Category: Lifting Voices

PREVIEW: 17th Annual Multicultural Greek Exhibition

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The Multicultural Greek Exhibition (MGX) hosted by Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Incorporated is tomorrow: Saturday, March 25th at 7:00 PM in the Michigan Union Rogel Ballroom. This event will be a collaboration between various multicultural greek organizations on campus, where they’ll give all kinds of performances expressing their pride and showcasing their greek traditions.

Last semester I attended the Yardshow, a similar event hosted in the Diag by Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Incorporated. It was an indescribable experience and certainly a night to remember, with one of the largest and most supportive crowds I’ve ever been a part of. Not only did I witness great performances, I also had a valuable learning experience regarding what multicultural greek life entails and how it differentiates itself from other kinds of fraternities and sororities. Through powerful dances and facial expressions, they showed the audience the significance of their values and history.

I can’t wait to see what MGX has in store, as they promised on their instagram (@lta_betaomicron) a “night full of energy”. The event is free and open to the public; there will also be a chance to participate in mini-games and win prizes.

If you’re still curious as to what kind of experience it may be, I recommend checking out my previous review on the Yardshow (no promises as to how alike they are though). However, the best and most accurate way to find out is by attending yourself tomorrow night!

REVIEW: Bonnets: How Ladies of Good Breeding are Induced to Murder

Ella Larsen Leave a comment

8:00pm • Friday, February 17, 2023 • Lydia Mendelssohn Theater

I had a fun evening attending Bonnets last Friday, although I was more impressed by the acting and production than the writing itself. My cast shout-outs go to God, played by Sophia Lane, Prudence, played by Kaylin Gines, and Valerie, played by Olivia Sinnott: partially because they were just my favorite characters, but also because the three actors filled their roles with particular verve. One thing I appreciated about the script was that each actor had their time to shine. Each character developed a type that, once placed in a scene with another, created surprising and entertaining dynamics, especially once the timelines became crossed.

The set, designed by Lance Vance (depicted in the image above), lent itself to the plot, with the overlapping frames above the three settings visualizing the colliding timelines. While unchanging, it remained dynamic by virtue of the way the actors interacted with it in many dimensions. The costumes, designed by Mallory Edgell, were similarly ingenious. Each character wore a period gown rendered in pale neutral fabric, save for a panel or two which were patterned in esoteric characters reflecting the playful sci-fi elements of the plot. I liked how the uniformity of the costumes, all of which used roughly the same fabric, unified the women’s narratives while the cut distinguished each character by period and class. The costume change in the end was also clever, evoking the punk movement of the 1990s and recentering the story in the present, where women continue to be “corseted” in contemporary ways.

This brings me to an element brought up in the panel discussion after the play which I found interesting. A question was posed to the panelists about how the play breaks barriers of representation, and two of the panelists answered frankly that they didn’t believe it did. I’m inclined to agree; the feminism of the play didn’t feel particularly radical. Perhaps the embrace of violence as a means of resistance was meant to be the element of surprise in the play, but it leaned a little too deeply into comedy for me to take it seriously. Overall, I wasn’t enamored with the particular brand of camp written into the script. I felt like, considering its themes, the play could have afforded to take itself a little more seriously, and ultimately the campiness came across more as a product of a rushed storyline.

Of course, none of this is to criticize the impressive cast and production staff who brought this performance together. Regardless of whatever issues I had with the script, I enjoyed the play immensely, congratulate the student actors who will be graduating shortly, and look forward to seeing the others again in future performances.

REVIEW: The Future Is With Our People: Sustainability Art Exhibition

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On the first floor of the Michigan Union there is a showcase full of stories, small moments captured in time that discuss the complex, yet integral, relationship between students and the environment. Amidst a time of climate crisis, this exhibition aims to remind us of the essential ways that we can heal through community, culture, and relationships, and how through these experiences we may discover paths to a better future. “The Future is With Our People” is an art exhibition created by the Student Life Sustainability Cultural Organizers and I cannot recommend it enough. Seriously. Go spend time with it. While you are at it, check out the Cultural Organizers and get familiar with who they are and what they do here — you will not want to miss out. 

The opening ceremony of the art installation, held in the South Lounge of the Union last Monday, was filled with music, storytelling, laughter and community. A group of ~10 students and members of the UM community, called to share stories of strength and creativity in a changing climate, came together to share these pieces of themselves. It was the perfect extension of the exhibit itself, allowing the flow of stories to seep into the audience through different forms of performing arts. 

“Labu Sayong” and “Peanut” by Shiryn Anissa Noor Affendi

The exhibit, on display until February 24th, is a collection of art through a variety of mediums that showcase the artistic ways we can have a conversation about climate and our place within it. The driving question behind the work is this: What about your culture sustains you, your community, and your environment? It is a beautiful web to weave between the shared sustainability between peoples and their environment, each being essential to the other. The artists that are featured allow the audience to look into what this relationship looks like for them. Although I wish the exhibit was given a larger space, its impact cannot be understated; I guarantee that each piece will make you think differently about how people connect with the environment, and the importance of culture and community within that. 

“N’Zaagidiwin biish” by Zoi Crampton

Each participating artist had their own unique piece of art and story to tell. Artist Shiryn Anissa Noor Affendi used clay to sculpt one of her pieces, “Labu Sayong,” representing a traditional Malaysian method of using a hollowed out gourd as a water container. She discussed the ways she must find connections between her heritage and her experience at Michigan in order to stay centered. Another artist, Zoi Crampton, collected plastic from the Great Lakes and threaded them together with intention to make a jingle dress, a teaching rooted in Crampton’s Anishinaabe culture, to send prayers toward healing community. Crampton ties this form of art to the healing of the Great Lakes.

I could go on and on about these artists and their stories, but it would make much more sense for you to go see it yourself. This exhibition deserves more time and space at our University, but I am glad to see it for the time that it is here. Thank you to the Cultural Organizers and every artists that participated and created this absolutely beautiful space on our campus.  

REVIEW: Đêm Việt Nam

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I had a blast at this year’s Đêm Việt Nam (DVN)! Pictured above was my favorite performance from the night – the opening act done by The Detroit Lion Dance Association. I didn’t expect to see an actual traditional lion dance; it was my first time watching one as well!

It was fascinating in multiple ways. Exclaimed gasps were heard throughout the venue when the two lions suddenly appeared in the aisles. Their dance incorporated humor and storytelling, and the lions themselves showed so much emotion through their movements and eyes alone. One highlight for me was when the lions pretended to drink alcohol and afterward stumbled onto the ground in a deep slumber; then the sound of the drums awakened them and they gathered their surroundings to the rhythmic beat of the instruments. The crowd favorite was the moments when the lions would rise to face either the audience or each other. I’m truly impressed by the stamina and hard work that must’ve been put into this performance.

 

Despite being a non-dance-based organization, I enjoyed the performances the members of VSA prepared. They incorporated a lot of character and I could tell the students had a lot of fun on stage. I realized at DVN how important lighting is and how it can increase the quality of a viewer’s experience. Darker lighting heightened anticipation in the room; brighter lighting gave playful energy; and pure silhouettes on a colorful background emphasized the movements of the dancers. I think these special effects helped show off the energy the performers wanted to showcase. In my opinion, it also relieved the pressure of giving an immaculate and in-sync performance. The Power Center is an amazing venue and I hope to watch more performances there.

 

Guy/Girl traditional – this was another one of my favorite performances; the chemistry between the dancers was very charming and I loved all the romantic nuances hidden within their dance moves alongside the use of the hats

 

Fans – an example of how the background shift can change the atmosphere of a performance. The dark red was very alluring and the dark green let the shape and colors of the fans standout

 

Traditional Melody – one of the ending acts that incorporates multiple traditional dances and outfits

The event was an appropriate length: not too long that it was tiring or too short that it felt disappointing. I liked the intermittent mini-skits that helped create smooth transitions between different performances too. I even found myself smiling at the heartwarming atmosphere between the club members.

I’m already looking forward to next year’s DVN and hope you guys consider attending in the future too!

PREVIEW: Đêm Việt Nam

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If you have time tomorrow evening, consider coming to Đêm Việt Nam (also known as DVN), which is the Vietnamese Student Association’s annual show! The theme this year is “Tìm Đường Về”, which means “Find Your Way Home.”

This will be my first Đêm Việt Nam, so I don’t have a clear picture of what their show is like. However, I know there is a highlight on dancing. These are the specifics listed on their Instagram (@vsa_michigan) post teasing DVN a while back:

Guy/Girl Hiphop

Umbrellas

B2Viet

Guy Hiphop

Fans

Girl Hiphop

Traditional Melody

Guy/Girl traditional

Furthermore, they’re featuring a long list of guest performers, some that I found rather surprising:

The Detroit Lion Dance Association – This is a group I haven’t seen before

K-Motion + Female Gayo + DB3 (Kpop-focused dance groups collab)

Revolution (Chinese Yo-yo club)

UMTKD (The University of Michigan Tae Kwon Do Club) – I didn’t expect there to be a martial arts performance!

Photonix (Glowstick Performance Group)

It’ll be at the Power Center tomorrow, which is a really nice venue that holds various professional performances like ballet, theater, etc. The doors will open at 6:00 PM but the actual performances will be from 7-9 PM. You can buy tickets (they’re beautifully designed by the way) at the door, so if you’re looking for something to do Saturday night, stop by for some exciting performances!

REVIEW: Your Sexts Are Shit: Older Better Letters

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**featured image from the performance trailer on UMS.org

8:00pm • Saturday, February 4, 2023 • Arthur Miller Theater

Yet again, I was mistaken in my assumption that Your Sexts Are Shit would be a simple comedy performance. Through a combination of love (and sex) letters among historical figures, screenshots of sexts (and not-sexts), and her own constructed narrative, Rachel Mars paid tribute to the voices and stories we have historically neglected to value.

Mars took a different approach to sharing each form of writing with the audience. Each style was represented visually onstage–to the right was a chest of drawers topped with a noisy, old-fashioned carousel slide projector that cast the slightly-askew letters onto a small screen. At the center, a modern projector flicked between sexts at the click of a remote. To the left, a pristine home office complete with studio lighting and Mac were set up on a slight platform. Each location lent its own interpretation to the written words Mars read, and in the Q&A, she described how these connected with the different impacts forms of communication have on their readers. For example, there is a different kind of eroticism behind sending a letter and the uncertainty of waiting for a response than in the immediacy of texting.

Also in the Q&A, Mars shared the intentionality behind her curation of the letters and texts. James Joyce’s letters to Nora Barnacle were included first, because her chance encounter with them in 2020 was what led to the project in the first place. However, she used his letters to draw attention to the fact that while the famous author’s letters have been preserved, history has not assigned the same value to his partner’s voice. This was a common theme among the letters chosen: they represented voices, or relationships, we erase. We erase women who own their sexuality, and we erase the evidence of people in power who don’t fit our expectations of womanhood or manhood. During the performance I heard one of the older audience-members next to me asking his partner, “Are these real?” I feel like it demonstrated the extent of that erasure, where even if evidence is right before our eyes we question its integrity because it clashes so intensely with our pre-conceived understanding of reality.

Something Mars said which struck me was that she takes the letters, and the texts, “quite seriously.” While we might laugh at the brazenness of Joyce’s letters, they are still the remnants of a real relationship between two real people. While I may have entered the performance with the mindset that it would be all easy laughter (which perhaps already says something about how society has taught me to think about sexuality), I left with a newfound curiosity about the other stories we neglect to take seriously.