When: This Friday, Dec 12 at 8:00 pm
Where: The Ark
How Much: General Admission: $25, Reserved: $32
What: An amazing concert by a talented and passionate ensemble. They are in the folk/soul/blues/pop genre, but have an incredibly unique and powerful sound.
Why you should come: Because when I first saw these two perform live, I instantly fell in love, and ever since they have become one of my favorite groups out there.
Although it got off to a bit of a slow start, Fusion of Cultures soon picked up and jumped around quickly from one act to another. In an effort to keep people around until the end, the schedule of events was hidden from the audience, but I kind of liked the uncertainty, especially since I didn’t gain anything by knowing who was up next.
First of all, the food. There was a range of Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and African cuisine, and let’s just make it clear that all of it was absolutely delicious. There may be a variety of finals breakfasts and meals around campus, but this kind of food is rare and should be cherished. I drank a sweet Mango Lassi while munching on fried plantains, refried beans and hummus, to name a few of the dishes that I can remember.
The best part about the food was that it was not even the best part. We (the audience) watched a number of dance routines juxtaposed with poetry readings, videos, and even a fashion show.
As I’m sure we were supposed to see, the variety of cultures that we saw were surprisingly similar. Yes the exact dance moves differed, but all of them had an invigorating, sophisticated quality that one does not normally see at a frat party.
Furthermore, the poetry read was heated, especially in the weak of recent national tragedies. It is a sad fact that much of what we heard was characterized by oppression and discrimination, but that is the truth of our world for people other than white heterosexual males.
Best of all, I think, the room was packed. This season has been especially filled with protests and anger in our society, and Fusion of Cultures was a reminder of why we want and need to celebrate diversity in the United States. Throughout the night I watched dozens of talented individuals perform for a packed room and everyone was enjoying their evening. To me, that fit perfectly with the name of the event.
What: Handel’s Messiah
Who: Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the UMS Choral Union
Where: Hill Auditorium
When: Saturday, Dec. 16th at 8pm
and Sunday, Dec. 17th at 2pm
It has been said that ‘the holiday season in Ann Arbor is never officially underway until Handel’s Messiah is performed at Hill Auditorium.’ While the local radio stations may disagree, the truth is that Handel’s Messiah is consistently one of the best performances you will see at Hill. It has become a familial tradition for many people to attend every year, and for good reason. Handel’s Messiah is a grandiose piece in both in terms of quality and the talent required to put on a performance of it. The talent that will be performing this weekend consists of the UMS Choral Union in conjunction with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra.
What: The Theory of Everything
Where: Michigan Theater
When: Various times until 12/11 (click here for showtimes)
Price: $8 for students with a valid MCard, $10 for adults
The Theory of everything is about the love story of Jane and Stephen hawking. If the nature of this movie doesn’t already entice you to watch it, then the indie-classic quality of the movie should. The film stars Eddie Redmayne (Marius from Les Miserables) as Stephen Hawking and Felicity Jones as Jane Hawking. Under the direction of James Marsh, The Theory of everything delves into an interesting world of philosophy, science, and love, all while being set in beautiful locations such as the University of Cambridge.
If you are looking for a break from the end-of-semester craziness, come to the concert by the University Philharmonia Orchestra! Conducted by Oriol Sans, UPO culminates the semester with a diverse program consisting of Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 45, “Farewell”; John Corigliano’s Promenade Overture; Gioacchino Rossini’s Italian in Algiers Overture; and finally, Leonard Bernstein’s Divertimento for Orchestra. From old to new, and from walking off-stage to walking on-stage (you’ll find out about this when you come!), this program is sure to entertain you for the night.
When: Monday, December 8 – 8pm
Where: Hill Auditorium
How much: Free! (No ticket required)
I had high expectations walking through the doors of the Royal Oak Music Theatre Wednesday night to see Dillon Francis kill the game with his different musical personalities. He can do it all. I was pleasantly surprised to hear literally everything Dillon can be good at. From cranking up the deep house (“now, we will gone one deeper”), consisting of heavy pulsating base, to mixing in raps, and then trapping out to extremely twerkable music, his full range of style was explored. The range of genres is well demonstrated through his current album and previous work. Whereas many electronic music producers stick to one niche, he is one of the few that constantly prove his versatility at the mixing table.
Dillon kept the energy of the house high all night with his expert production skills in his musical choices and his visuals done by his visual team. Funny, exciting, and overall trippy images were projected on his elaborate set up that featured screens in the shape of mountainous rocks with him in the middle of it. The energy was contagious, and I could not stop moving to the beat. By starting off with “Not Butter” which features a looping “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter,” he set the set tone on the up. He played the entirety of his “Money Sucks, Friends Rule” album which features many collaborations with producers like Martin Garrix on “Set Me Free” and Major Lazer and Stylo G on “We Can Make it Bounce.” By having the artistic freedom to mix up his awesome album, you could easily tell that he wasn’t just pressing play up on stage. He created a unique experience for the audience based on the energy of the crowd and what kind of atmosphere he wanted us to experience. My favorite part of the night was when he remixed Ginuwine’s “Pony,” a 1990s sensual classic and super fun to dance to.
The interesting part about his production were that dedicated fans could instantly recognize what part of his persona he was emulating through his musical choies. The trap beats and inclusion of hip-hop, drum n’ bass, and rap are DJ Rich As F**k’s specialty, while DJ Hanzel is devoted to deep house. What Dillon does outside of production is super smart. Through highly entertaining and scripted videos, he shows his fans that he can do a lot more than making fun music. He’s a great self-promoter, the furthest thing from shy, and it only adds to the larger than life feeling you get when you see him in person. He loves to have fun, which makes you want to follow along and have fun too.
After his signature “Get Low” featuring DJ Snake, Dillon ended with “Love in the Middle of a Fire Fight,” a perfect anthem ending to the show that put everyone in a satisfied mood. I was left with the album ringing through my head on the way home, but it was extremely worth it.
