Looking back, I feel like the classes leading up to midterm performance sharing represented a turning point in 334 for our banjar. Prior to those weeks, our discussions had been centered around themes surrounding the course material. However, as a result of the in-class discussion about the grading system for our performances, I believe the banjar became truly united in the goal of choosing the scale that would most benefit the community.
Many of us had differing opinions about which would yield the greatest outcomes for our individual performances, either through the grade appointment by the "king" or through a collective scoring by the banjar. In the end, I think that both sides won out with the king having the right of deciding the grade and the banjar receiving participation credit for scoring classmates. Indeed, just like many of us had different opinions about the grading scale, in a similar way we all had different stories to project to the community.
For our performance sharing, Daniela and I chose a Balinese dance adaptation of "How to Love" by rapper Lil' Wayne. We came to that decision by thinking of the story that we wanted to tell the banjar. For me, many of the mudras we learned in the first month of classes seemed to relate to love and acceptance. As a result, when we were given the option to modernize our dances, "How to Love" instantly popped into my head. Daniela seemed to agree with my idea, and so we choreographed, practiced (and hopefully perfected) our dance.
Many other members of the banjar decided to present modernized adaptations of the Asian theaters we had learned, though some decided to stick with more classical versions of these Asian theaters. In the end, the entire banjar was blessed with an excellent arrangement of memorable performances, and in the process I think we really began to come together as a community.
No comments:
Post a Comment