CODA Symposium '07

This past Thursday October, 25th 2007 The Center Outreach in the Development of the Arts at Rhodes College put on their second annual “Arts Leadership New Direction Conference.” Put simply, the CODA symposium was one of the most meaningful and special events that the Rhodes arts scene has ever had. Speakers from all over the country as well as the Memphis community shared their brilliant knowledge and insight on their beliefs on the direction the arts are heading in the country. It was truly an amazing event, and anyone who did not attend at least one of the parts of the day truly missed out. Those who were unable to attend should be made aware of the importance the arts hold in our society. Included in the day was an arts information fair and a concluding banquet. At the arts information fair, different prominent arts organizations from throughout Memphis were presented, such as the Brooks Museum, The Memphis Symphony, Opera Memphis, Live from Memphis, and many more fantastic organizations. Everyone attending seemed to enjoy their experience. The organizations truly did a great job sharing the upcoming events they had to offer. The evening ended with a delicious banquet in McCallum Ballroom. In started off with a fun cocktail hour in which professionals in the arts world and arts students mingled with one another to learn about upcoming events. At this banquet “Live from Memphis” was awarded with CODA’s award for outstanding arts service to the Memphis community. They were thrilled to win such a prestigious award. The evening commenced with an address from the keynote speaker Stephen Tepper who works at the Curb Institute at Vanderbilt University. He delivered a brilliant lecture about the current arts situation. He talked about our cultures reaction to different forms of art and how art in general is on the rise. The Art’s Leadership New Directions Conference was a success. For those who missed it this year, do not worry there will be another next year which is guaranteed to be bigger and better!

Gypsies are Dhoad

On Friday, October 5th 2007 the world renowned musical group known as “The Dhoad Gypsies” graced their magical presence at Rhodes College. Not only did they give a concert but the best part about it was that it was free. In my two and a half years here never have I witnessed such a powerful and impacting artistic performance before my eyes. Their music was centered on percussion instruments which each had very distinct noises and styles. Seeing these musicians was also like a breath of fresh air. Nowadays when I go to concerts there is such a serious/ angry vibe received from the performers. When you go to a concert of classical music the musicians seem so focused on their music that they give almost a stern look. At concerts of more modern music these days such as pop or rock most of the artists seem angry and are singing about the world falling apart, relationship heartbreak etc. The Dhoad Gypsies were the happiest most cheery people I have ever seen in my life. You could tell how much they love what they do. Smiles dominated the stage. One of the musicians was playing a synthesizer which made one of the most exotic and interesting noises I have ever heard. Later in the performance and accordion sounding percussion instrument was added in the mix along with some incredible singing. The way that those singers were whaling was like nothing I have ever heard. It felt very cosmic and spiritual. Finally a wild performer came out who was doing all kinds of cool things like putting fire all over his body and in his mouth and then breathing fire. This guy was also juggling a water jug on his head, stepping on a bed of nails, and stepping on swords. Even though I do not believe this man to have been a sannyassi the immaterial things that he did were remnant of what one would do. The costumes that they wore were also incredibly vibrant and colorful. Their beauty added extra enjoyment to the entire performance. I hope that sometime in the near future I will get the opportunity to witness the beauty of this art again.

Angel A

So the gang got the awesome opportunity to go and see the fascinating foreign film "Angel A" at Studio on the Sqaure. It was a French film with English subtitles (which drive me crazy just for the record). It originally debuted back in 2005 but only recently came to Studio on the Square. Although it was a very interesting story about second chances what struck me the most about the film was that it was in black and white. Now how many years have we had the technology to make films in color?... Like a million at least! However, this work of art did not need color to radiate its beauty. Without color in the background it gave a lot of focus to the actual story and people involved in it and did not allow the audience to wander their minds into the background. We as the audience were given a blank coloring book with crayons and were allowed to make things any color (way) we wanted to. It made me think of the "Wizard of Oz." If you think about it the most important things in the movie are when it is in black and white. It is the parts in color that are exciting and interesting but when it comes down to it the power of black and white showed reality vs appearance (fiction). The actual beauty of the movie was in the black and white. It made the movie the movie unique and showed to the world that color is not everything.

Ballet Wild Style

On 9/8 Ballet Memphis put on a very nonconventional performance titled 'Momentum IX.' It was definitely no "Swan Lake." It was more like "Swan Erotic." The first thing that it was missing that is traditionally seen in a ballet performance was classical music. The Memphis Ballet dares to be different and chooses to dance in a fairly traditional way to nontraditional music. Songs by artists such as Eric Clapton were rocking through the night. You gotta love it. Then all of a sudden in the last piece not only was the music rockin' but suddenly the dancers stripped themselves down to practically nothing other than diapers and panties. The Gibson Lounge quickly turned from the ballet venue to a live version of "Debbie Does Dallas"... well maybe it was not quite so bad but it was no Sesame Street move. Speaking of the Gibson Lounge that defied another traditional thing you would visualize when you think of the ballet. The venue was not a theatre but a freaken bar where people were taking huge advantage of the liquor! Overall I found the perforance to be quite unique and very enjoyable. It was truly remarkable to see their painting in motion.

Africa Comes to Memphis

Memphis, a city known for its place in the world of arts via music. But music is not the only art to thrive in this evergrowing city. All of the arts flourish here. The first arts excursion I went on when I got here two weeks ago was seeing a powerful and interesting art show at Marshall Arts Gallery. This show was curated by Sir John Weeden. I was particuclarly impressed by a collection of paintings depicting sushi in obscure shapes and colors. Sushi is one of my favorite foods to eat and it was just so fascinating to see how a food can be played with and worked with creatively in a work of art. Wow now I am hungry I think it is time to go to Sekisui.

Living in New York I am fortunate to see a ton of Broadway plays, however, much to my disappointment I never have seen The Lion King on Broadway. Last week, I had the tremendous fortune and opportunity to go and see the national tour of this Broadway blockbuster in Memphis. After nearly ten years on Broadway The Lion King is still running strong and performs to a soldout audience almost every night. I know this is gonna sound kind of pathetic but I am a HUGE HUGE HUGE Disney fanatic (I have been to Disney world four times in the past five years) and to see this masterpiece of a work of art was a huge deal for me. From the moment the curtain opened wide my heart began to thump with tremendous joy and excitement. The song Circle of Life literally touched every single audience member sitting in the Orpheum. Whether it was via the costumes, the choreography, the lyrics, or the authoritative voice of the character Rafiki pierced through my soul, not a single attendee could deny the exhilaration they felt on that stage. We all know the story of The Lion King and despite a few changes here and there from the movie the story was nearly identical. The power in this show was in the costumes, choreography, and scenery. To see how the Orpheum theatre could be morphed into an African plains land was unbelievable. Oh I just can't wait to see king again!!!!

I have also been doing a lot lot lot of rehersing with Rhodes Singers (in anticipation of our trip to Russia SO EXCITED :) :) and Master Singers.