Not just another ballet...

Walking out of the theatre I wasn’t quite sure of what to make of Swan Lake. I definitely loved it, but that’s pretty much all I could say. All my other thoughts and opinions were sort of swirling around in my head and I couldn’t figure out how to make sense of them. Everything is clearer now that we've discussed it in class (although no matter how much I analyze it, I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand it, and that’s okay). To me, it was basically a string of metaphors and themes tied together rather than a distinct storyline with a plot. I saw acceptance as a very relevant theme. Throughout the whole ballet the prince is desperately fighting to be accepted by his mother, but he is rejected time and time again. At the end of the ballet, the swans refuse to accept the Prince and the Swan King’s love for each other, and the two of them are forced to fight for their lives. Then at the very last moment, when we see the Swan King embrace the Prince, we know they finally have found the acceptance they have been longing for in each other. There are countless metaphors and themes that can be interpreted, but that is just one that jumped out at me.

Putting metaphors and interpretations aside, I absolutely loved the choreography. It was an ugly ballet; sort of an oxymoron isn’t it? Yet, I loved it, it worked, and it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Being the ballet nerd that I am, I was not bored for one single moment, because there was not one single piece of choreography that was not interesting in some way. I’m probably the only one who feels this way, but I would’ve loved for the never-ending dance of the Swan’s to go on even longer than it did.  I found it so cool the way the dancers were moving in an animalistic, swan-like way. I could've watched it for hours!

I only hope that one day I can have the chance to perform in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake. 

If I Ever...

I finally can say that I, Sabrina Kalman, have made a Be Kind Rewind Movie! 


When Luke announced in class that we where doing Be Kind Rewind Movies everyone was so excited, but naturally, being a newbie, I was thinking... What on earth are Be Kind Rewind Movies??!! Then, of course after Luke explained what they were I was thinking... How on earth is this possible??!! It seemed pretty crazy that we were expected to plan and film a movie in a total of 4 periods! Though, in the end, just like most of the things we've done so far in STAC, it all works out. Although it was a challenge, and we definitely came across our fair share of obstacles, I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it went. Yes, we where constantly sprinting from one end of the school to another, and had to deal with several suspicious teachers (who honestly seemed disappointed that they couldn't get us in trouble), but like I said before, it all worked out (and the fun never stopped).


Afterwards, getting to actually watch the movies was the cherry on top. They where hysterical! I laughed so hard I cried.
I had more fun in those three periods than I have had in three whole weeks of school! 

It's Busby Berkley...

I'm intrigued, I'm entertained, but most of all, I'm inspired. 

These musical numbers are unlike anything I've ever seen. They almost don't seem real, like optical illusions or something you would see in a dream. I am completely amazed that someone could possibly come up with these concepts and ideas.

This Saturday night, I experienced first hand how hard choreographing a dance number really is. I am the choreographer for a 3^rd through 6^th grade production of The Wizard of Oz, and this weekend I was choreographing the Munchkin Land Song. As I was standing in the middle of my living room, completely at a lost of how to even begin, I was thinking, how does Busby Berkley do it? It’s amazing; all Busby Berkeley had to do was simply sit in the bathtub with a glass of champagne and would instantly be creating these masterpieces, where as I was helplessly sitting in my living room completely racking my brain and coming up with absolutely nothing. And when I finally did come up with something, it was definitely nothing special. I now have a greater appreciation for Busby Berkley. He was truly a genious, and he is officially my inspiration.

I screamed!

Out of all the complex mind boggling exhibits that can be found at MoMA, my favorite exhibit consisted simply of a microphone ,and a speaker. The mic was open for anyone to just walk up, take a deep breath, and you guessed it, scream. Although I was having so much fun screaming in the middle of MoMA, I couldn't help thinking, "This isn't art". Though after thinking about it I realized well, this has to be art, after all it's exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art. I mean, they didn't just throw this in to take up space. So now the question was "How is this art?". But, before I could answer that question I had to begin by asking myself "Well, what exactly is art?". Immediately I thought paintings, sculptures, photographs... but still I couldn't answer my original question, so there had to be something I was missing (and there was). Oddly enough I found the answer on a fellow STACies blog post, "Art is not just a pretty picture on a wall. Art is a reflection of life and emotion." It now all makes perfect sense. Art isn't something you can just look at, art is something you can experience (and screaming in the middle of an otherwise quite museum is quite the experience). It now seems that this "screaming" exhibit is the most artistic exhibit in the whole museum. 

And how many people can say that they screamed at the top of their lungs in the middle of the Museum of Modern Art?