Self-Evaluation

1. Self-Evaluation

Perhaps you always look on the past with a more positive light than you remember. The semester is slowly coming to a close and memories of stressful writing assignments are dwindling away. At this time I am sure that English 15s was a great course and a positive experience for me to have my first semester Freshman year at Penn State.

Signing up for classes at FTCAP was overwhelming. Not aware of my major yet, I was scared I would mess up my entire schedule for the rest of my college career. Luckily English 15s was two requirements in one, English requirement and Freshman seminar, which initially relaxed me and reassured that I would be just fine (and seriously need to calm down).

         My first day of classes was a blur. I was anxious about not only living on my own, making new friends and being a student athlete, but also getting lost in a sea of people. The heard of students packed on Pollock Road heading to class early morning made me queasy. How would I possibly be noticed in a lecture class of 350 students? Could I even thrive in a community this large?

         My nerves subsided when I entered the classroom in Willard and notice there were less than 20 seats. I am genuinely appreciative to have a class like this. It gives a student on a large campus participate more in class, get to know their professor, and interact with classmates on a more personal level.

         More than the class logistics itself, I was able to experience more than I expected to at Penn State through the arts, but also through the community. There are many things I did my first semester freshman year because of English 15s that I don’t think I would have done without it.

         One important factors to my learning about Penn State and the arts all the field trips that we went on. Going to the Palmer museum was a great experience. I would pass it almost every day and was unaware of what it even was. People pass by it every day without appreciating the beauty of the architecture and design. I doubt I would have went in by myself, but I’m glad I did. That is the same for the Arboretum, the play at the Penn State Theater, and other activities such as the arts/cultural responses. It is incredible how much Penn State has to offer.

         Although I grew in my writing abilities and am more educated about the arts, I think I learned more about myself outside of the classroom. Besides the experiences that Ms. S provided us with I have done so much more such as visit the All-Sports Museum, walk in the Homecoming parade, watch the performance and meet celebrity Big Sean, attend many sporting events, play trashcan drums at Nittanyville, perform in the beautiful Bryce Jordan Center, dance in Beaver Stadium in front of 110,000 people, and so much more. My first semester freshman year couldn’t have been better and I am grateful for all the exciting opportunities I am able to have because of Penn State.

        

2. Blog Response Round-Up

http://artstateofpsu.blogspot.com/2012/09/about-my-blog.html#comment-form

http://jenniferlongdancingart.blogspot.com/2012/09/palmer-museum-visit.html#comment-form

http://imporvedartsmarts.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-blast-at-botanical-gardens.html?showComment=1349296322312#c7049535781719521078

http://daniellegordonmartin.blogspot.com/2012/09/sarah-bernhardt.html?showComment=1349296692723#c2273655488187032666

http://cuesandcommissions.blogspot.com/2012/09/plants-and-benches.html?showComment=1351715037458#c205768045119373070

http://quirkyconfessional.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-red-and-brown-water.html?showComment=1354498926122#c8635069518157809354

http://jenniferlongdancingart.blogspot.com/2012/11/catch-22-marathon-reading.html?showComment=1354499428354#c5028586819801678040

http://tarasaverageblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/7-peanut-butter-disaster.html?showComment=1354499741870#c1077747923936513527

http://jrose412.blogspot.com/2012/12/for-love-of-music.html?showComment=1355173287301#c8928344650232355537

http://ifartcouldtalk101.blogspot.com/2012/12/cultural-event.html?showComment=1355173431691#c2501174093186272803

3. SRTE Evaluations

Hi, Ms. S--I completed my SRTEs!

Art of the Jumpsplit

Dance as an Art? Or Sport?

Dance is in fact an art form. The movement one does with their body is unique, stylized, and beautiful to watch. There are dozens of categories of dance to name a few ballet, hip-hop, tap, jazz and modern.

Being a dancer all my life I have learned and perfected the techniques of many of these styles and more. Yet being involved with dance team brings up two different styles of dance that are both visually stunning and incredibly athletic.

Kickline and Pom are two types of dance that are unknown by many, but growing rapidly in the dance team world. Kickline, much like the Radio City Rockettes, involves dancers linked in a formation of a chorus line and perform kick combinations in unison. Flexibility and precision is necessary for this type of dance as the ‘wow-factor’ is less of technique often, but the visual appeal. Strength not only in legs, but core, head, back, and arms are essential in making the dance appear strong and in sync.

Pom is a highly athletic and intense type of dance that involved a dance team or drill squad. Using pom-poms like cheerleaders, these dancers use the poms to their advantage along with choreography, endurance, technique, and music to create a visual performance. Along with powerful leaps and jumps, strong arm motions are used to make ‘pictures’ with the dancers.

Although these types of dance may not be conventional, they are part of my daily routine. I have grown to love these types of dances because they are unique. It shows that dance is more than just an art, but rather a sport.

                                            

25 days of Christmas

Hey y'all,

Since this blog is about art, I wanted to share this with you and put you all in the holiday spirit. I made this Christmas ornament today for the Penn State Cheerleaders and Lionettes Booster Club's christmas tree. You can't tell, but it is covered in glue and there is tape in the most obvious places.

It was fun to do so please don't make fun of me.

Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukah/ Happy Kwanzaa English 15s! Hope your holiday wishes come true. (Never ask me to make you a creative craft because the results are horrifying).

Love,
Jess

In The Red and Brown Water

“In the Red and Brown Water” by Tarell Alvin McCraney is a coming of age story about a spunky runner named Oya. Oya can earn a track scholarship for any school, yet she declines her offers to take care of her mother, Momma Moja. When Oya’s mother dies recently after, Oya’s metamorphosis from a young girl into an independent woman begins. Oya goes through an emotional journey after not only with love affairs, but also with herself.

The most important part of the story to me is when Oya’s mother died. She was what held her together. It was clear from her she taught her a set of morals and values that she had to carry on the rest of the story. At one point in the story her lover Shango gets to her by saying the Momma Moja will always be in her heart and with her. This is a breaking point for Oya where she gives in, falls for Shango, and allows herself to be treated poorly by him. This is something Moja would not have put up with. Oya needed to learn some lessons on her own without her mother’s protectiveness, but with her as a guide to maturity.

Tarell Alvin McCraney not only wrote a fantastic plot, but interesting dialogue as well, which can be one of the most difficult to write. The dialogue sometimes sounded poetic though other times was slightly incomprehensible with the heavy usage of slang. With the script, anyone can agree though the most compelling part of the play was the fact the characters used stage direction along with dialogue. Direction such as “Enter Shango” and “Oya smiles”, to list a few, was not only experimental, but shifted your focus in the play. You were able to understand the character’s emotions more clearly which made it easier on the actors.

            I have seen many live theater performances before in various theaters and with various mediums. Living so close to the city, I have had the wonderful opportunities to see dozens of Broadway shows to name a few Rent, Wicked, Cats, and 42^nd Street. I enjoy going to dance shows as well and have seen numerous performances from Alvin Alley Company, New York City Ballet, and even Radio City Rockettes. This performance was in fact my first live theater show I’ve seen in State College let alone any college. I was pleasantly surprised at the professionalism the actors portrayed and how they stayed true to their characters. Although lacking in props, scenery and extravagant music in the other shows I’ve seen in the past, it gave this show an intimate environment that fit the nature of the show.

            I thought the actors were well fit for the show and very talented. I enjoyed my time at the Playhouse Theater, yet at times I felt uncomfortable. The dialogue included a lot of profanity and language that would make me cringe. I think this is what art is supposed to do. It is better if art gives you negative feelings than no feelings at all by pushing boundaries. It is better if art resents our understanding of the world to give us new meaning and outlook.

Arts/Cultural Response: Ill-abilities Crew Dance Performance

When my Lionettes teammate Alicia asked if I would accompany her to a dance performance I couldn’t say no. I breathe, sleep and live dance here at State College, at work over the summer teaching dance, and at home taking classes. When the rare occasion comes that I can actually watch a performance rather than be in it, I snatch that opportunity as if I were a thief.

            The performance of a group I had never heard before started in Heritage Hall in the Hub at promptly 8:30 pm, which was perfect because dance practice ended just a few minutes before. We shuffled into our seats and waited for the show to start.

            To my surprise, came out a man who was physically handicapped. He used crutches that aided him in walking. He resembled the South Park character Jimmy for he had weak legs and these crutches. When this man Luca introduced himself “BBoy Lazylegz” I was even more shocked. This is the dance performance I came to see? I wasn’t against it at all I was just confused. I was unsure how someone with such physical strain and deformity.

            My shock turned into amazement as I saw him move. He used his crutches as an extension to his arms. Gracefully he took them off and started breakdancing on the floor spinning in large circles and finally springing up on his hands in a stall or freeze like motion. Then piled four more “handi-capable” members of the crew.

Each member of Illabilities has a unique handicap. Luca “Lazylegz” was born with Arthrogryposis, a condition that affects the bones and causes stiffness in the joints.

Jacob or “Kujo” is completely deaf in his right ear and lost most hearing in his left. He is able to dance by seeing people clap out a beat or feeling the vibrations of the bass.

Smallest member of the crew Sergio or Checho was born with a major malformation in his legs. His feet are at knee level and his condition is unknown. Although this difficulty, he uses his arm strength for many of his motions and help him to appear as if he is floating.

Crew member Redo was born with several malformations such as no right hip, his right leg shorter than the other, as well as his right arm being shorter and lacking an elbow joint. He has a total of five fingers and wears prosthetics to support his hip.

            Final member of the crew Tommy wasn’t born with a disability but rather diagnosed with osteosarcoma and needed to amputate his leg to get rid of the tumor. Now with a prosthetic leg he moves and groves just as well as he could before.

            Along with each unique handicap, each member of the crew has a unique style of break dancing that cannot be mimicked by any other dancers because it is specialized to their physical. This is what I found to be most intriguing.

I’m glad I was able to go to this performance because not only was I entertained, but it taught me a lot about the strength that people have inside of them.

The main message that I left with after this performance was never let anyone from stopping you from doing what you love. Though these men had many hardships in their lives especially with their bodies that never stopped them from following their dreams of dancing. No limits, no excuses.

http://www.illabilitiescrew.com

Good 'Good Will Hunting'

Photographic memory is a gift that less than 10% of the population acquires from birth. Even less than that is the number of people who still have a form of this eidetic memory after the age of six. According to psychologists, no one can remember everything, yet the exception always finds a way, especially in Hollywood with Will Hunting.

            Good Will Hunting, directed by Gus Van Sant in 1997, is a feel good film filled with humor, emotion, romance, and not to mention a star studded cast. Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a young janitor at MIT and also an unknown genius until professor of mathematics Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) and psychologist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) take him under their wing. With the help of friends including Chuckie (Ben Affleck) and Skylar (Minnie Driver), Will Hunting tries to find meaning in life as well as use for his amazing talents.

            Although Will’s brilliance is not comparable to the audience, his struggles in romance, acceptance, and psychologically are relatable to the audience. Will’s personal growth in the film from a disobedient wild child to a sensitive and understanding grown adult is a value that many see as an application to their lives.

The performance of the actors is something that makes this film so moving. Emotions that the actors portray feel real, as if you have known them all your life. The plot of the film is very well put together, leaving the viewers with no questions as to why the characters did certain things. The story was clear with the help of cinematography, flashbacks, character dialog, and music.

            Aside from the cliché ending that the audience could have easily suspected, this film is the perfect portrayal of a classic narrative film. This film makes it easy for audiences to reflect their lives and values on.