Comedy of Errors

1) Comedy of Errors was held at Drayton Hall Theater. Before I attended this play, I imagined that the theater would be much smaller than it was. It was very nice with very comfortable seating. We had very nice seats on the fifth row and could see very well. The backdrop of the play never changed, it was set as though it was outside. There weren't many special effects with only a few back lights and spot lights, and only one or two curtains. There was a table and chairs on the stage where the actors sometimes sat and talked throughout the play. There was a dog typewriting during the entire play and would often bark. The costumes in this play were very loud. Bright colors and wigs were worn by the cast.

2) Comedy of Errors was written by William Shakespeare during the Renaissance period but the play takes place in the Greek Period.

3) What made this play a comedy was the CONFUSION! Even I couldn't keep up with who was who. The play is about two sets of identical twins that were separated at birth. The play picks back up as the two sets of twins are in the same town. There is mass confusion between the towns people and the twins themselves. What made it more ironic is that they had the same name. One cheats on his wife, but the other gets accused, the other twin is waiting on money to be returned to him while the other twin gets his money. It is just mass confusion. Each scene would get a little more confusion as the twins would try to make there way through the day. The actors did a very nice job of keeping in humorous throughout the play. I was very pleased at the amount of comedy in the play which kept me interested and not bored during it.

Phantom of the Opera

Describe:
The movie "Phantom of the Opera" is one of the most popular plays in the world and is based off a novel by Gaston Leroux. The movie opens in a grand theater as the main character Christine shocks the entire cast by her magnificent voice and takes over the lead roll. The Phantom is constantly listening to the music of opera as he hides out and lives under the theater. The Phantom in fact is the one giving Christine music lessons as she thinks it is her deceased father's "angel". The Phantom falls madly in love with Christine during the movie but is completely crushed when he finds out the she is already in love with another man. Christine is confused throughout the entire movie. She knows that she is in love with the man but there is something mysterious and curious about Phantom that keeps her interested. The Phantom causes several distractions throughout performances and practices to cause diversions. No one can ever see is entire face because he keeps it hidden by a half mask. The Phantom captures the girl at the end of the movie and takes her to his dungeon underneath the theater. Her lover comes to her rescue but Phantom is ready for him. He ties him up and says to her lover either you die or she dies.Then the Phantom suddenly has a change of heart and releases the girl and her lover to go and live happy. He disappears and is never seen again in the film. At the end of the movie, an old man goes to a gravestone that says Christine on it to place flowers. Assuming the man is Christine's lover, there is already a red rose lying by the gravestone leading only to believe the Phantom is still in love with Christine but wanted her to be happy and live a normal life.

Analyze:
During the movie, there a several hints as to how the Phantom ended up in the opera and why he still remains there. There is a scene in the movie where a young boy that has a deformed face is made fun of in a circus. He is called the "devil's child" and is beaten. A young girl comes to his rescue and frees the boy leading him to the theater to hide. The young girl is another character in the movie who works at the theater. The young boy hides out in the theater and never comes out, I believe because he is too terrified to leave. He grows up there and learns all of the ends and outs of the theater. He shows up mysteriously and leaves notes with a special envelope seals throughout the movie.

Interpret:
There are several things to interpret in this movie. Why the Phantom is so mean and cold, why Christine is so obsessed with the Phantom, and several other sub-stories throughout. I believe the Phantom is cold and bitter because he was abused as a child and never knew what love really felt like until he meet Christine. Christine would listen to him and and show him affection. I believe Christine is so obsessed with Phantom because of her father. At first she believes that the Phantom is an "Angel of music" sent by her father to help her. After she finds out the it is actually the Phantom, she becomes even more interested in him. His mysterious ways lead her on and his romantic voice keeps her attracted. I believe she wants to bring the good out in the Phantom and show him what love feels like.

Evaluate:
In middle school, our chorus sang each of the songs in the Phantom of the Opera. I was lucky enough to have the lead in Past the Point of No Return, by far my favorite song in the film. It is mysterious and dark but also has a quality that is catchy and fun. After not watching the film since eighth grade, I picked up on several things I had missed. I learned to appreciate the love he had for Christine a little better. Allowing her to live a happy and normal life why he suffered is what true love is, making the one person you love the most happy, whether you are or not.

Assignment 8

1) If you are in the audience at a opera show, everything will be sung, there is no spoken dialogue in the show. At a light opera performance, there is opera, and also spoken dialogue. In musical theater, they story and dialogue is interpreted by singing and dancing, there is always constant movement on stage. 

2) Learning to sing opera takes time and devotion. It takes several years to develop a fully trained opera voice. When learning to sing opera, its not all about having a beautiful sound, its also about protecting your vocal chords. Singing opera takes toll on the body and severe damage to the vocal chords is a huge risk. You must train your vocal chords to be able to take that constant thrashing.

3) La Boheme is one of the most popular operas in the United States today composed by Puccini. This a love story that has ups and downs throughout the performance. The story takes place in Italy where main characters, Mimi and Rodolfo fall in love immediately after they meet. Mimi is a seamstress and Rodolfo is a poet. As the story continues Rodolfo wants to end things with Mimi because of her flirtatious behavior. Later Rodolfo finds out that Mimi is deathly ill and realizes that he has made a huge mistake. In the end, the two meet back up and fall in love right before her death. La Boheme is the second most performed opera in the United States today. A love story where death makes you realize mistakes. Luckily in this story its not to late to make things right.

Assignment 7

 thrust stage

proscenium stage

1) In a theater that has a thrust stage, the stage extends out into the audience. In a proscenium stage, the audience is facing directly toward the stage as it goes straight across.



2) The fly gallery is a raised platform on the side of the stage where the stagehand works the ropes that control the curtains.

3) Scrims are used in theater to produce illusions and backdrops on stage. They are a piece of material almost like gauze that is placed between the light and the audience. They are are almost invisible and not noticed by the audience but really help give the performance flare and add more effects to the show.

Who Shot Rock and Roll (Art Museum)

This is a photograph of two musical artist, Jay Z and Puff Daddy. The picture was taken in by Mark Seliger, a very famous photographer for the Conde Nast Publications, but has also taken several pictures for GQ and Vanity Fair. The picture is in traditional and plain black and white while the two were taking a break from recording a music video. 

When I was walking around the museum trying to decide which artwork to do my blog on, this one immediately stuck out. I really love how Seliger captures the two calmly sitting by one another on their mobile devices. They look relaxed and like normal people. The two famous rappers look like ordinary people in this picture which is what makes the picture so neat. The picture is in black and white, which I think gives it a unique look, you can't see flashy jewelry or bright colored clothes, only the silhouette of the two men. What really stands out about the picture to me is the cigar in Jay Z's left hand. It reminds the viewers that the two artist are still high class that is taken away by the black and white photography.  

The Big Apple

1) The shag consists of 6 steps that are count 1,2,3,4,5,6, and the repeated. Even though the music is in 4/4 time. The male dancer and female dancer are doing the exact same steps just opposite one another.

2) The Big Apple was originally known as the House of Peace synagog. In 1915 the building was burnt down by fire and replaced with the current building. When the building was a place for worship, men would sit on the floor while the women would be required to sit on the floor. The building was sold in 1936 because the congregation had outgrown the church. The same year the property would be renamed as the Big Apple Night Club. Mostly attended by african american youth, but traveled to New York by white students attending the University of South Carolina. The shag would become a very popular dance at the club. The Night Club was abandon  in 1979, and later the building was moved from its original spot to the corner of Hampton and Park St. In 1993 the building was bought by the Historic Columbia Foundation and renovated, but maintained it original architecture (high ceilings and very open) and is now available to rent out for special occasions such as weddings.

3) The shag originated in nightclubs in Myrtle Beach South Carolina in the late 1920's and early 1930's. Also known as "Beach dancing" and is mentioned in several songs such as Shagging on the Boulevard by Alabama, I Love Beach Music by the Embers, and Under the Boardwalk by the Drifters. All of these songs are about shagging in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. Charleston South Carolina and The Big Apple Nightclub are also responsible for introducing shagging to the nation The shag is usually danced to music in 4/4 time, mostly blues and Motown. The shag is danced from the waist down and requires smooth and fast footwork, unlike many dancing involving the hips and upper body. South Carolina is responsible and also the home of the "shag", No wonder its the State Dance!

Assignment 6 (Dance)

1. The Barque dance form is very similar to the styles that are seen in our modern day ballet. It was first developed in France at the court of Louis XIV during the "Barque Period". A slight difference from todays ballet to Barque dance; in modern day ballet, the dancers dance at a very high level, meaning that they are up on their tip toes throughout the entire dance. In Barque dance, the dancers dance at a low level, meaning that their heels barley came off the ground. King Louis XIV developed a school of dance, and also developed an international vocabulary for dance. Some examples of Barque are the minuet, courante, chaconne, and gigue. These dances were both performed by professionals at the time on stage, and by everyday people in a ballroom parties.


2. People dance for so many reasons:
1) It may be their job as a professional
2) Dancing at parties for fun
3) to express themselves
4) at weddings, there is a "first dance" as man and wife
5) some people dance for exercise
6) some people dance for religious practices
7) In some countries, proper dance is required to show maturity
8) people dance to celebrate
There are so many types and different forms of dancing that everyone does it.


3) Some examples of non-western dance are: Belly dancing, Cha-Cha, rhumba, conga, all African dance forms, and folk dancing. These dances greatly differ from the ballroom dances we see here in America. They are very fast dancing art forms with several different steps.

Assignment 5

With I think of jazz music, It makes me think of the blues. Overwhelming trumpet sounds with a smooth piano background. Jazz music reminds me of the African American culture, New Orleans, and the 1920's through the 1940's. Jazz music originated in Europe and migrated to New Orleans in the early 1900's. Primarily, musicians of jazz music were African American, but was played by all races. What makes jazz unique to the United States is that it was one of the first types of music played on the radio. Early radio's and recording studios were beginning to form around the time jazz music really took off. Jazz is an interesting word and really has no meaning (a type of music). Jazz lets musicians play as how they feel. For example, blues, swing music, and be-bop.

The instruments of Peter and the Wolf Characters:
Peter: string instruments
Bird: flute
duck: oboe
wolf: french horns
Grandfather: bassoon
hunters: woodwind

Classical music is a peaceful type of music that was very popular in the late 1800's to early 1900's, although many people still listen to it today. It really helps to sooth and concentrate while working on any given task. Beethoven, Mozart, and Sebastian Bach are some of the most famous classical composers of all time. Their music originated in the 1500's and is still listen to in the 21st century, which shows how popular classical music is.

Assignment #4

This is a picture of South Quadrangle dorm. The first thing that stands out to me are the columns. You can see that they are of the ionic structure. At the top they are very defined as the circle back toward the ground which is called the capitol of the column. The base of the column is squared off, and have defined lines cutting through the base of the column. The arch at the bottom of the building is very unique. It leads to the basement and has two glass doors. I think installing arch instead of a more squared off opening really gives the building flare. It is very beautiful and the brickwork around the arch makes it look even better. The large bricks are laid in a stretching coarse pattern, except around the arch. The bricks are laid around the arch and meets the stretching coarse pattern, This breaks up the pattern of the brinks and gives it a unique look. I think the style of this building is greek revival. The large columns and and the large dome on top of the building give it away as a greek revival style.

Assignment #4 (Art Film)

1) The establishing shot for me in this movie was a shot where you saw tiny furniture and a girl standing in the middle of them, her heel larger than all the furniture. The shot was taken in her house, where most of the film took place. It helped to back up the choice of the title for this movie, otherwise I don't know what the title had to do with the movie. The movie was very slow developing with a lot of dry humor. It was easy to tell this because the establishing shot did not come until 30 minutes into the movie.

2) I didn't see many interesting camera angels. To me the film looked like it was operating on a very low budget so there were not that many opportunities for a lot of camera angels. There was one scene where they were in  lead pipe (having sex?) and the camera angel was looking through the pipe at them. I would have had the camera just placed on the outside of the pipe to where you just saw the pipe and heard their voices. 

3) There was no story line in this film. It was possible the worst movie I have ever witnessed. The story line was dumb, had no meaning, and the movie felt like it was dragging the entire length of the film. The story line (from what I got) was a fresh out of college grad looking for a job in film making, finds out that life is very hard. She realized that she had to grow up a little and stop relying of her mom. She is a big girl  now and needs to take a little responsibility for her actions. The scene that made me feel most uncomfortable was when she had sex in a lead pipe in the middle of the street with a chef from the restaurant she was currently working at. The chef had a girl friend and was looking for a "good time". I would not recommend this movie to anyone!

4) Main Characters in the film:

Aura: Main character that just returned home from college. She gets little attention from her family when she moves back in. Just recently broke up with her boyfriend, and finds out that life is very hard! She is the narrator of the film.

Nadine: Aura's sister, she makes it very hard for Aura, showing her no attention and making fun of her most of the film. Throughout the film Nadine and Aura grow closer.

Charlotte: Aura's long lost best friend from when they were little. She is a bad influence on Aura from wardrobe to making bad choices.(using drugs). My vote for best character in the film. She did a wonderful job of filling her character position of dumb and witty at the same time.

Keith: Aura's co-worker (chef) whom she has desperate sex with in a metal pipe. 

5) The soundtrack of this film was dull. There were not that many times that background music was used; which to me took away from the film. There should have been a lot more background music in this film that would have given it a little more life. 

6) The genre of this film is DULL comedy. I think Lane Dunham was going for comedy when she wrote this film, but miserably failed. You have to have the most dry sense of humor to get any type of  laugh out of this movie. 

7) I believe the message of this film was a good one, through disguised by horrible acting and dry humor. It showed me how hard it is for college graduates to "find" themselves after wrapping up their college careers. No job, not much help from mom, its time to grow up and start making a career for yourself. Get out find a job, maybe its what you want to do, maybe not, but at least find some steady income. Get your life on track; stop making stupid college life decisions and take some responsibility for your actions. You can not be vulnerable when graduating college. There are many things you have to overcome and there will not be much sympathy for you. Overall this was a horrible film that I will never see again . 

Assignment 3

1) One thing that I do everyday is go on a jog. Every afternoon I put on my favorite running shoes (nike air max), underarmour shorts, grab my ipod touch, and take a stroll around campus. I leave east quad and always go down towards Blatt. I take in the scenery as if I had never seen it before. Looking down at the students on Blatt field playing lacross or soccer. The two teams in same color uniforms resembling two army squads ready to attack one another. I'll run down to the bridge that goes over Assembly St. by the Strom. The cars zoom past me underneath so loud that they are heard over my music. As I run by Strom I look up in the windows and see all the people on the treadmills, wondering to myself wheres the fun in running in one place? They are really missing out on a chance to take in some fresh air and unique scenery. I make my way past the Kroger Center and on to the Colonial Life Arena. The Basketball team is usually practicing by this time and I'll catch them walking in and see them goofing off before practice. I circle the Arena and head back to the dorm. Instead of going down to Blatt, I will take Blossom St. back to East Quad. Another day another jog, same route, but always something different. Not only does it make me feel better physically, but also mentally and emotionally.

2) After listening to the music for just a couple of seconds, the first thing that came to my mind was pizza. Therefore in the middle of my paper is a big pizza. The song was Italian so it made me a think of a pizza parlor. The next thing that came to mind was the movie V for Vendetta, so there is a large V over the pizza. After listening to the song for a minute or so the song began to make me feel sad and depressed. It sounded like he was longing for a lost lover that was never coming back. My picture has shaded black all around the corners of the paper and surrounds the pizza and the letter V.  Overall my picture has a depressed, sort of erie felling about it. Its not very colorful or bright, more dark and gloomy.

3) The Establishing shot in a movie or TV show introduces us to the setting of the scene and where most of the action will take place. It usually involves the main characters or objects as well. The establishing shot in a movie is very important because it tells us where the scene takes place, who the main characters are, and the relationships between the main characters and the setting. Usually the establishing shot will use a famous landmark to help identify where the movie is taking place. Time Square in New York, or the Golden Gate Bridge in California for example. We already know where the movie is taking place right when we see these landmarks.

Assignment #2

The four domains of creativity in art are fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. Fluency in art terms is generating many ideas, for instance brainstorming before creating artwork. We can filter through many ideas before we finally come to grips on what we want to do with our artwork. Flexibility is being able to generate different types of ideas or thinking outside the box. We have to be able to to look at our artwork from a different perspective. A good question to ask yourself when creating art is what will people that look at your artwork see? What will they feel when they see you're artwork? Will they be able to understand what you are trying to portray with your art? Originality is generating unusual ideas. Being able to come up with something different is very hard when there is so many different types of art out there. More than likely there has been a pice already published with the same ideas that you have. The hard part is making it original. We have to be able to come up with something different that hasn't been done before so we can get credit for it. Finally elaboration is adding ideas to improve your artwork. Most of the time the art can always be improved. You have to think in the mindset of a perfectionist. Every detail has to be perfect. This can also be hard. Coming up with ideas that make your artwork better when you already think it is the best there is. 

The Feldman Method of Art Criticism is compiled of for steps: describe, analyze, interpret, and judge or evaluate. When describing artwork you ask yourself the question, what do I see? Take the artwork and describe what it means to you. Analyzing artwork is digging a little bit deeper into describing it. Get more information about the piece. Find out when it was done and a little more about the illustrator. Use the elements of art such as line, balance, shape, and form to describe the work. Interpreting the artwork is trying to find out what the artists meaning is behind the work. Find out the purpose behind the artwork and was on the authors mind while illustrating the piece. When you judge and evaluate the art, compile all of what you criticized and determine if the artwork is successful. Is it easy to interpret what the author was saying? Did the artwork effect you in a positive way, or anyway at all? Does the artwork rank in the top 10 of your favorite pieces of art. Being able to criticize art with the Feldman method will really make it easy to pick your favorite artwork and will make you a better artist in general.

Assignment #1

1) I believe that we make art all the time. Drawings, paintings, sculptures: these are the main focusses when we think of art. I think that we make art everyday, sketching during class, singing in the shower, taking pictures and uploading them on facebook, these are all ways that we create art on an everyday basis. My favorite type of art is photographs. I love big framed photos of football and baseball stadiums. I also really like the photographs taken in the low country and at the beach.

2) I used to take art in an art studio when I was 11. We made drawings, water paintings, and stained glass portraits.

3) It has been a while since I have been to an art museum. I don't know that I have ever been in an art museum. I was 12 the last time I was in an art studio, however I took an arte 101 class my freshman semester so that has to count for something.

4) I have been to several plays at the Kroger Center. We took a field trip in high school to see the Phantom of the Oprah and it is one of my favorite plays of all time. Unfortunately I am not a big dancer, I would love to learn though.

5) I believe I learn the most when it is hands on learning. I hate sitting in a lecture hall listening to a boring lecture, when I could be gaining experience with hands on learning.

6) I am taking this class because it is a fine arts elective for the Physical Education major. I also really appreciate artwork.

7) I appreciate good artwork, and when I see a painting that the illustrator has put a lot of time and effort into the art, it does move me and makes me feel proud for the illustrator, not knowing him personally.

8) I love listening to old inspiring speeches by coaches. I am a PE major so I really can appreciate a good pep talk or inspiring speech right before a big game. Also music inspires me. I like to listen to music while I workout, do homework, pretty much all the time.

9) Art can be whatever we want it to be. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, television, music movies, buildings. Art is everywhere.

10) Yes! I consider all of these art. Each one of these take time to perfect and there are several different things that go into making a great movie, tv show, or video game.

11) I think we all have different opinions on "good" art. For me personally, I don't think Picasso is good art, but to someone else it might be the best there is.

12) My friends and I have similar but different taste in music. We all like most of the same artist and songs,  but we do differ on some things. For me, I hate screamo music, and they like some of that. I like country and rap, and they don't like most of that. But we all have different interest and we compromise on most music.

13) I think Toy Story 3 was the best movie of 2010. The best movie of all time is Top Gun!

14) I'm not really sure what an art film is. Maybe it is any movie. I believe that movies are all art so that makes every movie an art film/

15) Im not sure I understand this question. The song on my Ipod right now "Right Above It" - Lil Wayne.