If you’re an indecisive appreciator of art, or an enthusiast of all forms, the upcoming SMTD@UMMA performance, Image in Motion, is for you. In this collaboration between the Department of Dance and the University of Michigan Museum of Art, U-M Dance students will use UMMA’s new exhibit Europe on Paper as inspiration for the performance. The Europe on Paper collection features the work of German and Austrian Expressionist painters; dancers will interpret the works’ emotion and color through movement.
These two artistic modes lie close to my heart, and based on past STMD@UMMA performances, the beauty of UMMA’s gallery space only further brings SMTD work to life. This marriage of artistic forms is happening Thursday, November 17 at 7:30 in UMMA, and is free and open to the public.
The Mark Morris Dance Group performance was certainly a new experience for me. I have never been to such a mixed arts event in the past. Walking in, before the first people came on stage, before even the lights began to dim, you are immediately aware of the art of the performance because of the backdrop of the stage. There is this brilliant painting that sets the background for the entire performance, consisting of what appears to be large brush strokes sweeping across the canvas. The entire painting consists of only 3 colors, but as the lighting changes on stage, the painting changes colors as well. This sets the mood for the performance, as the rest of the dancers come out dressed in similarly bright colors.
At the beginning of the performance, a group of 4 musicians come on stage and perform a short piece that also begins immersing the audience into the world of Layla and Majnun. The music is accompanied by English captions above the stage, translating the story being told by the two singers in the group. Immediately, from the key of the music and the poetic quotations being presented in the captions, the audience gets a feeling for the tragic nature of this story.
Then, the entire music ensemble walks on stage. As the musicians begin playing, the dancers start to walk out two at a time. All of the female dancers are dressed in these brilliant pink flowing dresses, and the men are dressed in bright blue. This choice of colors perfectly contrasted the men from the women, as well as made the aesthetic of the stage come together beautifully with the painting in the backdrop. This can be seen in the image below, taken by Susana Miller.
Photo by Susana Miller
Throughout the performance, one is entranced by the beautiful singing of Alim Qasimov and Fargana Qasimova, seated directly in the middle of the stage and surrounded by the music ensemble. They demonstrated an incredible control over their vocal range and ability to express such deep emotion in their voices. I do have to say I was biased towards focusing on the musicians more than the dancers, since my training is in music, not dance. This also meant I was new to the style of dance the Mark Morris group utilized. It was predominantly lyrical, trying to showcase the tragedy of this love story through the movements of the body. However, this also meant there was not a focus on showcasing skill, so the performance was much more centered on telling the story of Layla and Majnun rather than exhibiting the dancers.In this way, the choreography often included simple physical movements that demonstrated love and loss, repeated by each male/female pair in the dance group.
Overall, I fell in love with the beautiful colors of the stage and the voices of the singers and the talents of the musicians, but I found myself unable to stay focused on the dancers. My eyes kept drifting back to watch Alim and Fargana perform extraordinary cadenzas effortlessly. I would love to see the Mark Morris Dance Group perform in a more dance-central piece, but I was not able to experience the character and skill of the group in this performance.
What? A performance of Layla and Majnun by the Mark Morris Dance Group, presented by UMS
Where? Power Center for the Performing Arts
When? Thursday October 13 at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday October 14 and 15 at 8:00 pm
How much? Starting from $30
Why? The Mark Morris Dance Group is one of the most well-known dance companies in the world, and this September is their world premier of Layla and Majnun, a tragic and beautiful Persian love story. It is a performance not to be missed.
One of the many wonderful things about new technology is that it can lead to entirely new genres of art. Performance animation is one of those genres.
First, we were introduced to two blank screens. Then, a flash of light and color as animated landscapes splashed across the screens. A silhouette stepped into view, and we watched it interact with the buildings and plants and animals that appeared. At times the message was a clear narrative, while at others it was more of a series of dreams transposed on top of one another. If that makes the show sound trippy in any way, then good, because it absolutely was trippy.
Miwa Matreyek is a multi-talented artist currently on tour performing the two pieces that formed this week’s Penny Stamps event. “This World Made Itself” seemed to be more of a love story, although love was by no means the only theme. The juxtaposition of her gigantic form with a city skyline, and her interaction with a tiny animated figure, had strong allusions to King Kong.
Her second piece, “Myth + Infrastructure,” dealt with the biggest themes possible: the birth and death of the world, modernization, death, life, and the interaction of mankind with the natural world.
Time and again we watched Miwa swirl through bodies of water, capture and free flying insects, blend in and become one with the Earth.
Several times it was like a magic show. The audience and I reacted with awe when Miwa sprouted wings out of thin air and her arm melted away into a swarm of white petals. “How did she do that?!” the people next to me exclaimed as they recorded the performance for their Snapchat stories. I wondered the same thing as I too recorded a clip for my story.
Shows like this are rare opportunities, and I strongly encourage you to see the show in Ypsilanti on Friday, October 7 if you can.
You can get a small taste of the performance in this TED video here.
What: The Penny Stamps Speaker Series Presents Miwa Matreyek’s Dreaming With Your Shadow, a piece that blends animation with a live stage performance. If the image above doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will.
When: October 6th at 5:10 PM
Where: Michigan Theater
Price: FREE. This is one of the many wonderful opportunities you can and should take advantage of at U of M!
This was the 17th annual Culture Show put on by the African Students Association, and after weeks of hype and social media frenzy, the Michigan Theater was filled to capacity.
Comedian standup comedian Foxy P took the stage and did not hesitate bringing up diversity. It was a pleasant surprise to hear him complementing the diversity in Ann Arbor, as he told us a story about walking into a barber shop downtown and having his hair cut by a white guy named Tim. This story and every other time he came on stage was filled with an energy that kept the audience filled with passion.
There were no bad performances. Whether it was the Amala dancers flowing across the stage, the Uprizin Steel Drum Band reminding us of warming weather, or a blisteringly frank spoken word poem by Adedolapo Adeniji, the audience was on the edge of its seat.
Two standout dance performances by the Michigan Center for Capoeira and the Zuzu Dancers book-ending the second half truly made the Africa Show a worthwhile experience. Not only were the dancers shaped like bodybuilders, but we watched them flip and spin and fly through the air as if they were superhuman. The Zuzu Dancers especially condensed several acts into a short performance that deserved a standing ovation at the end.
Spaced at different points through the show was a fashion show. This was a reminder of Africa’s wide range of cultures and dress, as well as a reminder of how beautiful its people and clothing are.
Like the Fusion Show put on by ASA months before, the Culture Show was something that can only truly be enjoyed in person. This time, at least, there will be a video available of show online at 1Africa. For future reference, this is not an event to pass up when it comes around again next year.
