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On March 31, 2012 at Hill Auditorium, the Men’s Glee Club held their 152nd Annual Spring Concert. The concert had  nine separate portions that each displayed the strengths of the vocalists separately and as a whole. There were many traditional Chinese pieces performed during the seventh part of the program because the club is heading to China this summer to represent the immense talent of the choral groups here at the University of Michigan.

The club kicked off the concert with a classic song sung by the Men’s Glee Club, “Laudes atque Carmina”, which praises the University of Michigan. They continued with “A Passerby” by Byron Adams, which was sweet and soothing. The next piece, called given a body was commissioned by the club when they were given a generous grant from an anonymous alumnus. This piece was comprised of four movements and was written by Kristin Kuster, with lyrics by Megan LeVad. Kristin and Megan were clearly very thankful that they were chosen to commission this piece because it had a deep meaning to them and the Men’s Glee Club. It was deep, poetic, and diverse throughout its four movements. Next, the men performed two pieces by Stephen Chatman from There is Sweet Music Here. These pieces were natural and beautiful and were called “There is Sweet Music Here” and “Piping down the valleys wild.” They included haunting harmonies that were dissonant, but incredible.  Two more movements of given a body were performed next and they were just as lovely as the first two, but had different themes. The first half of the concert was finished by “Luck be a lady tonight” from Guys and Dolls. This piece was fun and energetic compared to the soothing pieces before it.

After intermission, The Friars, an a cappella group started by members of the Men’s Glee Club, performed a few tunes. The final song they sang was about Denard Robinson, everyone’s favorite quarterback and it had the crowd laughing out loud. The next portion of the program featured traditional Chinese selections as a celebration that the Men’s Glee Club will be going abroad to China this summer. A special guest, Zhang Ying, performed two solo pieces arranged by himself and accompanied the club. Zhang Ying played three interesting instruments, the gourd flute, the dizi, and the sheng. Each had its own distinct tone and was brilliantly designed so it was not only an instrument, but a work of art. Next, the group performed a Motown/Soul Medley including “The way you do the things you do”, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)”, “I’ll Be There”, and “Love Train/Baby, I need your lovin.'” This portion of the concert was very entertaining because the songs performed were classic hits and the men of the club had choreographed dance moves that they performed in sync. The program concluded with songs about the University of Michigan. These got the crowd in a great mood, because everyone loves to celebrate the wonderful opportunities and talents at U of M! After getting a standing ovation, the club invited all alumni present at the concert on stage. This giant group of men then sang “Hail to the Victors” (with the assistance of the audience of course).
Overall, this was a fantastic concert and got everyone excited for the Men’s Glee Club to show people of China the diversity and talent that exists at the University of Michigan. We wish the Men’s Glee Club safe travels and hope that they gain a rewarding experience from the trip as well as spread joy to everyone that they perform for!

To learn more about the Men’s Glee Club and their endeavors, check here: http://ummgc.org/

As a part of the annual Ann Arbor Film Festival, this Wednesday evening, March  28th from 5-7 p.m., featured a free showcase of student films, created by University of Michigan students, as well as students from Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, College for Creative Studies, Interlochen Arts Academy, and Oakland Community College. In total, 15 short films were shown, each film standing apart from the others in uniqueness of concept and subject. There were only a select few films that I really liked, including “Instructions for Urban Exploration,” a dance film by Perry Janes, Noah Stahl, and Sadie Yarrington, all University of Michigan students. The film was shot in an abandoned warehouse in Detroit, in which a female dancer recited a poem about urban exploration, and moved as she spoke. It was beautiful! I loved the shots of her dancing in front of a wall of window-panes, a wall of light behind her, silhouetting her movement.

I also really liked “A Series of Kinetic Sets Tell A Story,” by Shannon Kohlitz, which begins with an elderly woman putting a few random objects into a box and carefully closing the top, shifting to an animated scene inside of the box, a slideshow of her memories, giving significance to the objects within her past, when she first met her husband, and they got married, and he was in the war… It was really touching. The film was dedicated to Shannon’s grandparents, with old photos of her grandparents when they were young displayed on the screen as the credits were shown. It was such a sweet and meaningful concept, with so much communicated in only 5 minutes of film.

“Listen,” created by a group of students from Washtenaw Community College, was entertaining to watch, though it felt more like an Ann Arbor music video than a meaningful film. “Belle Isle Zoo” by Barb Morrissey from Washtenaw Community College, contained an interesting subject, scenes from the dilapidated Belle Isle Zoo, however the film didn’t explore much beyond this basic subject. With eerie music, the film felt very creepy, but I think something could have been manipulated in order to have something happen in the film, like having a person standing in the ruin in the end, creeping around the corner, instead of merely showing scenes of the ruin as it is.

Another film I really enjoyed was a documentary by Scott Allen from Washtenaw Community College, called “Turn the Camera Around,” about a photographer named Doug, who takes photos of music artists for the Detroit Metro Times. Doug is a really interesting guy, and the film was really well done–this is definitely not your average boring documentary. It was really entertaining, heartfelt, and funny.

You can watch this film online! http://vimeo.com/22202307

Though there were a number of films I really liked, there were also some films that I just didn’t get. For instance, “Dubstep Informational Nature Video Series” created by an EMU student contained computer graphics, dubstep music, and video and images of animals, including possums, spiders, and dolphins, with silly, un-factual “facts” about these animals. Huh? Also, “Forward Aikido Roll,” a film made by a Washtenaw Community College student was also pretty goofy. This guy basically talked about how he’s the master of the Aikido Roll, basically a tumbling move, and he just kept doing it over and over again. Some people thought it was funny, but I didn’t get the joke. It seems like a lot of time and effort to put into a “film” that resembles a silly youtube video.

All in all, the student film festival made for a really entertaining evening. There were several really well-done films created by students in our community, and it is so great that these students are recognized at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, one of the most popular annual arts events in Ann Arbor.

For more information about the films shown at the 2012 student film festival, check out the website! http://aafilmfest.org/50/events/student_film_showcase/

In the Institute for the Humanities Gallery on S. Thayer Street a video installation exhibit by Charles Atlas is on display through Saturday March 31st. Joints 4tet for Ensemble is a touching homage to the life and movement of famous modern dancer/choreographer, Merce Cunningham, who recently passed away in 2009, at the ripe-old-age of 90. [want to learn more about Merce?: http://www.merce.org/about/index.php]

The exhibit consists of exactly what you see in the photo above, nothing more, nothing less. The room is dimly lit, with small, hidden spotlights illuminating the arrangement of various sized box-shaped televisions on sturdy metal stands, casting larger-than-life shadows on the walls behind them. The arrangement of televisions and speakers, along with the giant shadows cast on the walls, create the image of a choreographed arrangement of bodies in space, the televisions the empty beings transmitting the remnants of the movement of Merce Cunningham. Images of Merce’s hands, arms, knees, and feet are portrayed on the various screens, video footage taken by Charles Atlas during the time that he worked as an assistant stage manager for Merce’s dance company. In between rehearsals Charles would videotape Merce exploring movement and gesture in his own body, focusing in on one small movement of the body–the twirling of his wrist, the bending and straightening of his knee, the extension of his arm. Each movement done purposefully and thoughtfully, beautifully. A soundtrack of street noise projected from the speakers–traffic, church bells, people talking as they pass by.

As I sat on the bench facing the screens, alone in the gallery, I felt as if I were in a sacred space paying my respect to one of the most influential dancers and choreographers who ever lived. I imagined that I was in a park, with Merce Cunningham himself, and I was Charles Atlas, holding the camera as Merce moved. Traffic and people buzz by, missing the simple beauty in the artistic genius standing before them. And I stand mesmerized by his movement.

I loved that Charles chose these everyday movements that are so relate-able, the idea of the everyday further enforced by the street noise projecting from the speakers. It made me feel like I was having an intimate moment with Merce, that I knew him personally–I saw the beauty in his movement, as a dancer, but also as a person. It made me miss him, as if I knew him like Charles did. The street noise as well as the red lines moving upwards that would sometimes appear on the screen in place of the videos of Merce reminded me that he is gone, and the world continues turning.

This exhibit hit straight to my core, in a very unconscious way, and I realized that this is because this is how a dancer sees the world. We appreciate the natural choreographic arrangement of objects in space, the slightest movement is awe inspiring art, and the noise of everyday life is music.