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(04/01/04 5:51am)
Regarded as one of the top schools in the nation for ballet, IU regularly competes with other outstanding schools, such as Julliard, for the nation's top ballet students and programs. \nLike Julliard, the IU Ballet Theater has sent its graduates to some of the best professional theater companies in the country -- alumnae Dori Goldstein, Sarah Smith, and Sarah Roth are now with the Washington, American and Boston ballet theaters, respectively. According to IU's Web site, the ballet department is the youngest department in the School of Music, but its placement rate is near 100 percent. The success of the ballerina majors at IU have made the program sought after among potential ballet students.Though becoming a professional ballerina can be a hard to win award, it does not stop ballet majors at IU from pursuing their dreams. \nThe IU ballet program has state-of-the-art facilities including a dance therapy area designed exclusively for ballet dancers along with prevention and care of dance-related injuries integrated into the program. Dancers are also provided a fully- equipped pilates studio with instruction by a pilates-trained staff.\nAllison Debona, a sophomore majoring in ballet performance, ended her application process after she was accepted by the IU Ballet Theater.\n"This is the best ballet school in the country," DeBona said.\nMegan Dickinson, a sophomore majoring in ballet performance, aspires to continue the trend of IU ballet students who decide to dance professionally.\n"I would love to dance with the Boston Ballet Theatre," Dickinson said.\nHowever, the transition from amateur dancer to professional is not without its sacrifices. The typical day for a ballet student is very demanding.\n"The typical day for us is very busy," Dickinson said. "From 8 to 11 a.m. we have classes like everyone else, and from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. we work on ballet."\nDebona also stressed the impact of such a rigorous schedule and the effect it has on a typical college social life. \n"We put a lot of work into this," Debona said. "We work so hard that sometimes we're too tired to go out on the weekends. People really don't know how tough it is."\nBallet students may work hard, but they seem to enjoy the atmosphere of the school. According to Doricha Sales, the director of the pre-college program, the freshman class for 2003-2004 school year was about 17 students, this gives ballet students an opportunity to build a more close-knit community than most students in other academic programs.\n"Everyone knows one another here," Dickinson said.\nThe IU Ballet Theater has performed several times over the past few years. The more recent performances include pieces performed to classical composers such as Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. On March 26 and 27 the IU Ballet Theater performed three works to the music of Tchaikovsky before an audience at the Musical Arts Center. \nGraduate student Rachel Clark attended the performance and enjoyed the show.\n"The quality of the performance shows the diligence and talent of the IU ballet students," Clark said.\nAnother challenge current ballet students face as they transition from an amateur to a professional dancer is the disparity in the number of shows the ballet company performs each season.\n"Professional dancers perform about 40 shows each season, while we only do about eight," Dickinson said.\nBoth Dickinson and Debona also emphasized being a professional dancer is similar to the experience of an actress who is just beginning her acting career.\n"Professional dancers don't make as much money early in their careers," Debona said. "That's why some need to get a part-time job."\nDespite the challenges they will face, many of the current ballet students still hope to dance professionally. And the IU Ballet Theater will do all it can to make their dreams come true.\n-- Contact staff writer Josh Hamm at jodhamm@indiana.edu.
(03/05/04 5:48am)
The Neal-Marshall Black Cultural Center held the second annual Africana Festival. The festival started at 10 a.m and ended at 8 p.m. Thursday night. The day long festival featured song, dance, panel discussions and soul food. The main purpose of the festival was to help the Bloomington community and IU become more civil and coherent. \nThrough discussions about issues unique to the African American community, attendees were able to learn about the African American plight. Oyibo Afoaku, the director of the NMBCC, said the term Africana refers to the rich heritage of all people of African descent. The festival highlighted the culture of African Americans and the role they play in American society. \nThe festival began with a lecture given by Cheryl Presley, titled "Sankofa: Our History and Our Future," which emphasized the importance of surveying the past while forging ahead to realize the future. Presley discussed the relevance of Brown v. Board of Education and its significance to the IU and Bloomington communities. Before the case, the law of the land was represented by the ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson or "separate but equal". \nUnder the doctrine, she explained blacks could be denied access to the facilities whites used as long as their was some alternative that was sufficiently similar. She concluded her lecture by asking, "What is the significance of Brown today?"\nOsita Afoaku, a member of the planning committee for the festival, expressed some caution about the actual impact of the Brown case. \n"The more clout we receive as a community, the less bonded we are as a community," Osita said. \nIU senior Gerilyn Davis said she still feels the effects of color line boundaries.\n"As a student here at IU, I feel that although we (black and white students) are integrated, we are still segregated," Davis said. \nPresley suggested getting involved and writing your local representatives as ways to combat the issue of racial separation in the community.\nThe Historical Panel, led by Dr. William Wiggins Jr., an African American Studies professor, was centered around segregated schools in the early 1950s. Wiggins said the motivation for students during this era was to learn because it was a privilege denied to them. The idea was that black students needed to do well or the stereotypes of them being lazy and ignorant would hold true. \nThe next panel, " African Students Today," brought Wiggins' remarks full circle. They emphasized the importance of African Americans to succeed and strive for excellence in their education. \nAndrean McCoy, a senior at Bloomington High School North and football player, agreed with this message. \n"It is important for young African American males to focus on doing well in their academics because people like to stereotype us as violent and ghetto," McCoy said. "I want to show people that it's okay to be intelligent, athletic and black."\nThe first half of the festival was concluded with a drumming workshop led by Anthony Artis, owner of Amoah's African Drum Works. aIris Rosa, director of the African American dance Company gave the finale performance along with the AADC. \nThe second half of the event began with a soul food dinner that included catfish and fried chicken as the main dish alongside greens, mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese.\nThe festival continued with musical performances by the International Vocal Ensemble and IU Soul Revue. The event also included a brief fashion show exhibiting African fashions and styles of dress.\nGerardo Gonzalez, dean of the School of Education, gave the closing remarks that ended the festival. Gonzalez stressed the importance of creating a cooperative environment where everyone is welcome, regardless of race, sex, religion or nationality. The festival ended with everyone applauding the events of the day and the contributions of the various organizations that made the African Festival possible.\n-- Contact staff writer Josh Hamm at
(12/15/03 5:08am)
A Samulnori ensemble performed at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures Thursday. Samulnori is a traditional Korean musical style that uses percussion instruments. The ensemble is a group of four IU students each playing a different instrument. \nSamulnori is made up of two root words: samul which signifies "four things" and nori which means "to play." Thus, Samulnori suggests four people play instruments in the performance.\nEach of the four instruments produces a sound reminiscent of one of nature's basic elements. The Soe, a small shiny cymbal-like instrument, produces a sharp striking sound representative of thunder. The Jing is similar to the Soe, but it is significantly larger and provides a more enduring sound that emulates wind. The Janggu, a two-sided drum, floods the ear with alternating high and low pitch beats, reminiscent of rain. The Buk is a drum-based instrument with a puffy sound conjuring images of a sky full of clouds.\nBob Duke of Noblesville, Ind., enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the Samulnori ensemble.\n"I was impressed with how interactive it was," Duke said. "The music seems to have a lot in common with other primitive music around the world."\nBefore a single note was played, the Samulnori ensemble led a hands-on workshop to give the audience a chance to learn a little about the origins of Samulnori and its significance to Koreans today. Everyone who attended the concert was given the opportunity to learn how to play one of the four instruments featured by the Samulnori ensemble.\nAfter giving the audience a primer on the history and importance of Samulnori, the ensemble moved the crowd with a few spirited rhythms interspersed with a little flair and bouncy lyrics.\n"I was really impressed with the way they mixed in lyrics with the musical performance," said Joon Ko, a senior majoring in East Asian studies who has witnessed musical performances like Samulnori. "It was fresh."\nThe Samulnori concert is part of an ongoing series of performances and instructional demonstrations featuring student talents, as well as homegrown and renowned artists outside of Bloomington. Through these, the Asian Culture Center wants to bring Asian cultures closer to the University and Bloomington community.\nSamulnori ensemble leader Jinsob Choi hopes students and Bloomington residents will learn something about Korean culture through coming to the concerts.\n"Our group was made last summer because I found that even though there are many Korean students and residents, I had not had many chances to see and join Korean culture and activities," Choi said. "This Samulnori workshop was part of our efforts to let others learn about Korean culture."\nThe Samulnori ensemble performs every Saturday at different locations. For more details on the time and location of the next performance, e-mail Jinsob Choi at jinschoi@indiana.edu.\n-- Contact staff writer Joshua Hamm at jodhamm@indiana.edu.
(11/19/03 5:12am)
In the era of HBO, DVDs and MP3s, Americans have the means to enjoy a classic Hollywood film in the comfort of their homes. But once upon a time, the only place to catch a movie in Bloomington was downtown at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. With the creation of the Golden Age of Hollywood film series and the renovation of the theater, the golden age of Hollywood has returned to Bloomington.\nThe series, which began in October, is designed to recreate the experience of going to the movies during the 1930s through the 1950s, a period known as "The Golden Age of Hollywood." The next film in the series is "The Awful Truth" at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave.\nSenior Sara Rotz compares the sexual overtones of older films to the present.\n"In the 1930s to the 1950s, the movies made sexual innuendos, but they were not as obvious as current films," Rotz said.\nThe department of Communication and Culture has worked with the Bloomington Adult Community Center, Bloomington Parks and Recreation, the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and the Evergreen Institute to provide the opportunity to view vintage Hollywood films the way they were originally seen. Belltrace Senior Living Community and the Internal Medicine Institute contributed financial support for the series.\n"By recreating the experience of movie-going from the 1930s through the 1950s, these matinees should hold a special appeal for older members of the Bloomington community, but movie fans of all ages will enjoy seeing Hollywood classics on the big screen once again," CMCL professor Chris Anderson said.\nAlthough the film series targets older Bloomington, it also attracts a significant number of undergraduate students, most of whom have never seen a classic Hollywood film at a theater.\n"They're discovering how special it is to see classic Hollywood movies with an audience, on the big screen, and in a theater that was made to show these movies," Anderson said. "For students who have only seen classic Hollywood movies on a television screen or in a lecture hall on campus, seeing them at the BCT brings back the magic back to these movies."\nAnderson said the older Bloomington community is often under-served by the University, but this film series is an attempt to reverse that trend.\n"In creating the series, we wanted to build a bridge between the campus and the community by making this unique resource -- IU's David Bradley Film Collection -- available to them," Anderson said.\nGraduate student Justin Rosales has watched older and more modern films.\n"There are advantages in watching both older and more modern films," Rosales said. "Earlier films had deeper meanings that you really had to watch closely in order to pick up the main point, but movies of today are driven more by action and special effects. While modern movies depend on the latest technology, older movies have that element that can only be captured by a theater."\n"Top Hat" will also show at 1:30 p.m., Dec. 17 at the BCT. The series will resume in the spring with a film showing at 1:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month at the Buskirk. For more information see www.buskirkchumley.org.\n-- Contact staff writer Joshua Hamm at jodhamm@indiana.edu.
(11/10/03 5:33am)
The African American Arts Institute held its 10th annual "Potpourri of Arts in the African American Tradition" at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater Friday. The IU and Bloomington community poured into the theater an hour before the show began, eager to see and hear the sights and sounds for which the AAAI has gained national prominence.\nAfter a brief introduction by director of the AAAI Charles Sykes, darkness came over the theater and the IU Soul Revue gave the sell-out crowd its first taste of the arts from the African American perspective.\nThe Soul Revue, under the direction of Tyron Cooper, had the crowd on its feet and dancing to popular rhythm and blues tunes that ranged from the 1970s to the present. Songs by various artists such as Earth, Wind and Fire, WAR, Erykah Badu and Debarge were performed. Each of the singers' and band members' talent was featured in a different song.\n"Both contemporary hip hop and rhythm & blues recycle old music, and so we try to bridge the gap between the old school and the new school," Cooper said.\nThe audience expressed its approval of Soul Revue's varied musical performance through its vigorous hand-clapping \nand cheering. \nShortly after the intermission the African American Dance Company captured \nthe crowd's attention through its unique dancing.\nThe Dance Company began its performance with a bouncy, energetic routine. The pace of the dancing was so fast that people were simultaneously cheering and wiping sweat from their faces. The next performance by the Dance Company was a more deliberate and calculated dance, which portrayed a Sunday morning church service where the Holy Spirit comes over the church and causes its members to sing, shout and dance.\nIris Rosa, the director of the African American Dance Company, explained one of the Dance Company's primary motivations. \n"We focus on the experiences of African Americans and people of the African Diaspora," Rosa said. "Diaspora means that there is a dispersing of something and in this context it refers to the division of the native Africans."\nThe Dance Company ushered the capacity crowd into its next intermission and set the stage for the anticipated performance by the African American Choral Ensemble, under the direction of James Mumford. The Choral Ensemble featured a powerful gospel performance, which sought to create a church atmosphere. The Choral Ensemble also highlighted some of its individual talent through performances by its three small groups: Soul-ACE, God's Progress and Sojourner. The gospel performance resonated with the audience as participation was at its peak.\n"Very few colleges have the AAAI in all three areas where both whites and blacks are members," Munford said. "The Choral Ensemble gives non-black students a chance to see how black music affects all music."\nThe Choral Ensemble concluded its performance and served as a prelude to the finale which brought together all the groups that make up the AAAI. The Choral Ensemble and Soul Revue performed the lyrics of "Praz Him" as sung by artist Darwin Hobbs while the Dance Company entertained the crowd with its synchronized dance moves.\nAs the finale approached its end, the AAAI acknowledged its thanks to the Office of the Student Development and Diversity, Dennis Laffoon and Steve Ruiz for their efforts in helping to make Potpourri 2003 a success. A special thanks was also expressed for the efforts of all of the staff of the AAAI for facilitating the event through their various roles.\nFollowing the show, senior Stephaney Wright, who has witnessed three consecutive Potpourri events, gave her initial reaction to the performances. \n"It was fantastic," Wright said. "Every year it gets better and better."\nSenior Cassie Vitali, a close friend of one of the Soul Revue performers, shared her opinion of the event. \n"The whole thing was beautiful," Vitali said. \nClark Whitlow, one of the members of the original Soul Revue in 1973, was one of the many AAAI alumni amidst the substantial crowd. Whitlow said IU's black students of the 1970s performed musical and dance talent shows. From these shows, the idea for the AAAI was derived and championed by then-IU professor Herman Hudson.\n"Motown is dead, but the Soul Revue is still here," Whitlow said. "After 30 years they still maintain the fire and it is constantly evolving."\nThe present success achieved by the groups that comprise the AAAI has not distracted them from their core purpose: promoting and preserving African-American culture through performance, education, creative activity, research and outreach.\n"We are focused on recruiting black students to IU as well as helping to promote diversity in Indiana and abroad," AAAI director Sykes said. "The message we want to send to students is that they can go to school with the purpose of pursuing a degree and perform as well."\nThe next performance by both the Dance Company and Soul Revue is in December. The Dance Company will perform at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in the Willkie Auditorium and the Soul Revue will perform at 8 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Madame Walker Theatre Center in Indianapolis. The Choral Ensemble's next performance will be at 8 p.m April 17 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.\n-- Contact staff writer Joshua Hamm at jodhamm@indiana.edu.
(10/27/03 5:58am)
Anne Reese was a smoker. But a hiking trip on the mountains of Colorado changed her life. It forced her to choose between her health and her habit.\n"One year I went on a hiking trip with some of my friends from college in Colorado, and as we began to climb higher, I began to feel sick," Reese said. "I felt so sick that I couldn't continue hiking. I asked myself why I couldn't finish the trip like my friends and that's when I realized that the difference between me and my friends was that I smoked. I was so embarrassed that I decided to quit."\nAs a former smoker, Reese's testimony is a useful tool in helping students realize there is hope for them as well. Reese, director of health and wellness at the IU Health Center, counsels students with the center's Stop Smoking Consultation program.\n"I find that it is very effective in helping others to quit when they know that I have gone through the same thing," Reese said.\nThe Stop Smoking Consultation program has gone through changes to improve its overall effectiveness for students since its inception in 1988, when it was a group-oriented consultation. The consultation became one-on-one about five years ago. \n"Individual sessions seemed to be a more efficient use of students' time mainly because of logistical reasons," Reese said. "Students could e-mail me and coordinate a follow up session if necessary."\nWhen people quit smoking, some common symptoms of withdrawal are: feeling lightheaded or dizzy, coughing, slight depression, anxiousness, insomnia and trouble concentrating. \nReese said most of the students she sees are already motivated to quit. She said she gives them the support and reassurance they need to stop successfully.\nAlthough Stop Smoking Consultation has tried to become more effective for students, the path toward quitting has its share of complications. One such complication is that smoking has become such a significant part of their lifestyle that it is awkward to manage a life without it.\n"Most students want to smoke and quit at the same time," Reese said. \nGraduate student Young Chung has struggled with the difficulties of trying to quit smoking for years.\n"I smoke about 20 cigarettes a day. I tried to quit one time but it only lasted 12 hours," he said. "Smoking caused me to have a sore throat and the sore throat forced me to quit. But after taking some cough drops my throat felt better and I started smoking again." \nChung said he remains doubtful about the effectiveness of Stop Smoking Consultation. \n"I want to quit, but I don't think that it will help. It is an individual thing," he said. \nStop Smoking Consultation is located in the Health Center and is accessible to both IU students and Bloomington residents. The consultation is one of the many services supported by student health fees.\n"The consultation is free to IU students and their spouses, siblings, roommates and even is available to a non student, especially if that person is living with or spends a lot of time around a student who is trying to quit smoking," Reese said.\nThe Bloomington Hospital has a group-oriented program similar to Stop Smoking Consultation called "Clearing the Air."\nBloomington resident Felice Barber is one of the participants in "Clearing the Air" who has successfully quit smoking.\n"The support is definitely a great help," Barber said. "I think I would have started again without the support."\nAlthough the primary goal of Stop Smoking Consultation is to empower students with the tools needed to stop smoking, success is not determined by the number of students that decide to quit. \n"I'm not really frustrated if students don't quit," Reese said. "There is no magic formula that guarantees success. I feel positive about helping to create the atmosphere that will help reduce the risk of all types of diseases. At the end of the day I know I helped that student change their lifestyle."\nFor more information about Stop Smoking Consultation, call the IU Health Center at 855-7338.\n-- Contact staff writer Joshua Hamm at jodhamm@indiana.edu.
(10/13/03 4:17am)
Every week mobs of students flock to The Bluebird and Bear's Place to relax and check out the sounds of the latest emerging local bands. Now, thanks to the School of Fine Arts, students might flock to the SoFA Gallery to hear Soundbites.\nSoFA created Soundbites -- a Friday afternoon series of musical performances by bands that hail from the Midwest and features music from a variety of genres such as art-folk, ambient and electronica music, to name a few. It is the culmination of an effort by SoFA to collectively promote an interest in both visual and musical art. \n"(Soundbites) is geared toward the average audience and is meant to serve as both a cultural and educational experience," said Dana Sperry, the gallery's associate director. "Music adds a cultural feel to the (Gallery) and helps us reach out to a new audience." \nThough the name Soundbites may suggest a low profile sampling of music, it is actually more like a series of concerts. The gallery features original performances from bands as well as a collection of contemporary art pieces. \nWith Soundbites, the gallery hopes to stimulate an interest in contemporary art forms so that students as well as the general public will become regular supporters of the gallery. \n"We must constantly reinvent the space and keep it thriving with fresh ideas or people will be bored," Sperry said.\nThe Soundbites series debuted Sept. 12 with Bloomington natives Drawbackward & Michael Kapinu. Non-student Robert Barker went to the first show because his roommate is in Drawbackward. \n"Overall I thought the show was great," Barker said. "Although it was kind of difficult to hear the vocals, people were dancing and everyone was having a good time." \nThere are some difficulties involved with having the Soundbites series in the SoFA gallery, a venue that was intended to house visual arts. \n"The great thing about performing in the gallery is that the audience is forced to stand up," said Josh Kruzman, a guitarist for Drawbackward. "This creates an environment that is more intimate than usual. But one of the difficulties of performing in the gallery is that the high ceilings make it tough for the audience to hear the lyrics."\nThere was a strong showing on hand that night to witness the sights and sounds. \n"I was a little surprised to see such a big turnout," Kruzman said. "The art community in Bloomington is really strong."\nChicago natives The Stirrats will perform Oct. 17 from 7 to 9 p.m. A small door fee will be assessed to cover the cost of administering the Soundbites series. \n"I don't think that the admissions fee will discourage people from coming since the fee would be similar to the cover charge you would pay at a bar," Barker said.\nThe gallery expects that as a result of its low admission fees, live music and visual arts, students will choose to spend a Friday night or two near the SoFA.\n"The gallery is a unique alternative for IU students in that it attracts people from a variety of age groups who have varying interests in different types of art forms," said Mike Klinge, in charge of booking bands for Soundbites. \n-- Contact staff writer Joshua Hamm at jodhamm@indiana.edu.