Dancing Critial Analysis

Dancing
Dance to me is an art work with the use of your body and the expression of emotions. It is amazing how elegant or sassy a person can look while swaying around on a dance floor. I have found a television show, Dancing with the Stars, which incorporates almost every form of dance into it. From the mambo to the foxtrot, I have learned so much about dancing and have found a new respect for the art form that dance is and the “artist” whom performs it.
Dancing with the Stars is a television show on ABC and has been on for six years now. The show brings together 12 celebrities, six male, six female, and pairs them up with 12 professional dancers. Over the next couple months the stars have to learn several different dances and perform them in front of a live audience, everyone at home, and most importantly three judges. Each week another celebrity is eliminated off the show until they are left with the final champion.
Celebrities have such an impact on American society. That is why we always see them on television supporting a charity, promoting a new style, or just advertising a brand name of jeans. The media knows that we all have a favorite celebrity so they use them as a way of capturing our attention and drawing us in. In a way we look up to celebrities, that’s why I think using stars on this show is a great way to promote dancing. Also, it’s nice to know that they are not all perfect and can mess up at times just like us. Seeing them struggle with new things helps us to realize it takes everyone time to learn new things.
Another important factor is the diverse population of the celebrities and the dancers. Some of the stars are young, some are old, there are all different ethnic backgrounds, and there have been one’s with handicaps such as a fake leg and complete deafness,. The stars can be anyone famous from athletes to actors to talk show host like Jerry Springer. I just think this show is wonderful for promoting dancing because it shows the viewers if Priscilla Presley, a 62 year old woman can dance, then so can I.
Throughout the competition, the couples must learn the proper techniques for 11 different dances. These include the waltz, cha cha, foxtrot, jive, mambo, paso doble, quickstep, rumba, samba, tango, and the Viennese waltz. It is amazing to see a new dance each week that the couples only had a week to learn and prepare for. Most of these dances are upbeat and it makes you want to get up and dance along. What I enjoy the most though is how each dance tells a story and the dancers use their bodies as tools for the story. Every movement must beat perfectly along with the music and the outcome is amazing.
The specific dance I chose from Dancing with the Stars is the cha cha preformed by Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez as her very first dance. Although the dance isn’t exactly perfect, the basis of the dance is so inspiring. One must know the background of the story to truly appreciate this dance. Marlee Matlin, an Academy award winning actress, is completely deaf. She cannot hear the music at all which makes it very difficult to keep a beat when you are dancing. She relies 100% on her partner to direct her and keep her in beat with the song. That is an absolutely amazing partnership. If you watch the entire attached video it tells in more detail about her handicap and after she dances you feel so inspired.
When you watch the actual dance you can see a few times where they were off step but they adjusted so quickly and got right back on track. Notice how every chance she gets she is looking at him as if they are communicating through their eyes. For their very first dance, however, I think they did outstanding.
The cha cha is defined as cheeky, lively, and flirtatious. They danced to the song Get on your Feet and I think it was a good pick for the cha cha. It was a moderately paced song that they could dance feely to but still look sexy. They danced close to each other and the mood of the dance was very flirtatious. I think their footwork was good and the dance was very appealing. At times, especially when they jumped up and down they were not synchronized which was somewhat distracting. I understand that she is not a professional dancer but I have to say that it wasn’t a dance that really made me want to jump up and shake my booty. However, once you know the full story you respect what she is doing, and although not perfect, very entertaining.
I love to watch dancing because I know it’s not something I could probably do myself. But after watching a 62 year old woman do a death spiral on the floor, you take on a whole new perspective. I don’t think anyone can just hear a song and dance perfectly to it the first time, just like anything else dancing takes practice. I do consider dance an artwork, just a different type. You are still expressing yourself, just through a different technique. Using your body to be sassy, seductive, sweet, or shy, is how you are showing the expression. Not many people can tell a story without using words but I think dancers definitely can.

To view this video visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3FRB0YX3nc

Elephant Love Medley

Chasity Knittel
Critical Analysis 2

Elephant Love Medley
This song is found in the musical Moulin Rouge and is sung by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. To understand the song you must have a brief overview of the movie itself. Christian, Ewan McGregor, is a writer who goes to Paris in search of ideas. In the meantime, Satine, Nicole Kidman, is a dancer at one of the famous nightclubs in Paris known for its beautiful dancers and their prostitution. Satine is given only one rule, never fall in love. As soon as Christian sees her he falls in love with her and knows that he has to have her. In the middle of the movie, he is trying to convince her that she can runaway and they can be in love but she just won’t have such talk of nonsense. At this point the song Elephant Love Medley begins.
The song is just a combination of many famous love songs. Throughout the entirety of the song the actors experience so many emotions. Music is supposed to make you feel a certain way but this song you see rejection, hurt, sadness, confusion, and finally love. It is amazing how so many feelings can be experienced in 4 minutes and 17 seconds. You can get a summary of the entire movie by just listening to this one song.
It begins with him telling her how wonderful love is, All you Need is Love is the song he’s singing, and she rejects him saying no, don’t start. However, he persists knowing that he can get to her, next he begins the jazzy tune of I was made for Loving You and she begins to sing back at him in her own words. The song continues with the short clips of other love songs, Don’t leave me this way, Silly Love Songs, In the Name of Love, Love Lifts us up Where We Belong, and We Should be Lovers, until they reach the major turning point in the song and movie, she begins to fall in love. Up to this point she is turning him down and at this time they begin the song We Could be Heroes and I Will Always Love You. You can tell that she is letting go of what she was warned against and going with her feelings of finding true love.
Once she falls in love, they begin singing together the song I Will Always Love You, this symbolizes their unity together. The last song of Elephant Love Medley is How Wonderful Life is and they end the song singing together in harmony and completely in love. His music was the key to her heart and he won her love by singing to her; that’s the power of music and how much it can impact a life.
In the movie, so much can be read through the actor’s nonverbal communication. Christian is chasing after her and trying to pull her close. Satine on the other hand is trying to get away from him and turns her head so that she isn’t actually facing him. Towards the end she is gazing into his eyes and their bodies are very close. She has the love stricken look like she never wants to leave his side. In the beginning, he sings to her and she keeps telling him that love is just a game and people should be sick of love songs but later she is singing right along.
This song is so powerful and moving. It is amazing how all of these emotions can be experienced in just one song. The entire movie is told through this four minute song. This is a great example of how music is the highest form of art. Just in the song Elephant Love Medley many forms of art types are found; theatre, music, and art. By my definition of art, a feeling must be experienced and since there are several emotions felt in this song, a defiantly consider it a piece of art.

Link for Elephant Love Medley video http://youtube.com/watch?v=88f0YAX1ojg

My NPR songs

1. A Grimly Lilting Ode to Loneliness Song of the Day
This is an absolutely beautiful song. Has wonderful music playing and the woman’s voice is lovely.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87796328

2. Tick Tack-17 Hippies
This song is in foreign so you can’t understand it but the beat is so catchy I love it.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87760956

3. Paper Planes M.I.A.
This song is very different and is something I would not usually listen to. However, the music once again was captivating. I’m a sucker for good music.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17519166

My Living Design Architecture

My room is my architectural design. It has been a work in progress now for over a year. It all started with the comforter. I fell in love with it and it didn't exactly match my green and blue walls. When I chose the red paint for my room everyone thought it would be too dark but it turned out perfect. Ever since then I have just picked up small things along the way that I thought would look good in the room. I finally finished it a few months ago after a year of starting it.

My room is my favorite place to be. It's where I escape to when I just want to get away. It's very peaceful and away from the rest of the house. I have everything up there except a refridgerator but that keeps me connected to my family. I am very proud of my work and how it all turned out.

If you can see the cat on the bed, you'll notice that she even matches, but that's not why I chose her. :)

My Architectural Design-Massage Room

Spring in Town-Critical Analysis 1

Spring in Town is an oil painting by Grant Wood in 1942. Wood became well known for his artwork American Gothic in 1930. After many different works of art, Spring in Town was his last painting. Most of Grant’s art was about the American culture at the time. Once you see one of his paintings, it is pretty easy to identify others. Most show the farmlands, as I would call it, pastures, plowed fields, and people outside working. I really like this painting because it shows how after a long winter, life returns to normal in the spring and everyone gets back to work. Can you imagine after several months of bitter coldness how excited the characters in the painting are to be able to work outside again?
In this painting the first thing you notice is the man upfront with his shirt off, plowing a garden. Then off to the left, you see a woman, maybe his wife or daughter, hanging out sheets to dry. Now as you begin to take in the remainder of the picture, you see a whole community outside, enjoying the beauty of the day working to get things done.
A main part in the painting is three or four houses all based around a church in the middle towards the back. The houses aren’t huge but they don’t appear to be poverty stricken homes either. Each one is about the same size with a basic farmhouse structure, square shape with a sloping addition possibly a shed or storage room. The view of each house is from the side and each one possesses at least two windows and a door. Each house has a chimney and a tin roof.
The people are all outside. The closest house that seems to be the center of attention is where the man is plowing the garden and the woman hanging sheets. Then you can see what looks like a child mowing grass and then a child standing by a tree. At the next house to the right, someone is outside and it appears that he is cutting wood. He has his arm raised above his head with his back turned towards the viewer. Off in the distance at another house, someone is climbing onto a roof and there is a woman standing in the doorway.
The scenery is mostly green, showing the life of spring. The trees are in full bloom and in the man’s garden, he already has plants growing. The child is cutting grass indicating that there has been rain and the grass has come back to life after winter and began to grow.
Just like Wood’s other paintings, this is about hard work. At each individual house, at least one member of the family is outside working. I think, however, rather than groaning and complaining about the chores, these people are happy because it is spring snd winter is finally over. They get to go outside and enjoy the weather while they work to help out their families.
I like how the church is in the center of the painting. To me, this symbolizes that the community is centered around their church. Also I like how the family in the front center of the painting is all working together to get the chores down faster. Then they can spend time with each other doing the things they really enjoy.
Consider the timeframe this picture was painted; early 1940’s during the Great Depression and WWII. When you realize that, this painting takes on a whole different meaning. Each person is working hard to help out their family but at the same time they don’t seem to be too affected with poverty. I think that each person of the families really enjoys their time together because they realize that there is a war going on and people lose their families everyday. This time period was so hard on everyone but the people in this picture seem to be doing okay because they are working together.
I did like this artwork because of all the detail. I enjoy art that shows human life and the hard times along with the good. I’m not really into paint splattered across canvas, or pictures of fruit; I like for the paining to tell a story. I think that the Wood is telling a message through his characters and their actions about being grateful for what you have and enjoying the wonderful spring time after long winters. At the time of the painting, I think this work of art had a great impact on our society. I could see it helping to bring communities together and people trying to help others out. The 1930’s and 40’s were a hard time but Wood’s art of the normal farmer, housewife, or middle/low class family helped everyone to see that they weren’t the only ones in that situation.
In the beginning I was analyzing this picture more for the seasonal change from winter to spring. I do think that the people pictured in Spring in Town are excited to be able to work outside again. However, I think that when you look deeper into it, you begin to see a more profound meaning of the act of helping each other out.

Art Project 2

This is my homemade play dough sculpture. It is an exact replica of me, well close enough. I hope you all enjoy it.