The All Media Exhibition at the Ann Arbor Art Center has showcased local artists since 1922. The annual competition enters its 95th iteration this year, promising an eclectic mix of work juried by Allison Wong (Director of the Wasserman Projects).
On view from December 15th – January 13th at the Ann Arbor Art Center (117 W Liberty St). Opening party and reception featuring winner announcements on Friday, December 15th from 6-9PM.
Looking for something to do to help you forget about the stress of exams and assignments this weekend? Violet is the perfect musical to do just that! The University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, & Dance brought to life this story that has hilarious, beautiful, and heartbreaking moments interwoven in. Even on a Thursday night, the audience was completely standing at the end after being left speechless.
Violet is about a young woman (Natalie Duncan) whose face was disfigured when her dad (Jamie Colburn) accidentally hit her with an axe. She grew up her whole life with people staring at her scar, or even worse, refusing to look her in the face. She finally decides to travel to meet a television preacher (Ben Ahlers) who she hopes will heal her scar. Along the way she meets Flick (Justin Showell) and Monty (Charlie Patterson), two soldiers on the road.
Natalie’s voice couldn’t have been any more fitting for the role of Violet. One must have a decent Southern accent and some killer vocal chords to captivate the audience; and she did just that. The audience was laughing while she was singing “All to Pieces”, about how she wants her physical features changed up like those of celebrities. They got chills during the strong performance of “On My Way” done by the cast. And they sobbed during Violet’s solo of “Look at Me”.
I typically recommend shows here and there to see, but this one cannot be missed. It is such a beautiful story with a cast who did not disappoint. The expected, but still shocking, amount of talent in this show blew the audience away.
There are still three shows left at the Arthur Miller Theatre: 12/9 at 2pm and 8pm, and 12/10 at 2pm. Tickets are $20 for General Admission and $12 for Students with ID. More information can be found at http://tickets.smtd.umich.edu/single/EventDetail.aspx?p=3355.
halfway between was a show about relationships.
Relationships with the other dancers, with the space, with their faces and bodies and the music.
Both the choreography and the dancers themselves captivated, really illustrating the relationships central to the storylines of each dance.
The concert, a senior showcase for three BFA Dance students, began with “b r e a k,” a piece choreographed by Danielle Fattore. Although the piece was technically not a solo, Fattore was the centerpiece while the rest of the dancers served to set the scene. Despite minimal sets, the piece painted a vivid picture of a bustling city as Fattore danced down the streets, completely ignored by the rest of the crowd going about their daily business. The piece was simultaneously upbeat and cynical, the tale of a girl unknown and unnoticed.
Both “Away With It,” choreographed by Callie Marie Munn, and “Ellipsis,” choreographed by Yoshiko Iwai, utilized the entire space in unique ways. The choreography felt animalistic at times as the dancers fought each other, as if each aimed to assert dominance over their own territory. The dancers pulled off this portrayal near-flawlessly, exerting precise control over their body and movement.
The music they used wasn’t easy to dance to, but the dancers proved they were up to the challenge, staying on the beat and hitting their accents. There were a few points where, either by accident or by design, the music stopped, but the dancers handled it with grace, still moving to a nonexistent rhythm. However, at times I felt a bit of a disconnect between the music and the choreography, almost as if the music was just something on in the background while the dancers created a story, and I would have liked to see a greater bond between the music, the choreography, and the dancers.
One of my biggest complaints about modern dance is that the dancers sometimes lack expressivity, and I felt that “Away With It” and “Ellipsis” both suffered from this. They were intriguing explorations of relationships, reminiscent of a piece of performance art, but both lacked the emotion that truly pulls me into a dance. So when Munn performed her self-choreographed solo, “With It Or It,” it was a breath of fresh air to see the emotion on her face. The piece was a lot simpler than those that preceded it, but it was also the one with which I connected the most.
Munn’s two pieces in the show were “Away With It” and “With It or It.” Given the similar titles and the fact that the music she used for both dances was from the same album, I wondered if the solo was meant to be a continuation of the group dance. However, the two pieces didn’t seem similar to me and I couldn’t find a real connection between them.
“Mend,” choreographed by Fattore, was the perfect finale. The only dance in the show to a song with lyrics, “Mend” played like a theatre performance, telling the story of a night in Paris with friends. I was especially impressed by the first soloist in the piece, Kiara Williams, whose expressions truly carried the narrative. “Mend” explored many of the same themes as the rest of the show: relationships, group dynamics, and identity.
My favorite thing about halfway between is that it wasn’t mere entertainment; it made me think about themes familiar to every college student. And that’s what marks a good piece of art.
halfway between runs for one more night, tomorrow at 8 PM at the Dance Building, and if you’re looking for somewhere to be, I highly recommend this unique show. Tickets are $7 general admission at the door.
Based on the novel of the same name by Greg Sestro, The Disaster Artist chronicles the making of the infamously terrible movie, The Room. The Disaster Artist gives a fascinating glimpse into Tommy Wiseau who wrote, directed, and starred in The Room through the eyes of his former friend, Sestro. Interestingly, The Disaster Artist is a passion project itself, directed by and starring James Franco as Wiseau. This is certainly a movie for those who have ever watched and enjoyed mocking The Room. However, it also holds appeal to those who haven’t, such as this reviewer. The Disaster Artist is not only about the disaster, after all, but also the artist at the center. What makes The Room fascinating is not that it was bad. There have been many movies that were bad and quickly forgotten. It is the element of sincerity to Wiseau’s work that continues to draw audiences. Hopefully, the movie can find the man within the art. It opens in the newly renovated State Theater, on December 8th. Purchase tickets ($8 for students with ID) online at the Michigan Theater website or at the box office.
In Valerie Hegarty’s American Berserk, the country is crumbling.
Hegarty unseats classic Americana through her sculptures. A tree branch emerges from a gallery wall to spear a portrait of George Washington. Next to this less-than-subtle Pinocchio imagery, a nearby pair of ceramic topiaries—cut in the shape of our nation’s first president—are comical in their quietness.
For Hegarty, the rotting of fruits is a colorful affair. Cave-like apple cores are covered by bright red skins, splayed-out bananas writhe into tongue shapes, and watermelons are twisted into disconcerting smiles.
As ceramic conch shells unfurl into picture frames, the paintings they reveal are distorted by their spirals. A window frame at the exhibition’s entrance is draped in floral-print cloth. Yet the fabric melts down the pane as the rickety wood splits into pieces. Hegarty insists that America be viewed in all its misshapen glory.
American Berserk is on view at the Institute for Humanities Common Room until December 21st.
At the downtown Ann Arbor District Library, Tiny Expo will hold their annual fair with 45 vendors of artists and crafters, as well as free opportunities for guests to craft. There will be a variety of vibrant handmade art to see, offering a great opportunity for holiday shoppers and to support local artists (which is awesome!) The fair is a part of the Winter Art Tour, which supports ten art shows in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti during the second weekend in December.
Check out the holiday fair on Saturday, December 9th, at the downtown Ann Arbor District Library, from 11:30am-5:30pm. Coffee from Sweetwaters will be provided, and from 1-4pm, free opportunities for guests to craft will be happening in the library’s Secret Lab.
