Big Apple Art Event

1. The dancer counts a 6 count while they are dancing the Carolina shag.

2.

You can tell by first glance that the Big Apple is an older building, and that it was built to be something other than a dance club. There is slight Greek revival that you can see, such as the peaked top of the building and the doric columns right outside the front door. The Big Apple was originally the House of Peace Synagogue, which was later converted into a "juke joint" called the Big Apple Night Club. Three students from the University of South Carolina were interested in the music they heard when driving by one night, and repeatedly brought their friends to the club, even though they were not allowed to participate and had to sit on the balcony. The club was later transformed into a hall that now hosts all sorts of occasions such as dance lessons, weddings, rehersals, and other functions.

3. The shag is a dance in which the upper body and arms remain relatively still while the legs do fancy kicks and footwork. It is similar to the Carolina jitterbug, which as an 8 count, but it relatively slower, with the shag using a 6 count. The shag originated in cities throughout North and South Carolina, with the term shag actually being coined at Carolina Beach, North Carolina. It is a descendent of the "Little Apple", which was started in Columbia by the same 3 boys that were interested in the music at the Big Apple Club. The shag is extememly relevant to South Carolina, because without the Little Apple that was started in Columbia, and the Carolina Jitterbug, the shag may not have even developed. Shagging is still popular in South Carolina not only for adults, but also for young adults. I know in my sorority here at USC, we shag dance at all of our functions, because it is so much fun!

Columbia Museum of Art Event

Describe the Photograph:

-The photo was about 5x3 feet, so it was pretty large.

-The photo was courtesy of Charles Peterson, who also owns the photograph.

-The photo depicts fans crowd-surfing and slam dancing in a mosh pit at a grunge concert in Seattle in 1991.

-As you can see, this photograph was shot in black and white.

Analyze the Photograph:

-The photo is about fans in a mosh pit at a concert, and it was trying to depict the insanity and intesnity that goes along with it.

-The people are dancing to the grunge music, crowd-surfing, and slam dancing at a concert.

-The subjects in the photograph are wearing t-shirts, jeans, plaid shirts, and other "grunge" type attire.

-This photo reveals the insanity of the crowd and the type of people that attend grunge concerts. The photographer had to throw himself right into the insanity of the moment in order to capture such a powerful shot. He said that he had spent a lot of time during his youth stage diving and slam dancing, so he knew how to react to the culture.

Assignment #6 - Dance

1. The baroque period occured between 1600 and 1750, and was based on different art, music, dance, and architectural flourishes and interpretations. In baroque dance, exagerated movements, drama, and grandeour characterized the period. Elaborate music and performance were used during this time, and dancers were not afraid to be self-confident and portary emotional exuberance. Some composers during this time were Johann Sebastian Bach, Jean-Baptiste Lully, and Henry Purcell, and you can tell the dramatic movement of this time period through their music.

2. People dance as a way to express themselves, because even though there are specific forms of dance, you can truly dance any way that you wish. People also dance for a variety of other reasons however, such as for exercise, like in zumba classes the the gym, for tradition, such as the first dance at a wedding, and for performance, such as at a concert. Most people simply dance for fun though, because you never truly need a reason to simply let loose and just dance.

             

3. One non-western dance form is a ballroom dance, the argentine tango. It is known as a social dance, composed in 4/4 measurments. The argentine tango movements are much more varied than typical ballroom tango, and has a clear, distinctive, repeditivte beat. This tango relies heavily on improvistation, and the dancers have to use their emotions, and the emotion of the music, to create movement.



Film Art Event

The Kings Speech

The establishing shot in The Kings Speech was very powerful, and stood out a lot to me. The microphone predominantly in the forefront of the shot, with action going on in the background, made it clear that the microphone was an important symbol. The time period, 1925, was also set by the phrase that played at the very beginning of the film.

There were very interesting camera angles used in this film, which made it stand out a lot to me. The was that the microphone was typically the focus of the shot whenever it was present, with the action and people behind it, made the point of the film stand out a lot. The speeches were the entire purpose of the film, and the microphone personified that. The sharp jumps from shot to shot also stood out, because instead of a smooth panning transition from person to person, the camera would sharply jump from face to face.

The story line was very different from others, and was very powerful. Bertie, played by Colin Firth, was the second son of George V and was never intended to be the King, which was a good thing because he had a stutter that greatly handicapped him. His wife, Elizabeth, tried to help him by hiring multiple speech coaches, but nothing seemed to help Bertie. It wasn't until Lionel was introduced that there was a change in his speech. Bertie's brother, however, decided that he didn't want to be King, which left Bertie to become King George VI. One of the most moving scenes in the film was when Bertie had to give his speech on the eve of World War II, which is what the film had been building up to the entire time. There were many scenes that i felt uncomfortable during though, such as the first speech scene when Bertie could not even formulate words during his speech because his stutter was so horrible. I could not even imagine how embarrassing it would be.

Colin Firth was amazing in his role as George VI. I believed him wholeheartedly, because you could really feel his pain as he struggled though his speech problem, while simultaneously trying to cope with becoming the King of England. Helena Bonham Carter also did an outstanding job of playing Elizabeth, because it felt like she was really there supporting her husband through his struggles.

The music was one of the most convincing parts of the film, because every scene had the perfect soundtrack. For the more dramatic scenes, the gradual swelling of music up to the climax was very moving, and for the more emotional scenes, the relaxed music did a great job. One of the most impressive musical accompaniments in the film was the Beethoven that joined in the scene where Bertie had to give a speech on the eve of World War II.

I would describe the genre of this film as a drama. Although there were a few comical moments, the entire film focused on Bertie's dramatic and sometimes painful struggle to get over his disability.

From this film I derived the message that it is possible to improve yourself and overcome obstacles that stand in your way, if you really try hard enough and persevere.