Thursday, January 30, 2020

History of dance Essay Example for Free

History of dance Essay How could you leave your country? The place you grew up in, how could you leave your loved ones in a place so bad you had to flee it yourself? The production of ‘Look the other way’ choreographed by Cadi McCarthy is clearly emotionally attached to the performers. Look the other way describes how people had to leave their home and become refugees, their fear and hatred needing the encouragement to move forward. The mixture of contemporary and hip hop really drives you into the performance and makes dancers, public and even you feel like a part of the attraction. The choreographer clearly displays the variety of talent and emotive skills that all of the dancers consist of. The different interrogations of each dancer themselves are astonishing, having a wide range from the strength and intensity movements by Peter Fares to the smooth, soft and meaningful movements danced by Yillin Kong. The artistic use of props and lighting gives the texture of the movements on the performers and their facial expressions gave an overwhelming feeling inside; it’s a wakeup call to seeing how lucky we are as a country. This was a very effective way to get the audience’s attention. Having to look the other way when all you feel is hopelessness is a very difficult thing to do. The characters make you feel as if they are portraying their country, getting away from the outrageousness and the terror. Sharing their side of the horrific stories. All distributing the same emotions betrayal and being forced to look the other way. The choreographer immersed herself into the stories of the young people who had overcome the sacrifice of fleeing their country to have freedom in Australia. Cadi McCarthy clearly and successfully got her intent to the target audience (young students) expressing the dreadful descriptions by educating us through contemporary and hip hop dance. There are seven characters (not including the two boys who are still learning English) in the performance, each with different difficulties and reports to share with the world. They all show tolerance and ignorance to not give up and not give in. The movements and space used in this choreography by Cadi McCarthy entitles the effects and emotions she wants the audience to feel. Each performer had their own special techniques which was used to their advantage. Movements such as slowly walking, shaking, and closed shapes, sharp turns, counter balancing and falling, these are indications of being pushed around. The fast, muscular movements were intimidating and in each other’s personal space. The most significant peace was the Riot (Fight scene) which was done in a group, but danced in duets. Showing the mob mentality, strength and power, giving the truthful facts that no matter how many times you’re pushed down, you shall thrive to get back up again, keep moving forward. The costumes seemed rushed and not restricted which gave them freedom to move the clothing looking very unfavourable. Using very natural colours such as black, skin colour, white, and a flowered dress worn by Yillin showing the audience that they were in a rush, all they had was the clothing on their backs. The lighting effects by Andrew Portwine was dim and organic to set the mood, the angles of the light reflected off the dancers faces to give texture, dark gloomy looks. The overall costumes and lighting was more than successful and gave the illusion to hardship for the audience. Tristen Parr and Matt Cornell did exceptional work on the soundtrack. The music had been made from scratch so it was an original peace. In the performance the music was recorded and instrumental throughout. You could feel the classical vibrations as if atmospherical, representing the extreme adversity and struggles (Production2; Sacrifice, where videos are used to tell us about true stories). There were sections of the performance where the sound was live, like the word monologues where each dancer talks about accountings explaining what it was like to be a refugee (Peter Fares holding Yillin Kong on his shoulder while telling the story of his parents from Israel, Lebanon, and Syria to Australia). The most memorable and major feature of the props used was the ‘Opening boards’ (Designed by Laura Boynes and Tristan Parr) where the characters drag themselves across the stage and stand up onto a rocking board, representing the uncertainty to travel, external and internal fear of leaving their loved ones, the experience’s to come. Using the boards as a boat and steps revealing their long journey to find freedom, using the rocking motion traveling the entire emotional ride with the characters. The boards drew the audience’s attention straight away to the restlessness and fear. The backdrop of four walls that were recycled substances designed by Monique Wajon (makeshift of materials found in refugee camps). These props communicated to the audience giving meaning and belief to the dance. The Buzz Dance Theatre has accomplished in reproducing all viewpoints of refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers. Every possible aspect of contemporary and hip hop dance was put into this performance to accomplish the priorities and achievements of triumphing to the top. Each dancer attributes to the story in individual ways choreographed by Cadi McCarthy. I personally found that every phase used for this special performance including characters, music, costumes, choreography, set and props all worked exceptionally well together to produce a stimulating and significant enactment. Although a little dark I was defiantly motivated at the end of the performance.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Cats Cradle Essay -- Cats Cradle Vonnegut Essays

The Human Vaccination Modern medicine has proved that the best way to prevent the contraction of a disease for humans is to inject a tolerable amount of the virus into the host and let the individual's immune system build a defense capable of withstanding future invasions of the same strand. The small pox vaccination, for example, has eliminated the disease from almost every nation on Earth. But what if the disease is psychological, a way of being or state of mind rather than a physical aberration? My interpretation of Vonnegut's statement to "poison minds with humanity †¦to encourage them to make a better world" leads me to think that he would approach the problem with the same method. Inject just a bit of stupidity, naivetà ©, and prideful ignorance directly into the cerebellum so that, hopefully, gradually, humanity will wean themselves of these traits. The technique must be subtle. The needle and syringe must appear nonthreatening or no one will take it. Therefore disguise the needle with cynicism and satire. The idea is to present forms of unwanted human behavior that all of us possess and practice throughout our daily lives and make the reader aware of them. Show the reader humans being human and make them aware of all the stupid, silly, rude things we do and say everyday. Consider the ignorance of Miss Pefko, who neither finds science the very antithesis of magic nor understands the meaning of the word antithesis, the rude curtness of Marvin Breed and Philip Castle, and the duping of the entire population of the Bokonon religion based not on God, but upon socialism and lies. Cat's Cradle is full of characters that display very human, very unwanted traits. By recognizing these traits and consciously thinking about... ...niverse, he his painting a clear picture of the pitfalls of life. It is very clear that in Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut views religion and science as an excuse to not be responsible for individual actions. The Episcopalian woman in Newport believed that by knowing God, she knew everything, and yet lacked the ability to read a blueprint (13). Dr. Hoenikker hid behind that faà §ade of science so that an institution could carry the burden of his inventions, and Jonah blamed Bokonon for the mass suicide, never once mentioning that each individual had a choice of whether or not to kill themselves (182). Vonnegut's use of satire coats the poisonous pen used to show his readers the inescapable consequences of stupidity and arrogance. Displaying the darkness and destruction of mankind allows his readers to see where changes can be made that would allow a better world to emerge.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Metaphysical Poetry Essay

In the view of some critics, poems of this period have ‘delighted, puzzled and alienated readers’. What do you consider to be the demands and rewards for the readers of Metaphysical poetry? Refer in detail to at least three poems from this section of the anthology. You should consider the argument of the poems and the poet’s choices of language and verse form. Metaphysical poetry bases its ideas on explaining an extended metaphor, often on important and intellectual subjects such as the transience of life, mans relationship with God and love, in a context that entertains readers rather than boring them. This extended metaphor is known as the metaphysical conceit. It is often subtle, and therefore to some readers can be overlooked. However, for the readers who are able to uncover it, it can provide a deeper insight into the true meaning of the poem and can also make them question their own views on the subject, this is the reward intellectual readers receive from reading metaphysical poetry. Metaphysical poetry is often directed at intellectual readers. Some phrases in the poems would require prior knowledge to understand. This means that not all readers would be able to grasp the true meaning of the poem, or would overlook phrases. For example, in To His Coy Mistress Marvell uses several biblical references, such as ‘I would love you ten years before the flood’. This refers to Noah’s ark, and the flood depicted in the Bible. By using this image he is expressing that he would love her ten years before the beginning of time, and this is a subtle but strong compliment to his love. He also uses another biblical reference, ‘And you should, if you please, refuse Till the conversion of the Jews’. Those with prior knowledge would understand the idea that the Jews will never convert. The speaker in the poem is saying that she could refuse him forever and he would still love her. A reader who does not have biblical knowledge would surely overlook these phrases, but a reader who understands the strong compliments in this statements would have a much more enjoyable read of the poem, and would discover an extra level of meaning. This is one of the rewards of reading and understanding Metaphysical poetry. The idea of religion works in metaphysical poetry more than just in references to create subtle ideas. Religion is a common topic in Metaphysical poetry. Poems such as Love by George Herbert are based entirely around religion. In this poem, the speaker describes his interaction with God. This image of God is also personified as Love, and may suggest that God is love. Again, some readers may overlook this, and not realise that the person described in the poem is actually God. The way we can see that this figure is God is due to the use of lexis from the semantic field of religion. Words such as ‘sin’, ‘soul’, ‘Lord’ and ‘serve’ are all present, and this lexis is common in religious literature. The idea of religion works both ways, however. In To His Coy Mistress, although there is some reference to religion – as discussed earlier – there are also several phrases that don’t give an image of religion. The phrases ‘deserts of vast eternity’ is used to describe the afterlife, and this is an image that many Christians would not believe to be the afterlife. Marvell is suggesting a different view from the idea that everyone will go to either Heaven or Hell, an advanced view for a man living in an extremely religious time. One major device metaphysical poets use is the idea of a metaphysical conceit. All the metaphysical poems uses a metaphor to compare dissimilar things. For example, in Robert Herrick’s To Daffodils people are likened to daffodils, in relation to the transience of life. He uses phrases such as ‘haste away so soon’, and ‘We have short time to stay as you’. He is saying that, like daffodils, people will die too. This is a strange concept, but as you read the poem you begin to understand his logic. It would take a sophisticated mind to understand the ideas Herrick presents, but those who do understand would receive a deeper understanding of his argument. Structurally, Metaphysical poets use structure to present ideas in a clear and logical fashion. The ideas are often complex, and so, like an essay about a complicated topic, structure helps the reader understand. One common form of structure is to separate the poem into parts, each with an argument that leads to a clear conclusion. In To His Coy Mistress Marvell separates his argument into three parts. In the first part he describes what he would do if he had all the time in the world, how he would ‘adore each breast’ for two hundred years. However, in the second part he describes how he does not have that amount of time to adore her, and that she would die long before, and ‘worms shall try that long-preserved virginity’. In the final part Marvell concludes that as he does not have the time to adore her how he wishes, she should yield to his passion. This is a developed argument in three parts, and is a form of syllogism. It helps the reader understand the intent of the poem in a similar way to using paragraphs would in an essay. Rhythm is also used in metaphysical poetry to express the writers values. In To Daffodils the writer is presented as a person who has an unusual lack of trepidation for death. The opening quatrain is written in a mixture of iambic tetrameter and trimeter. This gives it a childish and nursery rhyme like rhythm. This helps to show the reader how the writer is uncaring about the situation, and is almost nonchalant about death. The line ‘stay, stay’, puts a halt to the childlike rhyme, but in a way could be perceived to make the first stanza sound almost like a lullaby. This makes the poem seem very calm and simple, feelings not usually associated with death and the transience of life. Feeling the effects of this rhythm show the reader the true feelings of the writer in a way many would not see. In conclusion, the metaphysical poets used many different devices to hide away many of the main ideas of their poems. Whilst many readers can understand the basic idea of the poem, they will not gain a full understanding of the point the poet is trying to make unless they have the knowledge and understanding required of a reader of Metaphysical poetry. For this reason, many will feel puzzled and alienated, whilst others will be truly delighted once they have gained the deeper understanding.