BFA Thesis Review

    On April 9^th, 2015 at 7:30pm I attended Venture at Evans Auditorium at Texas State University. Venture was the thesis concert highlighting five graduating seniors’ works from the Division of Dance. The concert was political, multi-cultural, and diverse in many ways; there were themes including gender equality, issues with immigration, and an exploration of relationships. My experiences differed drastically throughout the concert; at times I was grief-stricken, and occasionally I was disappointed with the lack of emotions I observed within myself. With this concert being the culmination of these students’ undergraduate education there were high expectations, although most works lived up to these expectations, some fell short.

   The issues that are concerned with gender equality are very present in our modern day society; one topic that is specifically associated with this issue is the gender stereotypes society places on women and men. See.Hear.Speak. was choreographed by Rachael Hodge with music by Jerry Martin, Balmorhea, and text by Emma Watson. Hodge’s work was a direct representation of gender stereotypes. The work had a beginning section that included four dancers, two male and two females. These dancers signified specific gender roles in a 1950’s era, with dresses past the knees for the women and dress suit attire for the men. The female dancers created a suchness of the ideal housewife that stays at home cooking and cleaning for the men; all the while the male dancers played the part of the dominate and controlled man of the household. As the work progressed, there was a shift within the characters when a single female became saddened and possibly angry, appearing to attempt to break free of her stereotype. This concept of a character transitioning from a housewife to a modern day woman was a strong choreographic choice for the choreographer; however, the concept was not thoroughly successful due to a lack of character portrayal from the dancer. As a result of this transition, a new section began that included an addition of a third female dancer. This section’s music had powerful speech about gender equality from Emma Watson; the theme was centered on the idea of men and women being individuals but equal at the same time. The storyline within this piece was powerful but it lacked depth. The movement language was absent of any metaphorical meanings that tied back into the theme; technique class combinations are not always successful within a performance setting. In regards to the title, See.Hear.Speak., it did not have any initial effect on my perspective until days after; upon further reflection of this title I understood that it could mean being presently aware of a negative issue and speaking out about it. At the conclusion of the work, I did not feel empowered as I assumed I would had, due to me being a woman and the nature of the work. I do feel this concept being translated into a dance is necessary, but the exploration needs to be furthered within this piece to make it whole.

   Eileene Vicencio is deserving of an immense amount of gratitude for her solo, La Bestia, el Coyote, y el American Dream; with music by Max Richter and film/editing in collaboration with Olivia Barto. Vicencio’s creation was a response to the struggle of immigrants trying to cross the American border, and more often than not, dying along the way. While watching this solo there were multiple moments that occurred center stage when Vicencio would crawl without the use of her arms; this movement language created an environment of internal struggle. I experienced imagery of this internal struggle that occurs within a person when they are reaching out for a dream and cannot quite grasp it; this dream for immigrants is reaching this utopian life that they hope to live here in America. At the beginning of the piece the title, La Bestia, el Coyote, y el American Dream, had no influence on me because I cannot speak or read Spanish, thus I could not create any connections with it. Afterwards, when I was able to translate the meaning the title still did not open up any more insight to me. At the conclusion of this work, I was more deeply curious about these issues that arise from immigration. Due to ignorance within myself, I was not completely aware of the laws surrounding immigration, why these laws were necessary, and why it upset a large population of people. Although, my opinion of open borders has not changed, Vicencio’s work of art pushed me to further research multiple perspectives on this political issue.

   The multiple themes that arose within this concert were challenging and significant to society. Being able to face sensitive subjects, such as immigration, allowed the audience to have the opportunity for a broader perspective; regardless of whether a person’s political stances were changed, they were still exposed to it. This type of exposure is necessary within the art and dance community because it allows for society to progress. 

Creative Project Response

   On March 31, 2015 the writing for dance class met and presented our sculpture projects that had been in progress for approximately two weeks prior. These projects were created using random objects that students brought in and shared with the class; guidelines were given on how to approach the inclusion of each object into the sculpture. To create an open atmosphere a circle of desks was made within the room; this allowed for each student to openly present their project. It quickly became apparent that though we all received the same objects, no two projects were exactly alike and each project held a significant story within it.

    My project was left untitled for the mere reason that I did not think it was significant enough to be given a title. In my opinion, a title is given to a work that is distinguished enough to hold one; a title is an essential element that molds a work, be it a dance or painting, into its own specific category. I do not believe my sculpture was a work of art; it was artistic, but not worthy of a title or being displayed in a gallery. A work of art has to be explored and critiqued multiple times over before it holds a significance; true art comes from an incubation process where the artist leaves their work alone so they can get out of their critical heads and thus come back to the work with a fresh mind. I did not go through these steps or process; therefore, I only consider my sculpture a reflection. This reflection is in response to a prominent issue within my biological family.

   My sculpture was a clear wine bottle with a band aid stuck under the neck in a diagonal line, a circular mass on the right side consisting of cut up wine cork, small pieces of straw, and other various objects. Inside the wine bottle was ash and ripped up pieces of poster settled into the base and a piece of fabric stuffed into the top so nothing can fall out. The wine bottle alone represents the human body and the piece of fabric stuck in the top hole is necessary in creating a closed circuit for the whole project. We as human beings are closed circuits, and we do not have a giant hole in the top of our heads where organs may fall out, but everything in our bodies are linked together. The fabric closing the wine bottle represents this essentialness in our bodies. The mass is located on the right side of the bottle as a representation of how my father’s cancer was condensed on the right side of his prostate. Within this mass there were twenty-six straw pieces that represented how many lymph nodes were removed from my uncle that were full of cancer. I got the idea to create a mass-like structure from pure curiosity about what cancer physically looks like; with all the recent news about cancer travelling through my family I was wanting to know exactly what was it that was harming these people. This led me to try and create my own form of cancer on my project.

   The ash and paper inside the bottle is also a representation of another mass of cancer, although this one is a reflection on my personal feelings. This mass is representative of when I was told I had pre-cancerous cells for cervical cancer, hence why the ashes and paper are at the bottom of the bottle because the cervix is in the lower half of the body. My emotions of annoyance are displayed through this dark and smoky ash; the annoyance comes from the fact that as a twenty-two year old I have to see an oncologist. Although cancer knows no age, as human beings we expect ourselves to be completely healthy at a young age, and this is where my annoyance stems from. The band aid was a literal representation of the act and process of healing. For my father and myself, we had to go through surgeries and then allow our bodies to heal themselves, but my uncle he will have to go through radiation and chemotherapy to rid his body of cancer.

   My intention from the beginning of this project was to create a work that somehow reflected and responded to cancer, and throughout my creative process my intention stayed the same. In regards to Dennis Dutton’s universal qualities, I would categorize my work under a representation and special focus. The whole basis of my project was to create a representation of cancer; by using 1^st function elements, like usage of space on the wine bottle, I was able to communicate the 2^nd function representations that were shown on my project. Every part of my project was a representative of issues regarding myself and people related to me. These representations were a part of the special focus of cancer. From the viewpoint of Dutton’s qualities I can confirm that my project was a creation as opposed to an object for utilitarian purposes. My wine bottle sculpture did not in any way sustain life for a human, but it reflected on an emotional issue in a cathartic way.

   Leah Smit’s sculpture was a prime look at 1^st function design elements. Smit referred to her project as an explorative 3D design sculpture that focused on radial shapes. When first looking at this sculpture it appears to be a blossoming flower; this flower was achieved by cutting vertical lines on a Starbucks cup with each cut piece curling downwards to create the appearance of a petal. A second cup was cut the same way and placed in the center of the previous cup and then strips of poster was inserted between the two cups. The three layers gave the sculpture depth and allowed the audience to view the work from multiple angles. Directly in the center of these layers Smit, cleverly, placed a colored straw that also had vertical cuts. This straw stood out within the stark white layers of the cups; Smit did not comment on whether this color difference was intentional, but regardless it was a successful decision. As a viewer I did not find any 2^nd function meanings; although it did create an image of a blossoming flower, I would not consider it 2^nd function, but it had a suchness to it.

   Mario Florez’s sculpture titled Shed Some Light was a satirical perspective on corporate America. When first looking at Florez’s work it is clear that it was designed to look like a lamp; he used a clear vase as the base of the work and from there stacked other various objects including a plate on the very top to act as a lampshade. The literal image of the lamp was a 1^st function design element that Florez intentionally created. Florez did state that his project started off as 1^st function and then progressed into 2^nd function meanings. These deeper meanings were displayed directly on the Starbucks cup; Florez had written words on this cup such as poverty, which directly reflects how he feels the corporate side of America is. As a viewer, I experienced his work as 1^st function only even though he did say it had specific meanings. Being able to experience this sculpture as just a lamp was more satisfying then connecting to it on its 2^nd function meanings.

   At the conclusion of class I was more than impressed at what myself and my classmates were able to create. None of our projects were even close to being true pieces of art, but our individualities and own creative processes were artworks within themselves. Receiving the opportunity to try my hand at creating a sculpture was a brand new experience to me, and though it was not museum worthy, it pushed me as a dance artist and allowed my artistic perspective to grow.

            

Merge Dance Company - Response

On March 6, 2015 at 7:30pm I attended INtersections a concert presented by Merge Dance Company, performed at the Patti Strickel Harrison Theater at the Performing Arts Center on the Texas State University campus. This concert included multiple guest choreographers and performers showcasing their work. One guest choreographer was Heike Salzer; Salzer created a work titled Zefiro, with a sound collage by James Barron and Thomas Jameson, including Zefiro Torna composed by Christina Pluhar and L’Arpeggiata. This dance work had a suchness of an innocent childhood, brought about by the playfulness and explorative movement language created from the use of balloons as a prop. The strong choreography of this work contributed to the creative aspects, thus making this a true work of dance art.

            To watch Zefiro was to be taken on a magical journey that provides an awe-inspiring experience, thus leading this work of art to be categorized under art as sublime. This work of art creates an atmosphere for audience members that may feel familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. This familiarity comes from the literal idea of the balloons; balloons are an object that everyone can directly identify with because we all have the knowledge of these objects, however every person can experience a different emotion with them. These emotions that are particular to each individual could possibly create a story that each audience member is accustomed to. Though Zefiro produces a comfortable energy, that is knowable, there is a contrasting energy that leaves an air of mystery. This mystery comes from the situation that the choreography produces; this situation is that of dancing, moving, and interacting with balloons in a manner that we, as humans, are not familiar with. Surrealism can be used to describe what I felt while watching this work because of the bizarre relationships arising from the movements. When looking at this work it reminded me of an inner dream or wish being brought to life. The choreography resembled a type of ceremony, possibly a celebration ceremony because with the title of the dance, Zefiro, the work could display a celebration to the goddess of the wind. The bright music that began in the middle section of the dance made me think of folk music, and created the image of a community performing this dance. Zefiro, a bright and eclectic work of art, had traces of inspiration from folk and ceremony dances while being presented in a contemporary performance setting.

            A story is being told within this work, but not a narrative; this story is presenting a person’s inner emotions and dreams. This makes me consider Zefiro a metaphoric dance and more represented of the 2^nd function. What I realized while watching this dance is that it represented the immense happiness that a human can feel when a dream is met or an unbelievable experience has occurred. This unbelievable experience could be finding an unexpected lover or simply jumping out of a plane, both scenarios are ones that produce higher serotonin levels. When serotonin levels increase within a person this can make them feel as if they are on cloud nine or invincible; Salzer creates this same feeling in her piece. Regarding 1^st function elements, the strongest was the use of space with props. The movement language that was used with the dancer and prop interaction was brilliantly authentic. There were simple gestures, such as carrying the balloons into different formations, which were highly effective. The ending action was the most prominent 1st function element where the dancers were laying on the ground holding the balloons when they released them into the air; this was pure 1^st function in the sense that balloons, as a literal object, float away through space. It is apparent that Salzer did not just make a work of art, but created it. According to Dennis Dutton this dance could be categorized under multiple universal signatures including: direct pleasure, expressive individuality, and imaginative experience. Zefiro embodies these signatures from the positive energy and dynamics that it emits to expressing a metaphorical story that is unique to every individual audience member.

            Without a doubt, I can confidently say that Salzer is a true artist in the dance community. To be able to create a dance work that goes beyond time, space, and energy and into the conscious lives of audience members is a gift. It brought back memories of childhood moments and I received the chance to live the time of innocence all over again thanks to Heike Salzer.