Asian Pacific Heritage Month celebration

Originally published in the Brandeis University Justice

March 6, 2012

A young woman stands perfectly still, arms tilted inwards, the pink fan clutched in her hand fluttering faintly.

Suddenly she jumps forward on beat with the traditional guitar plucking in the background. The fan flies open, revealing a long, rose-colored trail of fabric flowing from its curved folds. As the woman dances about the stage, striking traditional Chinese poses, the crowd responds with cheers, calling her name. This is Asian Pacific Asian Heritage Month at Brandeis.

APAHM is always a fun time on campus, full of colorful cultural events and engaging speakers. This year’s APAHM is particularly significant, as it marks the 40th anniversary of the Brandeis Asian American Student Association, which sponsors APAHM, as well as the 20th anniversary of the Intercultural Center. BAASA co-presidents Stephanie Lee ’13 and Vicky Lee ’13, event coordinator Karen Hu ’12 and treasurer Adam Chow ’12 began the opening performance by praising all 23 members of the executive board for their hard work in creating this year’s events.

All three of Rooftop Pursuit’s members share the surname Lee.

The ceremony took place on Saturday night in Levin Ballroom. The theme, “Making Our Mark,” underscores BAASA’s emphasis this year on modern Asian accomplishments. Two musical groups that have gained popularity on YouTube, Ben Clement and Rooftop Pursuit, performed. Clement, who opened the show, is currently studying music at Biola University in California. He created a calm peaceful atmosphere with his romantic songs and acoustic guitar, accompanied by a band member playing rhythms on a wooden box. Clement, who considers himself a “hopeless romantic” told the crowd that many of his songs were written about previous relationships, eliciting awws from the audience. Though many of his original songs had a singer-songwriter, John Mayer-type sound, it was his last number, Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” that was most popular with the audience. Though Clement didn’t quite have the vocal ability to make the song as strong as it could have been, the song’s message of social change was clearly appreciated.

After Clement’s performance, Ayan Sanyal ’14 came on stage to sing Deep Blue Something’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” a nod to “kids who grew up in the ’90s.” Then the newest student group under the BAASA umbrella, the Taiwanese Student Association, begins its performance with a loud, striking drum solo by Aaron Yang ’14. As the drum was rolled off stage eight female dancers took their places, standing like posed statues in traditional Taiwanese dress. One by one they moved to the front of the stage, demonstrating cultural fan, ribbon, handkerchief, sword, martial arts, umbrella and peacock dances. While each performer moved with clarity and purpose, it would have been more entertaining to see the dancers interact with one another. Instead, each demonstration ended before the next began, leaving seven dancers still as one moved.

After the formal grace of TSA’s performance, the ceremony’s mood changed abruptly as the Southeast Asian Club began their skit, “The Crystal Heart,” based on a traditional Vietnamese story. The skit, which imparts the story of a fisherman’s unrequited love for a snooty princess, was intentionally silly, and put the audience in a celebratory mood leading into a song by the Korean Student Association’s band. Seven KSA members took the stage to play a Korean pop song complete with impressive trumpet solos and heartfelt singing.

Rooftop Pursuit, the other professional group to perform, opened the ceremony’s second act with several original songs and covers, including Christina Perri’s “1000 Years.” Lead singer and keyboardist Phil Lee made a few humorous remarks about the three-man outfit of Korean-Americans, saying, “Our last names are all ‘Lee.’ … We didn’t do it on purpose.” Like Clement, many of Rooftop Pursuit’s songs were about romantic love, though guitarist Paul Lee’s wailing guitar riffs added some heat to the ballads.

Dan Ding takes a break from his MC duties to perform an original piece.

Dan Ding ’12, the ceremony’s deep-voiced announcer took a moment away from the mic to perform an original classical song called “Piano Impromptu,” inspired by a swift change in weather Ding experienced while practicing with his high school sailing team. The audience was riveted by Ding’s obvious skill, and the reverent silence was broken only by applause as he concluded his piece.

The Brandeis Chinese Cultural Connection was next to perform, as seven members showed off their dance skills, combining hip-hop moves with traditional Chinese dances as they swayed, kicked and spun to Chinese artist Show Lo’s “Show of Love.” The dancers, outfitted in red and black and decked out in sunglasses, certainly looked the part of a professional hip hop group.

Siddhi Krishna ’12, representing the South Asian Student Association brought another serious moment to the ceremony as she played a piece of Carnatic music, the classical music of South India. Krishna plucked notes and melodies on her violin, playing an ode to Lord Ganesha, Hinduism’s remover of obstacles. Krishna struck an interesting silhouette, kneeling on the stage rather than standing of sitting in a chair, as most Western musicians would have.

The APAHM opening ceremony concluded with a group number combining several popular Asian songs into one high-energy dance number called Project BAASA: PANDAmonium. The entire BAASA e-board plus other dancers were clearly having fun with the performance, which, according to the program, “shows how Asians got more than smarts. They also got SWAG.” After watching this year’s opening performance, I’d have to say I agree.

APAHM continues throughout March, including the SKINS Fashion Show on March 16 and theTemptasian 40th Anniversary Party on March 23.

AraabMuzik and Basic Physics concert

Originally published in the Brandeis University Justice

Feb. 14, 2012

Fast-paced, thumping electronica and mashups were the designated genres of the night.

The signs on the doors to the Levin Ballroom read, “Strobe lights will be used during this performance.” Let the party begin.

As I walked into the ballroom on Thursday night, a small group of students had already gathered, eagerly anticipating the opening performer of Student Events’ February concert, Basic Physics. When the disc jockey stepped onto the stage, the audience surged tighter together, clamoring for a taste of the hip-hop flavored jams for which the young mix-master is known.

Basic Physics is a one-man operation. The mash-up artist first hit it big in 2010 when his mix “Stuntin’ with a Milli,” which combines songs by Lil Wayne, Phoenix and Pretty Lights, became a hit on YouTube and SoundCloud, a popular music streaming site. At the time of publication, the song has been viewed over 42,000 times on each site.

Since 2010, Basic Physics has released two mixtapes: Nightlife in the Northwoods and Liftoff.

Back in Levin, Basic Physics did not disappoint. The entertainer—that’s truly what he was—played infectious beats featuring many top-40 artists like Katy Perry, Ludacris, Lady Gaga and Maroon 5. He knew just when to let the beat slow down, creating tension in the crowd until the speakers suddenly exploded with the chorus of a well-known song. Basic Physics was clearly enjoying himself as well, singing along to his mash-ups as well as waving his hands back and forth, nodding his head and occasionally encouraging the audience with yells of excitement.

AraabMUZIK poses with his MPC, a synthesizer he uses to recreate the sound of a full drum kit.

After Basic Physics’ 45-minute set, AraabMUZIK took the stage. An up-and-coming performer, AraabMUZIK was different from any other DJ I had seen before. He didn’t simply take samples of popular songs and mix them together. Instead, using an Akai Music Production Center drum machine, he created rhythms of his own, throwing together beat after beat in increasingly rapid succession. The MPC is similar to a synthesizer; it looks like a large pad containing 16 square buttons configured in four rows of four. Each of these buttons makes a different drum sound. When AraabMUZIK played the MPC, it sounded like he had an entire drum kit in front of him.

This style of performance may seem futuristic, but it’s a natural progression for this performer. According to AraabMUZIK’s official website, “When I first started making beats, I went from the keyboard to a software program and to an MPC. My motivation at that time was just for the fact that I wanted to hear and make my own music. All my old beats on the keyboard were like a good three to four minutes long and as I got better, so did the beats.”

AraabMUZIK doesn’t just use the MPC as a way to get around real musical talent—he knows how to play the drums for real and breaks out a full kit at some performances. But by combining the MPC with other electronic equipment, he has the ability to create heart-pounding beats and add in samples of other songs as well. At the concert, a large screen was connected to a camera that filmed directly over the machine. That way, the audience could see AraabMUZIK’s fingers flash over the keys as they danced to the rhythm.

Throughout the show, AraabMUZIK was immersed in his music. His whole body rocked back and forth as he slammed his fingers down on the buttons, seemingly lost in the musical world of his own creation. Clothed in a dark hoodie and flat-brimmed baseball cap, he looked like a stereotypical rapper or MC.

But his songs had no words and he rarely spoke to the audience. He was too engaged in making rapid-fire beats that washed over the dancers on the floor. For its part, the crowd seemed to love it, grooving to the vibrations and expressing their disappointment when the beat-maker finally left the stage.

Boston Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet

Originally published in the Brandeis University Justice

Nov. 8, 2011

Highflying acrobatics stunned audiences at “Romeo and Juliet.”

Romeo and Juliet is perhaps the most well-known of Shakespeare’s plays. Its themes of love and loss are classic and it has been interpreted in hundreds of ways—into plays, movies, songs and works of art since it was first written four centuries ago. One of the most brilliant of these interpretations is composer Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet, which first premiered in Germany in 1962.

This week, the Boston Ballet officially opened its season with Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. JustArts was able to speak with one of the performers, MelanieRiffee, a dancer from Vienna, Va. who joined Boston Ballet in 2010. Riffee is a member of Boston Ballet II, the two-year pre-professional program for dancers ages 16 to 21, hosted by the Boston Ballet. There are currently nine dancers in the program. Of Boston Ballet II, Riffee said, “We get to be involved in almost all the performances and share the stage with [the Boston Ballet dancers]. We’re learning all the time.”

The ballet opened with a memorable fight scene between members of the Montague and Capulet families. The stage was filled with an array of bustling townsfolk conducting their business in the center of Verona, which then gave way to the classic duel between the rival families. Despite the lack of dialogue, I was able to clearly follow the action of the scene. The music, though it is a classical score without lyrics, also helped explain the plot through its emotional highs and lows.

Boston Ballet II, the Ballet’s pre-professional company, rehearses a number for their upcoming season.

Indeed, the music itself, conducted by Boston Ballet’s Music Director Jonathan McPhee, is worth studying. The different instruments seemed unwilling to let their voices go unheard. The passages overlapped one another, one beginning before the former had died out. Additionally, the pieces arranged for specific characters, such as the Duke of Verona, embodied their characters’ personalities and provided a particular thrill. I was also very impressed that the clashing of the swords during the fight scenes matched perfectly with the beat of the music. This precision reminded me that every tiny detail, down to the number of steps a character takes or the length of a pause between spins, is meticulously choreographed and rehearsed to perfection.

Of the rehearsal process, Riffee explained, “We were rehearsing for about two months before we opened. We worked on individual parts before we brought the ballet all together. We rehearse typically Monday through Friday, from 9:45 in the morning to 6:30 at night.” The company works at their studios on Claredon Street in Boston, and only came to the Boston Opera House, where Romeo and Juliet was performed, the day before the show opened.

All of that work seriously paid off. The dancers were exquisite. The show is double-cast, meaning that most main characters were played by different dancers on different nights. On opening night, Misa Kuranaga of Osaka, Japan played Juliet. She was clearly a crowd favorite and the true star of the show. Kuranaga is a tiny person, but when she flitted and spun around the stage, she was in complete control of the entire performance. Of the male dancers, I thought that Yury Yanowsky, who played Tybalt, was the strongest performer. He too commanded the stage, and had the swagger and self-confidence that his character is known for.

Other than these two principles, Bo Busby, who plays Paris in the other cast, was terrific as the Carnival King, a role not found in the original play. Busby, along with his troupe of four clowns, provided the biggest laughs of the night as a group of carnival performers who impress the crowd with their notable feats of balance and gymnastics in the second act.

Riffee said that the double casting is typical of professional ballet companies, and that “it’s fantastic because every pairing has a different interpretation and tells a different story.” This is not only because the dancers are performing with different partners, but also because of the diverse backgrounds of Boston Ballet’s cast. Of the company’s 10 principle dancers, only three are from the United States. The rest are from Latin America, Asia and Europe. This diversity exists not only in the group of principles, but throughout the entire 55-person cast. Riffee explained, “It’s really neat. Every day is a new experience. You get [dance] styles from around the world. It makes for a really well rounded production and company. It also gives a lot to the audience, because there’s something for everybody.”

That statement certainly applies to Boston Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet. The production had beautiful music, detailed staging and dramatic costumes, and of course exquisitely skilled performers. As Riffee said, this is one show “not to be missed.”

Student Choreographers: Samantha Cortez and Jeralyn Hawes

Originally published in the Brandeis University Justice

Oct. 4, 2011

Hip-hop crew Kaos Kids are known on campus for their impressive moves and stunning choreography. JustArts spoke to Artistic Director Samantha Cortez ’13 and Vice President JeralynHawes ’12 about their best experiences as part of the group and how dance has affected their lives at Brandeis.

JustArts: What are your specific responsibilities as artistic director and vice president?

Samantha Cortez: I’ve been artistic director since last year, but now Shaquan Perkins ’13 is also an artistic director. Basically, I envision what I want Kaos Kids to look like for the semester in regard to performances. I come up with ideas and themes for our performances, and I choreograph and critique other’s pieces because we are student-based. Everyone in Kaos Kids choreographs, so it’s not just me and it’s not just Shaquan. I make sure that the choreography goes along with the idea of the piece.

Jeralyn Hawes: Playing off of Sam’s position, I pull our gears and make sure we’re pushing people in the right direction. I come up with calendars for us. I help a little bit with the artistic direction side by putting a different flavor on music choices, or helping with transitions or the way we want to look onstage. I do a lot of our videography for documenting what we’re doing as a crew, as well as editing our videos and putting them online.

JA: How did the idea to teach open classes come about, and how are they going?

JH: Classes are going really well. They’re a lot of fun. I know that in the dance community in general, a lot of companies do open classes to promote their company, to promote different styles of dance and to get the community involved in general. Brandeis is so small, and I feel like we have a really big fan base here. We have regulars who come to every class. It’s also a chance for kids who are a bit shy about choreographing a big piece for, say, Culture X—they can experiment with different choreography and work on it through open classes. It’s a great learning environment for everyone.

SC: I think one of the reasons why we wanted open classes in the first place was to make Kaos Kids more open to the Brandeis community. We have a lot of people come up to us and say, “I can’t dance, but I love to dance,” so it’s a safe space for them to come. It’s no pressure; you just learn the piece and have fun.

JA: How does Kaos Kids develop its routines?

SC: If you want to choreograph, you can. This semester we’ve gotten new people who want to come choreograph. Basically they show us the choreography they’ve come up with and we decide whether or not it would fit into the piece we’re doing, or if it needs to be reworked, or if it’s really good and we want to automatically put it into our piece.

JH: Our executive board ultimately decides. For the most part, people are really good about sticking to our themes and choosing really good music, current music or music that’s good for the set that we’re doing. We haven’t had any problems with that yet.

JA: What does Kaos Kids have coming up this semester?

SC: We have an AHORA! event that’s on Oct. 15. We also have Fall Fest. We’re in the Adagio Dancefest, and we’re in Brandeis Dancing with the Stars, which is new. We’ve gotten invitations to multiple other shows and to a lot of charity events and coffeehouses.

JH: We try to say yes as much as possible, but it’s a hectic schedule.

SC: Every semester more invitations come, and you can’t say yes to everyone, but we try to do our best.

JA: What have been your best experiences as members of Kaos Kids?

JH: There have been so many! I feel like there are so many that don’t even pertain to dance. We spend so much time with each other outside of dance. We do dinners; we have “study parties” together. I can’t even think of one particular moment.

SC: Well, I’ve been a part of Kaos since second semester freshman year, and it’s been this whole new experience. Something that I didn’t think would happen at my time at Brandeis, but it has. … I love to dance, and I love hip-hop above anything else, and I wanted a place where I could find that. I’m from Harlem, so hip-hop is all I really knew. … When I came to Brandeis, I wanted a piece of that, and for me that’s what Kaos is. Just being a part of the group in general is the experience.

JH: I’m on the complete other side of the spectrum. I barely started dancing last year. I tried out forKaos just to see what it was about, and it was so much more than I expected. Dance in general has been so new and exciting. Being in Kaos and growing in this whole world is amazing. Everything is a learning experience. I’m still trying to figure out how my body moves, the way I want it to move. Learning from everybody is amazing and so much fun.