Category: music

Chicago: The Musical

Recently, I went to see a new musical, Chicago. This added to the collection of musicals I’ve seen and (spoiler alert) that list is only going to grow this year.

I really enjoyed this musical, especially the music. The music set the scene incredibly well and I also loved how the conductor was involved in the story line at times. The choreography was also done incredibly well and you could tell the actors were thoroughly involved in the musical. I found the set interesting, as it was only a blank stage, with the occasional prop of a chair or two.

The musical was based on a play made in 1926, about the corruption in Chicago. The original play was based off of real criminals and real stories. The musical features Velma and Roxie, two women who have both ended up in jail. Velma’s famous and she’s been in the papers a lot, so when Roxie takes her spot, she’s upset. Again, I loved the songs and the choreography and the way the musical flowed. It was amazing to watch!

Have you been to see any musicals? Which ones are your favorites?

Six the musical

I recently got to see Six: The Musical. I’d been listening to the songs for quite a while and I always enjoyed thinking about what the inperson version might sound like and so when their tour started, I had to go. It was such a fun experience and I enjoyed it a lot!

Six is about the 6 wives of Henry the 8th and how they each had their lives ruined because of the king. Each of the queens (Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr) had their own song in which they proved exactly how horrible their lives were because of one man.

Two of them were divorced (Catherine of Aragon and Anna of Cleves), two of them were beheaded (Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard), one died of natural causes (Jane Seymour), and one survived (Catherine Parr). All of them were torn away from their lives and forced to be with Henry, whether they wanted it, like Jane, or not, like Catherine Parr.

The set for Six was pretty simple, with no specific setting, only a moment in time for all the Queens to be together. However, while the set wasn’t specific, the lights definitely were. They matched perfectly to the songs playing and truly elevated the whole set. The costumes were also amazing. They were elaborate and shone under the lights. Each costume also catered to the character’s role well.

Have you seen any musicals? What are your favorites?

Theater!

I really enjoy theater! It’s a relatively new interest, one that I got into in 6th grade. When I was making the course selections for my first year at middle school, I picked theater as it seemed interesting. Unfortunately, I was fully virtual that year, meaning I didn’t get the full experience of theater. Next year through, for 7th grade, I picked theater once more and was actually able to witness it in person. I really enjoyed that year and it made me really fall in love with theater. Some of my favorite experiences that year were learning about improv and writing our own play. In groups, we had to write our own 3 scene murder mystery. I worked with some of my closest friends to come up with our play and performing it was incredibly rewarding.
This year, 8th grade, I’m currently in UIL theater, where we have a competition coming up in November and a performance in the spring. I am currently working on both production and acting. In production, I am in the set and lighting crew, where we design all the sets and the lighting needed for them. I’m also part of the chorus of the play and play as a minor, but important character. I’m also taking a part of theater classes at a theater. These classes are also lead by a musical theater school. I hope to continue learning about theater and hopefully take it during high school!

I also got to see Hadestown recently! It was such an amazing experience, especially for someone like me who loves Greek Mythology.
The story of Hadestown is based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, who were two lovers. When one day Eurydice died, Orpheus was overcome with grief and set out to the Underworld to find her and bring her back. There, he made a deal with Hades. He could walk out of the Underworld with Eurydice following him, but if he turned to look back for even a second, she would be gone. He couldn’t see or hear her, but he had to trust her, himself, and Hades. Orpheus made it out most of the way, but at the last second, right when daylight broke through the Underworld, he turned to look. And the last thing he saw was her slipping away.
This musical took that story and reimagined it in a brilliant and fun way. I loved the portrayal of the characters, especially Persephone, goddess of spring and the Underworld, and the Fates, three women who controlled your life. The costuming choices were brilliant, as were the lighting choices. The thing that dazzled me the most though, was the set. The set was intricately made, with two main levels, a spiraling staircase leading up to the top one. Some of the orchestra sat on the stage itself, giving it a very close and cozy feeling. The props used were magnificent and overall, it was a great show that I really enjoyed!

Have you seen any musicals or plays? What are some of your favorite?

Hamilton: The Musical

Recently, I was able to watch Hamilton. It was an amazing experience and I enjoyed it a lot. I hadn’t watched Hamilton before, so it was a first time experience that I loved.

I really enjoyed the diverse cast and how we got to see so many people of different races playing the characters. Main characters, like Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, George Washington, and Angelica Schuyler, were played by diverse actors and I enjoyed that.

The songs were also so beautiful and I loved how they all embodied the character(s) who sung them. Some examples were Burn (sung by Eliza) and Satisfied (sung by Angelica and Alexander).

Another thing which I found really interesting was how the same set was used for all the scenes. Unlike other musicals which I’ve seen before, the set was the same, though the characters did transition from place to place. I also thought the way that the set was built was unique and spectacular.

What’s your favorite musical?

A Bold Dance of the Ages

Recently, for my English class, we had to write a brochure based on an element of our culture. I picked Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance from the state of Tamil Nadu. I hope you enjoy!

Strong taps echo through the auditorium as the audience watches, mesmerized by the bold and strong dance. The dancer is performing Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance. Bharatanatyam is one of the most interesting dance forms because it’s bold, unique, and captivating.

The History:

Bharatanatyam has a rich history through thousands of centuries and kings. Here are some of the most important parts of its history.

CHOLA DYNASTY (9th to 13th century):
The Chola kings left a lasting legacy to Indian classical arts. In the Brihadeeswara temple, there are verses from the Natyasastra and sculptures of Shiva performing the 108 karanas. Many forms of art centered around the temples and grew well.

VIJAYANAGAR DYNASTY (14th century to 15th century)
The Vijayanagar kings provided a lot of patronage to dance. King Krishna Deva Raya (16th century) is said to have been a great supporter.

NAYAKA KINGDOM (16th to 18th century):
King Raghunatha Nayake encouraged dance and music. The king also wrote the Valmiki Charitra which included information about Sadir (the old name for Bharatanatyam) and the talam system.

MARATHA DYNASTY (18th century)
The Maratha rulers had the strongest links to the present-day Bharatanatyam. King Tulaji wrote the Sangeetha Saramitra with a list of adavus. Natwanars were also significant members of the king’s court. The famous Thanjavur brothers lived during this era.

BRITISH ERA
The British Government tabooed dance performances and dancers lost their glory.

REVIVAL (early to mid 20th century)
Art lovers worked to remove the stigma from dance. In 1932, Sadir was renamed to Bharatanatyam.

The Mythological History:

At the beginning of Treetayuga, peoples´ lives were filled with greed, anger, and jealousy. There wasn’t dharma and the asuras ruled the world. To combat this, Lord Brahma created a fifth Veda that would be enjoyable and dispel the bad. Lord Brahma taught this fifth Veda (the Natyaveda) to Bharata, who in turn taught it to his 100 sons.

Bharata asked Lord Brahma to bring down apsaras to add grace.

With this, he was satisfied and performed it at the Dhvaja Mohatsa. The asuras got angry because the play was pointing at their demise. As a result, they started attacking the performers.

Brahma asked the divine architect, Vishwakarma, to build a Natyagriha that would restrict access to evil. Vishwakarma instantly built the perfect theater.

Then Brahma took this play to Lord Shiva. Shiva suggested that they add nritta to the play to enhance it. After watching the show, people understood how to defeat the demons and started living better lives.

The Margam:

A margam is the order in which you learn and perform Bharatanatyam items. The complexity gradually increases as does the time and the abhinaya sections.

It begins with a Pushpanjali and an Alarippu. Combined, this section is around 5 minutes. Next is a kouthuvam, the simplest item, usually 2-3 minutes long. It focuses on bhakti. After this is a jathiswaram. This is a pure adavu dance with no abhinaya. Then, there is a shabdam which is followed by a 45-minute varnam. After that is a Padam or keerthanam, which is more abhinaya based. The margam concludes with a Thillana.

Dr. Sunanda Nair, a Bharatanatyam expert, says the margam is important because “It’s like a school syllabus. You can see every step and you know what you’re learning. When you graduate with a Thillana, you have control of what you know. You peak at that ending point. The margam also gives you a connected approach to dance where everything is linked.”

Her favorite type of item in the margam is the “Padam or Keerthanam, I think. In these, you get connected abhinaya where you can really become a character instead of having abhinaya broken up by jathis.”

The Parts:

There are 3 parts to Bharatanatyam, which are all used to form most items.

1- NRITTA
Nritta is pure dance. It is made up of angas and karanas. It doesn’t contain abhinaya, instead focusing on adavus. One example is the Jathiswaram.

2- NATYA
Natya in Sanskrit means dramatic art. It doesn’t contain adavus, instead focusing on abhinaya. One example is the Padam.

3-NRITYA
Nritya is a combination of both nritta and natya. It includes both adavus and abhinaya. One example is the Kouthuvam.

Aaharya:

There are 3 main parts of the Bharatanatyam Aaharya. These parts are the costume, the makeup, and the jewelry.

There are many different costume styles in Bharatanatyam. There is a skirt style which includes a blouse and a skirt. Another style is the pant costume which is a blouse and pants, with a pleated fan attached to the pants.

The makeup is bold, with thick black eyeliner outlining the eyes, pink eyeshadow, and bright red lipstick. The tips of the fingers and toes are also usually colored red with the palms painted with a red circle.

The jewelry´s base color is gold with green and pink jewels set in. There are two necklaces, a choker and an aaram. You wear a chandra and surya on your head to remind yourself to be grounded and that you are only a speck of dust in the universe. There is also a nethichutti which is partly on your head and partially on your forehead. The earrings are small jumpkhas attached to a maatal. You also wear valaiyal.

The hair is braided, sometimes with a pre-braided extension adorned with ornaments attached. Fake flowers are attached at the back.

On your ankle, you wear chalangai. On your head, you wear a pottu.

Glossary:

Aaharya (aa-har-yah)- the costuming, makeup, and jewelry
Aaram (aa-rum)- a long, dangling necklace
Abhinaya (a-bin-ney-ah)- emotions and feelings, sentiment
Alarippu (A-lar-ip-poo)- a dance where you warm up the body
Angas (un-gah-s)- the major parts of the body
Apsaras (up-sah-rahs)- heavenly nymphs
Asuras (ah-suh-ras)- demons
Bhakti (buk-tea)- devotion
Bharatanatyam (buh-ruh-ton-aat-yum)- an Indian classical dance from Tamil Nadu
Brahma (bruh-ma)- the god of creation, one of the three main gods
Chalangai (cha-lung-ay)- ankle bells, to make your taps sound pleasing
Chandra (chund-reh)- the moon
Dharma (duh-r-ma)- good
Dhvaja Mohatsa (dh-vaj-ja mo-hut-sa)- Indira´s flag festival
Karanas (kah-rah-nas)- the poses
Natwanars (nat-van-ars)- people who keep talam
Natyagriha (nat-yuh-gree-ha)- a theater
Natyasastra (nat-yuh-sas-tra)- the book of dance
Pottu (puth-tuh)- colored dot/shape on the forehead
Shiva (shiv-a)- the god of destruction, one of the three main gods
Surya (shur-yah)- the sun
Talam (tal-am)- how you keep the beat
Valaiyal (vul-ay-al)- bangles, bracelets

Bharatanatyam has filled people with wonder and joy for centuries. It has flourished and grown, even when there are obstacles. Bharatanatyam is such an interesting dance because it is diverse, vivid, and enchanting.

Stuck in my head

Have you ever had a song stuck in your head that refused to budge? That happens to me pretty often and here is the true story of what happened during the most recent song-stuck-in-head episode.

A song that was stuck in my head recently was “Rather Be With You” from Descendants Wicked World. It has a fun beat and repetitive rhythms that stick in your brain. This is what happened that day.

I had just split into my small group for virtual learning. Since it was the first week of school, we were supposed to play a team building game. Unfortunately, technology was not on our side that day. The PowerPoint presentation we were supposed to work on didn’t open, so we decided to play some ice breaker games.

We started with “Two truths and a lie”. After we had all played and guess, there was an awkward silence while thinking of what to do next. Someone suggested that we play “Would You Rather?” and we all readily agreed. We all started thinking of, and asking the “Would You Rather?” questions. That’s when I started thinking of the song, “Rather Be With You”. The lyrics of the song have funny “Would You Rather?” questions like

Would you rather wear a shoe made of glass or
fall asleep in your class?
Be grounded under the sea or
help the beast with his fleas?

That’s how the song stuck to me for half a day. What was the last song that got stuck in your head? What were you doing when it happened?