Camera movement makes a scene more “exciting,” even though I personally believe that choreography should be captivating “enough” in and of itself.

Another element I noticed was how dance should appear “effortless.” Clearly, after dancing vigorously for an hour, most people would be exhausted. But to put on a dance performance that is professional, it is important for dancers not to huff and puff, or grimace, or be dripping with sweat from physical exertion unless the choreography calls for it. Of course there are exceptions. But this is something I have noticed from personal experience and also watching competitions such as World of Dance (an international dance competition and tv show where judges evaluate top dancing talent and troupes of all ages). A dancer’s facial expressions are as important, if not more important, than the choreography. If you are bored by the routine and your movement shows it, how can the audience not feel at least a tinge of boredom or lack of energy as well?

The dancers in Exploring the Complexities of Jazz Funk did a great job of exuding confidence, connecting with the camera, as well as coming up with engaging motion on the spot. Often, I feel like I have a limited repertoire so it was helpful to see how each routine showcased different types of movement. Jazz funk is recognized for its sharp movement and syncopated musicality. It often exudes lots of “femininity,” and the genre combines elements from hip hop, jazz, vogue, and waacking. One piece had a lot of back-arching in its choreography, another featured the fluttering of the hands. Paying attention to the choreography introduced new ideas of movement into my vocabulary.

Overall, the performance was thoughtful. It sparked personal reflection, and I am glad I went.  

PREVIEW: Exploring the Complexities of Jazz Funk

Minna W Leave a comment

It’s that time of year again when thesis performances are in abundance. Tomorrow and Friday, Lenard J. Foust (Master of Fine Arts in Dance candidate), will present Exploring the Complexities of Jazz Funk.

What is Jazz Funk? It’s more than sharp movements and syncopated musicality. It blends traditional concepts of “masculine” and “feminine” movement. A jazz funk dancer isn’t just someone who embodies the movement, but also one who understands the historical and cultural contexts that led to the birth of jazz funk as a genre.

The thesis performance features twenty dancers, interactive projections, and choreography by Foust, Lando Coffy and Jose Tena (who are international jazz funk dance professionals). Audience members will experience behind-the-scenes production of a commercial dance video.

A panel discussion will follow each 8:30pm performance.

 

Price: Free

Show Times:

March 28th, 7pm and 8:30pm

March 29th, 7pm and 8:30pm

Location: Duderstadt Center Video Studio (Suite 3360), 2281 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109

More info: smtd.umich.edu/dance/#events & https://www.facebook.com/events/217873582492656/

Dancers

PREVIEW: That Brown Show

Neha Srinivasan Leave a comment

I’m excited to go to That Brown Show again this year; it’ll be my fourth time, I think. Every year the Indian student performance groups come up with something totally new, which means you never quite know what you’ll see. But they are always consistent in the high quality of work they present, and their dedication to their art. And every year what the show does best is highlight India’s bright colors, vibrancy, and our deep love for our culture.

 

That Brown Show will be held in Hill Auditorium on March 30, 2019. The performance runs from 7-9pm; doors open at 6. Tickets can be found here.

REVIEW: Legally Blonde, the musical

Minna W 1 Comment

Prior to hearing that Musket was putting on the show, I had no idea Legally Blonde was a musical. I knew the story from the 2001 movie starring Reese Witherspoon—which I have really enjoyed in the past. During the show, it was fun to compare the plot and scenes with ones in the movie. I was curious which one came first, so I did a quick search and found out that the movie was produced first. This mak            es the screenwriter’s and director’s artistic choices in the musical even more interesting. Fun fact, Legally Blonde was originally a book by Amanda Brown. The title is a play on the words “legally blind” and “legally bound”—because, you know, Elle is blinded by her binding love for Warner—Ha.  

For the most part, the musical followed the plot of the movie. There were, however, some noteworthy differences. A lot of the scenes were squished or condensed together in the interest of time—such as when Elle and Paulette conversed in the salon and when Vivian invited Elle to the ‘costume’ party.

There were other elements that were unique to the musical as well. Such as Paulette’s fascination with dating an Irish man, which I thought was kind of random. So was the song “There! Right There!” which was about determining if Enrique (the pool boy cross examined in court) was gay or European. Additionally, there was another scene where Elle took the people in the court to a bathroom to present her evidence against Chutney, which was bizarre, outrageous, and almost satirical. Because of these reasons, I thought the musical was much more dramatic and over-the-top than the movie.

I also noticed that Emmett had a much larger role. The storyline focused more on him and Elle falling in love, rather than Elle fighting to get Warner back. There was an entire scene dedicated to Elle taking Emmett shopping and giving him a makeover. In my opinion, it was a weird scene to add, considering that the “makeover” has become a cliche in rom-coms.

Anyway, my most anticipated moment was the bend-and-snap scene. And I wasn’t disappointed. It was infused with humor and amazing choreography. Once Paulette learned how to do the bend-and-snap, a group of boys suddenly appeared and responded to her movement. Their synchronicity with Paulette was delightful to watch. When the scene finally ended, it concluded with a bang: Paulette broke Kyle’s (the UPS guy’s) nose. Kyle fell dramatically and the audience roared with laughter.

Another scene I also really enjoyed was Brooke’s exercise routine/jump-rope choreography. The sequence was so creative. I was blown away by the actors’ athleticism; they basically danced and jump-roped at the same time. I have never seen anything like it.

And of course, I must comment on how much I appreciated having real dogs starring in the show. Reggie the campus corgi appeared, and the audience exploded in cheers and applause which was really funny. Bruiser Woods, the Chihuahua, was also adorable. I awwwed every time he appeared on stage. I was so impressed by how well both dogs behaved. If I was a dog (which is a weird thing to think about), I would have freaked out at the bright lights and loud noises.  

You can checkout behind the scenes videos on Musket’s Facebook page, under “videos.”

REVIEW: GenAPA Cultural Show 2019: “TECHNICOLOR: Vivid past, vibrant future”

Minna W Leave a comment

This was my first time attending GenAPA’s annual cultural show. There were so many performances that I surprisingly enjoyed and would otherwise not have seen if I had not gone to see TECHNICOLOR. Each performance showcased a unique aspect of Asian and Pacific American culture. A video, played before each group’s performance, described what ‘technicolor’ as well as the Asian and Pacific American community meant to each student group. There were thirteen featured groups and performers in total. Below, I will mention a few of the performances that I particularly enjoyed.

Sinaboro, Korean traditional drumming group, was the opening act. Throughout their whole performance, the musicians remained seated on the floor of the stage. Their joy and passion for samulnori was delightful to observe (samulnori is a genre of percussion music that originated in Korea. The word samul means “four objects”, while nori means “play”. Samulnori is performed with four instruments: a small gong, a larger gong, an hourglass-shaped drum, and barrel drum). The way the musicians played their instruments was almost like a dance, and it was fascinating to watch.

Michigan Hula’s performance was also intriguing. Prior to the show, the only exposure I had to hula dancing was through the movie, Lilo and Stitch (really sad, I know). You know the scene where Lilo went to hula class? Yup, that’s it. I really appreciated hearing, what I believe is, the Ipu (percussion instrument made from gourds that is often used to provide a beat for hula dancing) and the language the dancers chanted and sang during the performance.

Taekwondo put on a skillful, entertaining, and also humorous performance. The taekwondoins began by monotonously demonstrating different kicks and moves. And then the music came on, and the audience went wild. They demonstrated jumping and spinning kicks and fast kicking techniques. They broke wood boards and performed with nunchucks. It was a blast.

DB3 was one of my favorite performances during the show. They are a male k-pop dance crew. During their performance, they danced hip hop as well as k-pop. Seeing their performance made me feel like a judge on the show, World of Dance. The dancers were so in sync and the choreography was refreshing and stunning. I’ll be looking out for their shows in the future.

Overall, TECHNICOLOR was a blast. There was a wide-range of performances which showed different aspects of Asian and Pacific American culture. The show was both educational and entertaining. In terms of the crowd, there was a great turn-out. A lot of people came out to support their friends and also clubs they enjoyed. I am so glad I went this year.

REVIEW: Ubuntu

Sophia McPherson Leave a comment

This year was the African Student Association’s 21st Annual Culture Show. Typically held at the Crisler Center, this year’s show was performed in the Michigan Theater. This year’s theme was Ubuntu, which loosely translates to “I am because we are” in the Zulu language of Southern Africa. The program was neatly organized by four different categories beginning with: Society, Community, Family, and Individual.

 

The first act performed during the Society category was a fashion show. I was a bit shocked that after only twenty minutes of this fashion show, a fifteen-minute intermission followed immediately after. Resuming from intermission was the Community category. This included a short performance by the Michigan Gospel Chorale, a second fashion show, then a performance by Bichini Bia Congo. Bichini Bia Congo is a performance group based in Ann Arbor whose mission is to make audiences aware of the African culture (more specifically, Congolese). Although this was my first time attending ASA’s culture show, it appears that the Bichini Bia Congo group normally performs with them each year. Their performance was by far my favorite act of the show and I wished that it were longer. According to Bichini Bia Congo, “African traditions are communicated through dance, music, song, and drum.” Prior to attending ASA’s show, this is much of what I was expecting — lively dancing, boisterous drumming, native music and songs, immaculate cultural attire. And to be honest, much of the show did not live up to this expectation, with the exception of the small insert done by the Bichini Bia Congo group which was composed of one male drummer and two female dancers.

 

The third part of the show, Family, was again, another fashion show and Amala. Amala embodied a more lively performance, which I, and the rest of the audience, seemed to be quite excited about. This entailed continuous dance routines while the dancers all wore coordinated outfits. The final part of the show focused on the Individual. There was yet again, another fashion show…followed by a spoken word performance and closed out by two songs performed live by “Mind of Asante.”

 

Relative to other student cultural shows, I’d say that this show was on a much smaller scale. The audience turnout was slightly underwhelming, the duration of the show was surprisingly short, and the depth of the performances was much less than what I expected. Despite this judgment, student-run culture shows deserve a high level of respect. There is a considerable amount of time spent by full-time students planning, practicing, and preparing to put on a full show for friends and family to see and that is commendable nonetheless.