Hey all, you knew it was coming. This month’s theme is love and lust, or maybe quite the opposite. Get to Work Gallery this Friday night to dish it out at our February slam with Word of Mouth. Theme: Infatuation. Great place to bring a date! Or not….depending on what kind of story you might tell…Necessary info below, and, as always, check out the sweet graphics by the lovely Hannah Hillier. See ya there! Happy Valentines Day (or whatever).

The University of Michigan School of Dance put on their 2012 production, Dancelucent, this weekend at The Power Center. Being a former dance major at Marygrove College, I was really interested to see how the University of Michigan dance program compares. Sadly, I was quite disappointed with Dancelucent…

The first number, “Been a Long Time” choreographed by Bill DeYoung consisted of a series of rock n’ roll numbers, an homage to the culture of rock music. Throughout the show, I had high hopes for the choreography in each piece, the concepts being described thoroughly and interestingly in the program, however each time I was gravely disappointed. The costumes were black and gold, revealing a lot of bare-midriffs reminiscent of a basketball dance team uniform, and the movement was very jazzy and wild, with a lot of big hair flinging around, taking away from the movement quality. The rock n’ roll idea was a bit overstated, and the movement and costumes felt somewhat cheesy and meaningless. The one number I did enjoy, that stood out to me personally, was a solo piece danced by Daniela Blechner to the song “Whiskey, Mystics and Men” by The Doors. The music was very minimal, but catchy, and the dancer’s stumbling, heavy movements, and interactions with a group of “fans” that bombarded her on the stage, then left her, said much about rock n’ roll culture–the drugs, the fans, the fame, the loneliness, and the brevity of it all.

The second piece, “Forest Through The Trees” choreographed by Peter Sparling presented a very interesting concept concerning American life and art. The use of multiple mediums, including video of dancers moving, abstract art, and the live reading of a piece of literature, as well as the beautiful effect created by dancers moving behind a sheer screen, made the piece interesting to watch. However, as was true throughout the entire performance, the concept overtook the movement. The concept was interesting, however it was communicated not purely through the movement itself, which is what dance is meant to do. Often the minuscule, frantic movements of the dancers felt like filler to the barrage of other artistic mediums being presented in conjunction with one another to make a statement. Throughout the show I felt that dance took a backseat to the choreographers’ concepts, which was a shame given the incredible talent of the dance students performing in the show. It was obvious that they are capable of much more than they were given.

I had very high hopes for the next piece, “Lightmotifs”, as I am familiar with the choreographer, Robin Wilson, founder of the Urban Bush Women. However, the piece felt very scattered, and the meaning was very obscure. It began with 70’s funk music and girls in pajamas with flashlights, moving into the girls singing “You Light Up My Life” which was very surprising and felt somewhat cheesy. It then moved into a more modern/contemporary piece with a lot of repetition in movement (another theme for the evening), finishing with a spiritual song, the only piece in the set that I really enjoyed, although it didn’t seem to fit in to the rest of the set.

Finally, Dance #1 started off strong, very visually interesting with dancers moving fluidly across the stage in all white long-sleeved leotards and white pants, to a light, airy techno-y piece composed by Philip Glass. The dancers moved in staggered pairs, moving from one wing of the stage to the other, doing light turns and glissades, quick movements, then slowing down with the next pair to weightier small jumps in place, spending more time moving across the stage. However, this dance was incredibly long and one-dimensional. Several individuals sitting near me in the audience, myself included, seemed to think it was annoying, funny, and wondered if it would ever end. Several times the music slowed and we thought it was coming to an end, or changing, but instead it kept going, and going… To be frank, I felt like I was on drugs, and I wanted out! And then it ended, without the movement or the music ever changing. I didn’t feel that this was a strong point on which to end the show.

Overall, I was disappointed with the quality of the pieces presented at Dancelucent. However, the concepts were very unique, interesting, and innovative, even though they overtook the show. Less is more. I wanted to see more dancing! The dancers were all incredibly talented, and I wanted the music, the concepts, the costumes, the sets, all to be toned down in order for the movement, what dance essentially is, to be showcased, to speak to the audience.

Dancelucent 2012 was held by the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance on February 3 and it was held at the Power Center for the Performing Arts. The evening began with a piece called “Been a Long Time” which was very rock and roll and it included music by artists like Led Zeppelin and Frank Zappa. The piece was choreographed by Bill DeYoung and it was an experimentation of interactions between all of the dancers. There was a plot to the piece that could be interpreted by the audience and the dancers featured were confident and able to create emotions individually as well as through interactions with other dancers.  The seven movements of “Been a Long Time” each had a purpose and led smoothly into the next and the different songs used were of similar style.

The second piece was called “Forest Through the Trees,” was a repetitious, but diverse dance that was narrated by a woman portraying Gertrude Stein. The Making of Americans by Gertrude Stein was read during the dance and the choreography followed the narration of the piece. There was an amazing video that accompanied the dancers by Peter Sparling and it made the perception of the piece altered in that there were so many different elements happening at once. The colors of the video were interesting and the dancers were featured in the video. Dancelucent gave the world premiere of this piece.

“Lightmotifs” also had its world premiere at Dancelucent. It was choreographed by Robin Wilson, who is an associate professor at the University of Michigan. This piece had a lighter feel to it and began with a very cute slumber party scene. At one point, there were some bicyclists riding around on stage! The final part of “Lightmotifs” had a gospel feeling to it and the costumes were vibrant and had great movement. The whole piece was very uplifting and was overall bright and cheery.

The final part of Dancelucent was Dance #1, which was based around a piece composed by Philip Glass. Lucinda Childs, who was involved in Einstein on the Beach with Philip Glass, choreographed Dance #1. As it was composed by Philip Glass, the dance featured elements of iteration. There were subtle changes with the music and it was fun to get lost in the piece but at the same time notice the changes every once in a while. Overall, the piece was interesting because it changed my perception of time and gave me an insight into the subtleties of Lucinda’s choreography.

Dancelucent was a diverse and beautiful event that displayed the great talent of the University of Michigan’s School of Dance through modern dance. The choreography was exceptional and it was great to see that our School of Dance does high quality work.

For the past three week, the Slusser Gallery in the Art and Architecture building  has displayed an exhibit of faculty art work. A variety of mediums, from ceramic to painting, sculpture to photography, video installation to fibers, The 8th Annual Faculty Exhibition publicizes current creative endeavors of professors at the art school. In anticipation of the closing reception, which is this Friday, I made a trip to North Campus to explore the display. I was highly impressed by the pieces. These professors are true professionals and their craft is cutting edge. Several captivating portrayals of nudes caught my attention, as well as curious ceramic sculptures of over sized honey combs, and a self-portrait series of the artist in a body brace that alludes to Frida Kahlo’s famous work.

Only a few more days to get in on this art action. To celebrate the creativity, be sure to get to the closing reception:

Jean Paul Slusser Gallery

UM School of Art & Design, 1st Floor

2000 Bonisteel Blvd.

Hours

Monday through Friday: 9am – 5pm, Saturday: 12 – 7 pm

Closing Reception

Friday, February 3, 6-9 pm

I say it was confidence: the hidden gem of this university is the Penny W. Stamps Lecture Series.

Every Thursday at 5:10 pm at the Michigan Theater, the School of Art and Design hosts one of the most stimulating, well curated lecture series I’ve ever been to. Not that I am a wide connoisseur of lectures,  but this particular series is, in my opinion, free entertainment– one hundred percent. I may be preaching to the choir since it is a requisite for students of A&D. Even if you do not have a strong proclivity for the arts, the series also runs talks on all kinds of innovation: think cities, sustainability, film, fashion; anything and everything progressive, bright, and mindful.

Last week, Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman, a writer and illustrator respectively, spoke about their newest collaborated work, a nearly-graphic novel called Why We Broke Up. Before I continue, let me just say that you probably know at least one of these artists quite well. Well, your childhood book shelf does. If you were born of the nineties, you surely read A Series of Unfortunate Events, no? Well Daniel Handler is the man behind the madness, the renowned and yet oh so discrete Lemony Snicket.

With a name like Lemony Snicket, I imagined he would be haggled as Count Olaf, his villainous character. But not remotely. Tall and dressed in a suit, he stood beside his artistic counterpart Maira Kalman, an endearing-looking Californian, and worked the crowd from the start to finish. Professional comedy. The dynamic of the two mirrored that of an adorable old married couple (though they are not). They bickered, interrupted, and mocked each other’s habits, but ultimately, their humor exhibited a true sense of camaraderie in the presentation of the work.

Why We Broke Up is about first love. And, as the title reveals, first heart break. The story is told through the illustration of objects. Kalman paints figures that are simultaneously whimsical and stunning with realism. Min, the heart breakee, gives Ed, the heartbreaker, a box of keepsakes that represent their relationship. Each belonging turns a page and gives voice to the tale of their romance. The captions that correlate with each image are written by Handler (the two artists live on opposite coasts and created this work by mailing each other corresponding images and snippets until the book was complete).

This review I am writing makes the lecture sound as though it were morose and heart wrenching when, in fact, the crowd was in hysterics the entire time. At the end of the presentation, audience members filled out a quiz that scored their level of romanticism, responding to questions read aloud such as “Unicorns are special,” and “I like the hair you leave on your hair brush.”

You know, I’m just not getting the humor across in the same way that Handler and Kalman did. They are professionals. Read it from them at the Penny W. Stamps website. And click here to read about upcoming lectures, including this Thursday’s High Line: New York City’s Park in the Sky by Robert Hammond. It’s a talk about the future of urban infrastructure coming to life–should be interesting! My dad, an avid environmentalist, is driving into Ann Arbor to hear the lecture. Afterward, we are getting Earthen Jar. A great father-daughter date. I suggest you do the same with some body; Penny Stamps is a great way to start the weekend!