Alex Turmey/Staff

UC Berkeley students and faculty gathered Monday to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day, a daylong event focused on the culture, dance and history of native people.

A collaboration between the UC Berkeley department of theater, dance and performance studies and the American Indian Graduate Student Association, the celebration of Indigenous People’s Day featured speakers and performers at the Bancroft Dance Studio, on the corner of Bancroft Avenue and Dana Street.

Performing-arts students made up the bulk of the audience members for many of the presentations, which included a talk by graduate student Peter Nelson on the study of archaeology and anthropology’s effect on native cultures. Edwardo Madril, a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and a professional dancer, performed the hoop dance and other traditional Native American dances.

“It’s not magical; it’s not mystical. It may be profound — I don’t know,” Madril said. “The image of an American Indian has been around for a couple hundred years, but we still seem to be a spectacle.”

Indigenous People’s Day is a movement to counter Columbus Day, the federal holiday falling on the second Monday of October each year that celebrates Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas in 1492. According to Timothy Molino, a UC Berkeley graduate student in the department of ethnic studies and a member of the American Indian Graduate Student Association, Columbus Day fails to acknowledge the flourishing Native American culture that exists today.

“Rather than Columbus Day, this is a movement to recognize indigenous people,” Molino said. “It’s about recognizing these cultures rather than the defeat of these cultures.”

Indigenous People’s Day celebrated its second year on campus. The event was prompted when a UC Berkeley production resulted in outcry from the Native American community in the spring of 2012. The play, “Ishi: The Last of the Yahi,” elicited negative reactions from the American Indian Graduate Student Association and other groups for what some claimed to be an inaccurate and harmful depiction of Native American culture.

Lisa Wymore, a UC Berkeley associate professor of dance whose students took part in the event, said the department decided to start Indigenous People’s Day as a way to address the tension left over from the production.

The program received funding from the Office of Vice Chancellor of Equity and Inclusion Gibor Basri, the American Indian Graduate Program and the department of ethnic studies, according to Olivia Chilcote, chair of the American Indian Graduate Student Association.

“This day is about sharing culture, but it’s also about remembering history,” Chilcote said. “It would be really great if UC Berkeley were to make this a campuswide event.”

Libby Rainey is the lead higher education reporter. Contact her at lrainey@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter @rainey_l.

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If you do not already know, “So You Think You Can Dance” is a summer program on Fox in which contestants from all around the United States — and, in some cases, from all around the world — audition and compete for the title of “America’s favorite dancer.” Once the auditions are over, about 160 contestants are sent to Las Vegas for the “callback” round, and after those eliminations are processed, the top 20 are sent to Los Angeles to perform on the main “So You Think You Can Dance” stage. We know for sure that many of you Cal students are avid TV watchers, especially during the summer, and for you dance fans and aficionados, SYTYCD has been your go-to summer show since the first season! If you haven’t caught on to some of the very valuable lessons you can learn from the show, we’ve got a couple of things we learned to help you out like:

When in doubt, be Cat Deeley. Cat Deeley is the host of “So You Think You Can Dance.” You could say she is the Beyonce of all television hosts. She’s pleasant, charming and always “dressed to impress.” She’s always the happiest person on the show (probably because she’s not in fear of having her dreams crushed during an elimination round and because she gets paid $60,000 per episode), but her confidence and seemingly eternal perkiness are admirable. So if you’re ever down in the dumps, remember — be Cat Deeley.

Actively avoid being “that dude.” In the most recent “Vegas Callbacks” episode of SYTYCD, in which approximately 160 dancers compete to be in the top 20 dancers, drama ensued when a female contestant called out her assigned dance partner, Jade Zuberi (who is now part of the top 20) for “holding her back a bit” and requested another partner, whom she tried working with instead of with Jade. After doing this, jazz and contemporary choreographer Sonya Tayeh proceeded to scold the young dancer for not listening to the choreographer’s initial instructions to “fall in love with your partner” and for essentially being “that guy” in front of the judges, the crew and all of the dancer’s fellow contestants. And if we’re being honest, after that little incident, it looked like the show was actively trying to portray the dancer as “that dude” who calls out her partner. Lesson learned? Don’t be THAT DUDE!

Good music makes everything seem cooler. If you’re ever looking for some good music and don’t know where to go besides the “Playlist of the Week” section of the Daily Clog or the “Tunesday” articles from the arts and entertainment section of the Daily Cal, SYTYCD is always a good place to go. A variety of music genres are included in the show’s dance playlist considering all the different types of dances performed. Songs range from artsy sounds like Bjork’s “Enjoy” all the way to dance remixes like “Let’s Have a Kiki (Guwremix)” by Fanny Pak & District 78. Various choreographers on the show, including Christopher Scott and Sonya Tayeh, like to use interesting music to their advantage by including certain songs from genres that usually would not go with their music styles — Christopher Scott is a hip-hop choreographer, and Tayeh is a jazz and contemporary choreographer — to give their performances a little twist. And it usually works. What have we learned from this? Anytime you’re bored or need to add a little twist to your life, put on some good music. We can guarantee you’ll feel at least 10 times cooler than you did before.

Image source:  Vivanista1 under Creative Commons

Contact Gabrielle Nguyen at gnguyen@dailycal.org.

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Gabrielle Nguyen/Staff

Sometimes, sober fun can be REAL fun. And we know for sure that most of you Cal students like to have REAL fun. But if you’re one of those people who think the idea that “sober fun can be fun” is the funniest joke you’ve ever heard, we understand your point of view. For some, this comes easier than for others. But if you’re lookin’ to get down with some friends who are under the influence — of any substance — WITHOUT having to be under that same influence yourself, especially for you cynical folk, we’ve got a few tips for you:

 1. Go in with the mindset that nothing will bother you. That means intoxicated people, high people and just plain stupid people. Going into a situation, especially a party, with the understanding and acceptance that people are going to be relatively wacko will allow you to enjoy yourself without worrying about being annoyed. Being the extremely cynical one at the party is usually an automatic fun-canceler, and that is something you want to avoid.

2. Be the DJ. At casual hangouts and even parties, you’ll find that there will be an auxiliary cord hooked up to some speakers just waiting for music to be plugged in. Offer your iPhone, Android or other Diddly-doo-da to play the pump-up music you enjoy. Once the party starts rolling, most party-goers will be down for any kind of fun music. This’ll pump up the pizzarty, and you’ll get to listen to all your favorite tunes!

3. Avoid being the babysitter. In order to do this, you might have to be a little more careful with choosing your parties. Getting #TURNTUP with friends whom you KNOW will be passed out, vomiting, crying or all three at the same time by the end of the night is not the best choice. Party with friends who, even though they are getting a little drizzy drE out there, know how to pace themselves and always have a good time. This way, you get to get real cray without having play “parent.”

4. Just do it. Dance like nobody’s watching. As stupid and hackneyed as that sentence is, just do it. Don’t let the haters stop you from werkin’ it. We are dead serious. When you’re out there on that dance floor, that concert arena or the living room of your best friend’s apartment, you are Beyonce. That is all.

Do you have any advice for the sober party-goer? Let us know in the comments!

Contact Gabrielle Nguyen at gnguyen@dailycal.org.

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Claire Liu/Staff

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is quintessential American dance, balancing new and traditional, embracing color, new movement, props and humor. Under new artistic director Robert Battle, the company has become particularly more contemporary, concentrating less on the Negro spirituals that defined its repertoire before him. However, this more contemporary edge is not a departure from the character of the company — the style is still trademark Ailey — but the program, which does not even introduce a spiritual until the final “Revelations,” expands its focus.

The show’s opening is exemplary of this: a single dancer on a stark stage, one light and silence. A sudden burst of Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night in Tunisia” jolts the stage into the frenzied “Another Night” (Kyle Abraham, 2012), ever uplifting as dancers in rich colors swing to the never-quite-resolving syncopation of the jazz. The execution of Abraham’s fresh and dynamic choreography reminds the audience at the very beginning that Alvin Ailey is not just another dance company.

There is an openness to Alvin Ailey dancing, an all-out expansion of the body which hearkens to the optimizing American world that initially gave birth to the company. Endlessly flexible joints fluidly switch, filling the box of space around each dancer. Truly, Ailey dancers work in three dimensions, including upwards. They fill the very top corners of that figurative box of space surrounding them with each leap and grasping extension, totally capitalizing upon their bodies and the full stage. At the same time, however, dancers still take the time to pause or move slowly and give weight to their motion. As “In/Side,” a piece from Battle himself, begins, the sole dancer lifts his leg magnificently slowly above his horizontal form, allowing a singular light to shine graciously upon it before it is swept around in more sharp and heated movements.

That dance, which followed the extremely emotional two-person “Strange Humors” (Battle, 1998), was a remarkable dance soliloquy that brought an exhilarating blast of postmodern gold to the stage. Dancer Samuel Lee Roberts’ performance was breathtaking and thrashing yet graceful. He lifted, leaped, rolled, threw himself to the ground and even stood with a remarkably personal conviction. Set to Nina Simone’s “Wild is the Wind,” the dance brought a narrative intensity that somehow gathered its power from the suavity of the soundtrack.

“In/Side” was also one of many pieces hugely impacted by the use of simple lighting. The unaffected colored light gave the empty stage depth, texture and atmosphere, while highlighting the striking geometry of the choreography. In “Petite Mort” in particular, the lighting added a whole new dimension to the performance: Colored lights shone in such a way that dancers’ shadows came alive in brilliant purple and seemed to dance on their own.

It is details like this that prove that Alvin Ailey’s difference from other dance performance can only be understood from seeing them perform in the theater. Unlike in traditional European ballet, the dancers’ flesh is exposed. The immense movement, the twisting and balance of some of the choreography makes the audience see the individual dancer and not just the execution. One notices their skin and their shape and can understand that what they are seeing is the flesh on a dancer’s bones. Moreover, there is a joy in the dance. Ailey performs pieces with a vibrancy that silently shouts the exuberance of moving the body, of filling the space around oneself by moving so fast that it is as if one is in two places at once.

And it is these things — the individualism, the optimization, the color, the character, the willingness to do something new — that make the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater truly the quintessence of American dance.

Contact AJ Kantor at akantor@dailycal.org.

The post Alvin Ailey reinvigorates modern dance appeared first on The Daily Californian.

Ryan Montgomery/Courtesy

This year marks the 100th birthday of America’s traveling troubadour, a man literally born from dust and shaped by the land — a man named Woody Guthrie. In timely fashion, UC Berkeley’s Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies premiered “Woody Guthrie’s American Song” this past Friday in what was an interactive production full of song, dance and Americana.

From the dust bowls of Oklahoma to the migrants who labored in the agriculture fields of California, Guthrie simply sang about what he knew. With a sticker that read “This Machine Kills Fascists” advertised across his guitar, Guthrie was a rebel who too often blurred the line between progressivism and communism for the comfort of many. Regardless of what political label gets stamped across Guthrie’s name, one thing that “Woody Guthrie’s American Song” makes clear is that he was about as American as they come.

In a time where income inequality and unemployment are the news of the day, the songs of Woody Guthrie seem to only have increased in relevance. As Peter Glazer, director of “Woody Guthrie’s American Song” was quoted in production notes, “Whenever I see this play, people tell me, ‘This is so timely’… I think the reason is that Woody sang about such powerful topics that haven’t gone away.” Forty-five years after Guthrie’s death, we find ourselves in many of the same situations he so eloquently simplified into acoustic melody. “Woody Guthrie’s American Song” gives us the chance to remember his work while reminding us that dissent is not only right — it’s American.

Through songs like “Do Re Mi” and “Ludlow Massacre,” “Woody Guthrie’s American Song” paints a vivid picture of the folk singer’s life and times, from Oklahoma to the flashy lights of New York City. The musical opens with a quartet occupying the corner of the stage playing soft music as the lights fade in, manifesting a man’s quiet origins in the Oklahoma flatlands. Actors rush the stage from all directions, each professing the identity of Woody Guthrie in a loud bewildering collage of sight and sound. As the voices desist, the contrast between echoing noise and subtle quietness indicates the musical’s true commencement. From there on out the strings stay plucked and the voices in tune throughout two hours of musical meditation on the American spirit.

An interesting aspect of the musical is the interchanging role of Guthrie played by four different members of the cast. As different plot points are reached, different actors take the helm to provide their take on the legendary folk singer. This variation gives room for captivating performances that provide each swap with a sense of freshness that keeps the audience’s interest at a steady high throughout the evening.

As the recurring notes of “This Land is Your Land” are quietly plucked in the background serving as the musicals sporadic theme, the cast constructs a narrative on Guthrie’s life that is as informative as it is downright entertaining. Not lacking in guitar solos, violin fiddling, harmonica improv, bass slapping and a capella renditions, the musical is sure to impress on all fronts. Projecting a confident and playful presence, the cast takes it upon themselves to produce an interactive ambiance where clapping hands and audience hoedowns are welcomed and often sought.

After seeing “Woody Guthrie’s American Song,” it becomes bewildering to realize that the folk icon is largely underrated and understudied. Influencing a generation of musicians spanning from Bob Dylan to Wilco, Guthrie serves as the foundation to American folk rock. The theater department’s homage to Guthrie is not only well timed but also well done — an innovative production that’s warranted by its historical and timeless subject.

EVENT DETAILS:

What: ‘Woody Guthrie’s American Song”

When: Nov. 15 – 18

Where: Durham Studio Hall 

Tickets: TDPS box office

Contact Carlos at cmonterrey@dailycal.org

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Derek Remsburg/Senior Staff

At 11:45 a.m. Friday, Upper Sproul was relatively empty, and organizers looked nervous as they fiddled with audio connections in a corner.

By 11:50 a.m., a few awkward stragglers had started wandering in, though a visiting middle school group easily outnumbered potential dancers.

But by noon, hundreds of students had formed a crescent surrounding the steps outside of Sproul Hall, and when Sather Tower rang its first midday bell, Mario, Luigi, Toad and a shoddily dressed Batman took center stage.

International K-pop sensation song Gangnam Style erupted over the Mario Savio steps, and when the chorus finally hit, more than 100 students rushed to the top step and started dancing. A Gangnam Style flash mob had invaded.

“It’s beautiful to watch random people trust in an event,” said campus sophomore Patrick Hong, who helped choreograph the event. “People can get so caught up in, ‘Oh, will it be fun? Will people show up?’ Instead, a community of random people came together and made something incredible happen.”

The idea for the flash mob came from a similar one orchestrated at Cornell University, according to Jenna Yi, a campus sophomore responsible for kick-starting the project. The project, Yi said, was designed to give students a break from the daily grind — an opportunity to come together as a community and have a good time.

“It was a nice break from reading, that’s for sure,” said sophomore Olivia Button. “It was a great event that really brought the campus together.”

When the song was over, the plaza had erupted in cheers.

“It’s just so nice to get the campus dancing,” said campus sophomore Mat Pang, who helped Yi and Hong organize the event. “It’s a pretty nice break from the midterm season.”

An observer standing separate from the mob seemed determined to resist the jubilation, but by the second chorus, she too had unfolded her arms and joined the melee.

“I feel like we achieved something beyond what we ever expected,” Hong said after the mob dispersed. “I hope people look back and realize how important it is to be involved in something like this is — things outside of yourself.”

The Gangnam Style video has garnered more than 440 million views on YouTube, and according to the Guinness World Records website, it is now the most-liked YouTube video ever, with more than 3.9 million likes.

While the flash mob does not have any serious undertones, its organizers say, relief from midterm stress is certainly a worthy goal.

“It really took on another set of energy,” Hong said. “I just can’t stop smiling. People in the crowd couldn’t stop smiling. Berkeley isn’t just about protesting and serious thought. We can have fun too.”

Here is the official video from the organizers of the flash mob:

Contact D.J. Sellarole at dsellarole@dailycal.org.

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Ministry of Sound/Courtesy

There’s something deeper to Avicii’s live sets. Between the pumping beats, the beautifully mixed electro bangers and the roar of the crowd, there is something there that makes you want to jump to your feet and dance.

Last Thursday, Avicii’s Le7els tour blew through San Francisco at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. The trickle of colorful concert-goers pouring into the floor turned into a torrent around 8 p.m., as the fans were eager to catch the opening act by the rising Swedish House stars Cazzette. The duo pulled their weight even in comparison with the main attraction Avicii, pumping the crowd full of energy with their sizzling bass and hair-raising chopped synths.

Following Cazzette, Swedish electro heavyweight Chuckie took the stage. Opening up with his popular, “Who is Ready to Jump” the crowd took the cue and started pounding the floor. Chuckie brought his own special flavor to the event, mixing in Dutch kicks and lines with Swedish synths. It was sad, however, to notice that he didn’t play the song that rocketed him to fame, “What Happens in Vegas”. By the time Chuckie began wrapping up, the auditorium was loaded with anticipation for Avicii. Even the seats behind the main floor began to undulate with the thousands of fans who took to the upper section for a better view of Avicii’s opening.

A little past 10, Chuckie’s set came to an end and the lights dimmed. Finally the curtains lifted and there he was.

Avicii, a.k.a. Tim Berg, never does things halfway. While it’s apparent in his tracks, which are all meticulously mastered at the expense of more frequent releases, it’s also obvious in the way he conducts his live sets as well. His DJ station was positioned at the top of a massive white head which a projector lit up, giving the impression that it was singing along to the tunes, melting, or even breaking apart and reforming in time with the music. Behind that was another solid wall of LED screens which added to the vibrancy of the auditorium. And of course, lasers. Lots of lasers.

The crowd was caught up in a wave of euphoria  as Avicii opened up with his well-known electro banger “Levels.” The worldwide hit immediately brought out all the tension of the intermission and turned the floor into a seething mass of sweaty bodies pounding the floor in unison to the kick drum. The feeling in the room was indeed electric, and as the giant head began “singing” the chorus of the song, so did the thousands of fans who had shown up to hear it. It was an incredible beginning to an incredible set.

Avicii played the part of DJ wonderfully, slipping his tunes in with other artists’ content. He teased the audience with the beginning of “Penguin (Fade into Darkness)” before switching it up to a completely different drop that held the audience captivated. If there had been an encore, it would probably have been the rest of “Penguin”, but sadly that never materialized. Avicii also mixed in the tunes of the recently broken up Swedish House Mafia — among them a bootlegged version of “Save the World” and “Greyhound.” Then, Avicii took it to the next level (pun intended).

In the build-up of an unreleased song, the top part of the head, which held Avicii and his DJ station, detached from the main part of the set-up. Held up by wires, the pod began to track over the crowd until it reached the middle of the auditorium. Underneath the pod, a set of dazzling strobes lit up the floor and stands. Finally, Avicii let the song drop and the crowd went insane. Beat after beat, the floor shook as the entire auditorium let the music take control.

About 30 minutes later, the head began retracting back to its starting position, as “Levels” once again began fading in to wrap up the amazing set. Avicii and his team pulled off the night flawlessly. T0gether, they lit up the summer of thousands of Bay Area residents with their European electro talent.

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On Saturday, April 21, at Zellerbach Playhouse, the Berkeley Dance Project performed their “Beneath the Flesh” performance. Here is a snippet of the first piece, “Finding the Moon in the Dark Night Sky.” This piece is in honor of girls and women everywhere.

Tianzong Jiang filmed this performance.

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