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I heard about Cirque du Solei during my Freshman year when my Freshman year roomate showed me some youtube videos of their acts. Ever since then I have always wanted to go.

I was on facebook the other day when my friend posted “Anyone want to go to Cirque du Solei with me?” in his status. It came up in my mini-feed and the rest is history.

The show took place at the Breslin center in East Lansing, but seeing as to how this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I quickly bought tickets and make the trip to see the show on a Wednesday night.

Though it was my first time a circus of any type, I knew to expect spectacular.

The show started with a small clown skit. The performers made the skits especially interesting by interacting with the audience. A couple audience members were pulled to the stage during various parts of the performance, and at the end, a performer handed a toddler her flower. From the balcony, it really seemed like the floor seat experience was truly a cool experience.

There were many mind blowing acts such as acrobats and contortionists and such, however, my favorite were the clown skits. There was a series in particular that I especially liked. There were two clowns who playfully and skillfully had a fun time on the stage playing with paper airplanes. The performers did a great job in conveying emotions, ideas and thoughts through their clown characters. These two clowns acted as if they were young brothers playfully teasing one another while at the same time conveyed the idea of a strong bond.

The show was a mixture of flashy acts and clown skits.

It was definitely worth the $35 and the trip to East Lansing on a Wednesday night.

Who loves hip hop?  I want to say everyone but if you are part of this group, I definitely suggest you catch the hip hop trio of Jedi Mind Tricks at the Blind Pig tonight.  Even if you don’t like hip hop, it’s still an experience and with a name like that how can you say no? Check it out yo.

Jedi Mind Tricks was formed in 1997 by high school friends, Vinnie Paz, DJ Stroupe, and Jus Allah with the release of their first L.P. The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological & Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness.  Sounds like a lengthy psychology thesis but “The Psycho-Social” remains JMT’s most groundbreaking and influential release.   With many albums and collaborations after that, Jedi Mind Tricks continually redefine hip hop with their “lyrical purity.”  Their newest release presents Army of the Pharaohs a supergroup of the most talented underground east coast hip hop artists.

Jedi Mind Tricks will be at the Blind Pig tonight.  Show starts at 9:30 and tickets will be on sale at the door. Michigan native One Be Lo will be opening up so make sure not to miss out.

Later,

Sarah

Wowzo Wowzee- huge show tonight- Flying Lotus, live at the Blind Pig.

Flying Lotus is an experimental hip hop, dance, electronic music maker from the west coast.  He creates the ever-elusive intelligent beats that make a dude want to dance.  Flying Lotus is in town to premiere a live score to Harry Smith’s 1972 ‘Heaven & Earth Magic’, an animated experimental film, at the Ann Arbor Film Festival (more on the Film Fest tomorrow- but check it, check it, check it.)  However, the official Ann Arbor Film Festival afterparty- hosted with Ann Arbor cool kids, Dark Matter– is a live set from Flying Lotus himself, along with VJ Strangeloop, and Chicago band Mahjongg.

Look, the dude is the great nephew of Alice Coltrane, he’s making ridiculous beats right now, he puts on a show (saw him at DEMF last summer- zedis!), and he is a well known fan of weirdo drug DMT.

Get to the Film Fest screening and then mosey your ways over to the Blind Pig.  Or Razor scooter, or whatever you gotsta do.

 

Performance of the play “My Name is Rachel Corrie”

 

When: Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 2:00pm
Where: Angell Hall Auditorium A, UM
Cost: Free

Sponsored by Arts at Michigan and the Michigan Student Assembly.

Click to see more details of this performance at UM, and to RSVP on FaceBook.

 

 

Rachel Corrie (1979 – 2003) was an Evergreen College student from the USA who traveled to the Gaza Strip. She was killed in 2003 by a Caterpillar D9R armored bulldozer operated by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during her protest against the destruction of Palestinian homes by the IDF at the Rafah refugee campin the Gaza Strip.

“My Name is Rachel Corrie” is a play based on the diaries and emails of Rachel Corrie. (Here are some extracts from her diaries.)

Alan Rickman first staged the play in April 2005 at the Royal Court Theatre, London, and it went on to win the London Theatregoers’ Choice Awards for Best Director and Best New Play.

 

Here is a documentary about the life and death of Rachel Corrie:

 

 

Here is an YouTube video featuring footage from an interview with Rachel Corrie that took place two days before her death:

 

 

Here is some additional background material about the play.

Incidentally, on January 25, 2004, the parents of Rachel Corrie spoke here at the University of Michigan.

 

 

 

Saturday night was the coffee shop performance of my friend Abigail Stauffer. I can’t stop listening when she starts singing and plucking the divine strings on her guitar. Her voice is pure like an angel but cultured with the depth of folk singing.

Abbie sings both covers for today’s music and her own original songs. She makes songs like Jay Sean’s Down sound romantic and poetic. It is truly beautiful. Her best songs, however, are the ones she writes herself. She is the most talented songwriter I know. She is a poet with music, a painter with a guitar. My favorite song, College, Love, and Cheesecake, is one about love and simile. I constantly listen to another one of her songs Beloved. I bought her CD because of these two songs, but there are so many other great pieces on it and it was totally worth the $8.

Abigail’s friend Rebecca sang with her on many of her songs and was really great, but this was Abbie’s show and I want to write about how amazing she really is. To listen to some of her music, search for Abigail Stauffer on www.youtube.com or become a fan of her on www.facebook.com.

Abigail’s voice is what is so amazing about her performances. It is clear and strong, yet she makes it sound so easy to put all of that emotion into it. She has complete control of her voice and can jump octaves in an instant only to come right back to the same note. The note strings that she puts together are original and flawless, sometime surprising and unexpected. Her style itself screams unique.

I would love to go to another concert or buy another CD, so you can be sure that I will be there next time too. Café Ambrosia was a great venue for the occasion, this being their first concert, and it was comfortably packed. I know that Abbie enjoyed herself and that the crowd loved her, so it was a great night and I’m sorry if you missed it.

As always,
This is Danny Fob: Artist and Art Reviewer