REVIEW: East in Motion

Ronald McTrump Leave a comment

THIS IS A CALL TO PAY ATTENTION!! This art exhibit is hanging in the hallway on the first floor of the Michigan League, so you don’t even have to change any part of your normal day to see this amazing exhibit. Just the next time you walk through the Michigan League, pause for a few minutes and enjoy the gallery around you.  WARNING: this exhibit will only be in the League until November 30th, so make sure you walk through the League this month. Maybe plan to host you next club meeting in a League room, this way you can share this exhibit with your friends.

This gallery is photos of dance. The artist Yi-Chun Wu travels around the US taking photos of dance shows. I had the chance to speak with her and she mentioned that New York is one of her favorite places to take photographs because there are so many shows because dancers congregate in New York and there are performances everyday.  I realized that I have spent a lot of time in New York (these past two summers in fact) but have never seen a dance performance while I was there. Thankfully I will be going back and seeing a dance show is on my bucket list. The photos Yi-Chun took are very intimate and can be a close up of the dancer. This can be hard to believe, but she actually takes many of these photos from only a few feet away from the dancer. I’ve only seen dance performances from far out in the audience and seeing these photographs offers a closer perspective that shows the facial expression, intricate clothing, and muscle tension of the dancers.

I asked Yi-Chun why she is captivated by taking photographs of dance and she mentioned it is because she enjoys capturing the in-between moments of motion. Dance is often continuous and fast-paced, capturing specific moments of a dance is a different way of viewing dance than we are used it. It focuses on the relationship of the dancers face and expression and how their body is shaped at a specific moment in time. It also shows the importance of lighting and shadow in dance.

 

I posted photos of my favorite pieces. Because of the glare from the lights in the League and the quality of my phone camera (it is not an iPhone), my photographs aren’t the most clear, but these photos will give you an idea of what to look for in the League. If you would like, please comment which photographs were your favorite!

 

PREVIEW: Aida Cuevas

Kianna Marquez Leave a comment

 

Since 1975, Aida Gabriela Cuevas Castillo has demonstrated to her beloved homeland of Mexico and to the expanse of Latinoamerica her extraordinary talent as a traditional mariachi vocalist, hereafter deemed “La Voz de Mexico” and “The Queen of Ranchera Music” by many. As a girl originating from la Ciudad de Mexico, Aida Cuevas was born with a deep, rich tone that resonates throughout the hills that envelop the city and naturally cuts through the vast blue skies of the Southern Hemisphere. With her arrival in Ann Arbor on Friday (11/02/18), viewers should expect the same authentic musicality and powerful energy to reverberate between the walls of the Hill Auditorium. As she takes the stage with her accompanying mariachi band, Mariachi Juvenil Tecalitlan, performing a tribute to Juan Gabriel, Aida Cuevas is certain to pull the heartstrings of those who know her music, make those belonging to the Hispanic community proud that she is representing and sharing their culture in an authentic way, and capture the hearts of those who have yet to experience her moving charisma and zeal for el mariachi.

PREVIEW: Jake Shimabukuro, Ukulele

Ronald McTrump 1 Comment

This performance is being put on by UMS Wednesday, November 7th at 7:30pm in Hill Auditorium. Jake Shimabukuro first got famous through YouTube when he played a dazzling cover of While My Guitar Gently Weeps by The Beatles.

I am a guitar player, but the first instrument I ever owned was a Ukulele which I would fiddle around with as a kid.  The ukulele is a fun instrument to mess around with and play simple chords, but I switched to guitar because I thought the ukulele was too limiting. There aren’t many notes and a generally homogeneous sound amongst the strings. I thought of the ukulele as an instrument only meant to accompany singing by the beach.  I am hoping Jake shows me how wrong I am Wednesday. Maybe I will be so inspired that I will take my old Ukulele out of storage and start playing again. Hope to see all of you there!

PREVIEW: King Lear

Ronald McTrump Leave a comment

This is a live Broadcast being shown in HD at The Michigan Theater. It is of the National Theater in London and is starring Ian McKellan. Ian McKellan is well known for his role as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, but McKellan is also famous for his role in Acting Shakespeare where he performs monologues from Shakespeare plays. McKellan is almost 80 years old, and this could be one of the last opportunities to ever see him perform Shakespeare.

King Lear is one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies.  It is a story of ignored love, betrayal, ambition, treachery, and violence told through the eyes of two aging fathers.  If you don’t have a lot of experience seeing Shakespeare’s plays, this one is a classic and I recommend coming!

PREVIEW: Chinese Stories: a Pipa Solo Recital

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This event is being put on by the Confucius Institute Saturday, November 3rd at 7pm in Forum Hall at Palmer Commons. For those unfamiliar with a pipa it is a traditional Chinese string instrument. This instrument has a very special sound, it is plucked similar to a mandolin but has a more forceful and intense sound to it. It could very well be the sound that you think of when you imagine the sound of traditional Chinese music. The performing artists Gao Hong is a distinguished pipa player that has performed in jazz festivals, world premiers, and even played the national anthem at a Minnesota Timberwolves NBA game.  It is a real treat that she is coming to perform at Michigan, and I highly recommend that you make an effort to listen to something new and international and come!

This is the Program for Saturday:

“Dragon Boat,” Pudong version by Lin Shicheng
“Chen Xingyuan Placates the Tribesmen,” by Lin Shicheng
“Dance of the Yi Minority People,” by Wang Huiran
“Moonlight Over the Spring River,” Traditional Chinese pipa music
“King Xiang Yu Takes Off His Armor, ” Pudong version by Lin Shicheng
-Intermission-
“Mother-in-law Arguing with Daughter-in-law,” Traditional Chinese pipa music
“Flying Dragon,” by Gao Hong
“Gao Hong on the Highway,” music by Gao Hong; Video design by Dann Hurlbert

PREVIEW: Let The Right One In

Emma Pinchak Leave a comment

I don’t know about you, but I refuse to let go of Halloween right after October 31st. The people who start maniacally Christmas shopping and decorating with Rudolph and snowmen are psychopaths. Give the rest of us Halloween purists some time to grieve, ok?

It seems there is a fellow Halloween lover planning events on campus, because student-run theater group the Rude Mechanicals is performing Let The Right One In this weekend!

The play is adapted from a Swedish film of the same name, telling the story of a shy boy who makes friends with the strange new neighbor girl, who just might be connected to a series of brutal homicides in the town.

Let The Right One In is presented at the Lydia Mendelssohn theater at the following times:

Friday, November 2 at 8:00 pm

Saturday, November 3 at 8:00 pm

Sunday, November 4 at 2:00 pm

Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, and FREE with your Passport to the Arts.

Come on out to support Halloween’s immortal soul.