Midterm Creative Essay Question

I thought I would do a blog on one of the questions from the midterm study guide that was not included on the midterm exam.  I wanted to write about this question because I thought it would be a good way to reflect on the class so far.  The question was, having studied 7 weeks of Asian Theatres, how do you imagine yourself participating in any of the genres or forms we have explored?

If I could participate in any aspects of performance that we have learned about in class so far, I would have to say that I would love to make masks for performers.  I would also really like to be one of the make-up artists for Chinese Opera style performances.  While I do like to learn new styles of dance in class I cannot really see myself performing them for crowds.  However, I could see myself being a mask-maker/ make-up artist.  When watching clips and seeing pictures of masks in class, I find myself very interested in this art form.  It was very exciting to see actual masks when Dr. Palmer brought them in.  My ideal involvement would be either carving the masks, painting the masks, or even better would be being able to do both. 

I also think being a make-up artist for Chinese Opera performances would be my ideal way to participate in Asian Theatres.  The make-up these performers use is so dramatic and colorful.  The designs are very intricate for all of the types of characters they represent.  If I had to pick one of these character types that I would do make-up for I would want it to be the Jing character.  After watching the movie, Farewell My Concubine, in class and seeing the make-up done for the Jing, I know it would be really cool to be able to do that for someone.  The Jing wears so much make-up, using it for a mask, that it would be interesting to learn how to apply all of it to get the desired look.     

Midterm performances

I was pleased with everyones performance today!  I can tell that everyone put in a lot of hard work into their piece and got got really creative.  Personally, I had fun working on our performance- especially making the masks!  Rachel and Jordan did an excellent job with their cat fight scene, the music went really well with the different moods portrayed in their performance.  It was really well put together! Matt, Abhay, and Liz Tait had a really exciting and engaging performance, their foot movements and sounds were funny and entertaining - the storyline was amazing. Fatima & Daisy's narrative was quite interesting and had an excellent plot.  They did a great job coming up with their own storyline for the performance.  I was impressed by Jeffrey Liaw's solo piece because he took the time to memorize a choreography step by step! Props to him!  Yue, Bruno, and Cynthia did a great job with their dancing! They were really in sync as they did their dances - I was really into their story.   I can tell that Stephanie and Lizzie worked hard on incorporating the different themes involving the storyline of Sita and Rama.  Making the "earth" cave in on Sita was a nice touch to their piece.  Spence and Abigail's version of the Wizard of Oz was entertaining - Spence played a great monkey!  It was really noticeable that Daniela and Tyler put in a lot of work into their choreography for "How To Love", the story was easy to follow.  Alyssa and Sarah's choreography to the disney songs were also really well put together! Great Job Everyone! :)

Midterm Performance Sharing

            After watching all of the performances today, I can say that I am very impressed with what everyone in the class came up with.  Everyone brought their own individual elements to their performances and it was very evident that everyone put a lot of thought into their routines.  I wanted to share some of my comments about all of the different groups with the banjar.

            Rachel and Jordan’s performance was one of my favorites.  I really enjoyed the storyline they created and humor of their performance.  They did a nice job executing the idea they wanted to share.  Matt, Abhay, and Liz Tait’s group created a strong portrayal of the scene from the Ramayana.  The fight scene between Matt and Abhay was well done.  And even though Liz was not always the focus of the scene, she always was very precise in her movements.  Fatima and Daisy shared a fun story that they had written.  I especially liked how Fatima told the story while she and Daisy performed the actions.  Rachel, Tatiana, and Jasmine’s performance was another one of my favorites.  Their homemade masks were a nice touch and the storyline of their performance was really cute.  Jeffrey’s performance was really interesting to watch.  His movements were very exact and it was obvious that he put a lot of effort into preparing for his performance.  Yue, Bruno, and Cynthia also did a nice job presenting a scene we have learned about.  Yue and Cynthia looked very graceful performing as the nymphs.  Stephanie and Lizzie are another group that I would have to say gave one of my favorite performances.  I liked Lizzie’s strong movements contrasted with the softer movements shown by Stephanie.  Spence and Abigail took a modern storyline and made it look Balinese.  Spence did an amazing job portraying the monkey and really committed to the part.  He had great facial expressions and movements.  Abigail looked very graceful and her movements were well done.  And last but certainly not least, Daniela and Tyler were another group that made a modern idea look straight out of Bali.  Their routine flowed very well.      

          It was really cool to see everyone incorporate all of the different aspects we have learned into the performances.  I enjoyed watching every group go today and just wanted to share a little of what I liked about each one to give some feedback.

    

 

The Banjar

Rehearsing and practicing for the midterm performance was completely new for me.  Aside from never having done theatre in my life, the fact that the theatre I was attempting to portray I had only known for 8 weeks was very intimidating.  So I was very surprised with myself when I was not nervous.  I think that not only exposes a very unique quality of our class but of the community here at William & Mary as a whole. 

When I came to class and we performed for the first time back in January, I was surprised that I was not embarrassed or scared then too.  I have never really been the type of person to dance (in general), sing or act in front of even some of my closest friends, let alone strangers.  Being able to create an environment that encourages trial without fear of error is something extremely rare that I have only experienced a few times in my life.  The banjar and class itself upholds this delicate environment though.  I know I would normally laugh at myself because I am uncomfortable performing, but I have never laughed in class due to feeling foolish.  Students and professors at this College of William & Mary and specifically those who sign up for classes American culture does little to justly expose, are key components of such and open learning space.  I believe the reason such a learning space is hard to achieve is the fact that if even a single person in the room comes off as judgmental, it makes others insecure.  This results in individuals not giving their full attention, mind and heart the art.  Such behavior is contagious and soon the environment disintegrates into an unconstructive, embarrassed place where true learning will not be experienced. 

After watching the performances today though, it definitely confirmed in my mind that our environment does encourage trial and learning without fear of judgment and error.  Meaning, everyone in our class bring an attitude of support and openness along with a desire to learn every day- a truly amazing feat to me.  I guess the best rasa to encompass this would be comfortableness.  I am so grateful to be a part of a group of people who encourage such behavior and learning and support me as I took what I thought would be a nerve-racking dive into theatre.

Death, and our perceptions of death

All throughout my life, my parents have shielded me from death: when our neighbor collapsed from heart failure, I was taken to the basement where I wouldn't be able to see the paramedics arrive. The same happened for the elderly woman living above us - when she passed from cancer, I was taken to my aunt's house while my parents dealt with the 'situation.' I was always never allowed to attend the funeral - my parents always felt that it was inappropriate for children to attend. However, when it came time when my uncle, a once lively man, passed away from cancer at 35, I was again shielded from death. Even though I was 16 then, I was not allowed to attend the funeral: my parents insisted I stay in school while they took time off from their jobs to travel to Canada where he lived. As a result, I always viewed death and loss as foreign to me - I waited for my mother to come home, not knowing how she would respond to the death of her brother. I expected to see her depressed, or grieving, but there was no sign of it. Both my parents came home, and resumed their daily lives like nothing happened.

Confused, I spend the next few years sporadically asking, and inquiring about the relationship between my mother and uncle. Why the apathetic repsonse? Were they simply not close? What I found was that she, and presumably the rest of my family, viewed death as a very different event than simply the end-all: where a life is lost forever. She believed that my uncle was still with her, and watching over her. This summer, I even found out that she was keeping a Jasmine plant, grown from cuttings taken from my uncle's home. She told me that it keeps her in touch with my uncle. When I asked whether she meant she can see or hear her, she responded "of course!" To her, my uncle never really left. She explained that, when she was growing up in Burma, death (as Professor Aguas explained) was not kept a secret, or away from the community: when a neighbor died, their home was open to the entire community - she said that neighborhood kids would attend the funerals, weaving in and out of the crowds. Of course, it was stressful when a loved one died, but everyone accepted it as a part of life. My mother also mentioned her own death, and how she was making arrangements in preparation for it.

I will admit that I still do not understand my mom's views of death, or the grieving process (having never been as deeply exposed to it) however, I would tend to agree that loss is viewed very differently in Asian culture. Yes she admitted that she missed her brother, but seemed to accept the loss without a pronounced grieving process. Maybe that is the difference, as it was said in class, between how the western world views death, and how the eastern one does - rather than it being a negative experience, it is rather celebrated as a person's life moving on.

Comparison of death rituals

    While death is a universal event, the way which people handle it is very diverse. Most people depend on their culture or religion to dictate how to cope with death, similar to how they do for given ethical standards and daily conduct. I chose to compare a particular Islamic ceremony with Indonesian traditions to highlight the various ways to deal with death.
    In a traditional Islamic ceremony, the aim is to promote how important a person’s death is to their voyage to find God. The event beginnings before the person actually passes, as their family gathers with them to pray and read passages from the Quran. During this time, they repent for their sins and, if they are physically able, will participate in purification rituals. When the congregation believes death is close, they all whisper Shahadah to the dying person. Upon death, the family recites the passage from the Quran that narrates God raising the death on the Day of Judgement. Typically the body is buried as soon as possible, preferably by sunset of that day. The body is placed in the grave in a white shroud, and a male family member positions the body on their right side facing Mecca. All who gather for the ceremony fill the grave and give a blessing. On top of the grave, the family uses simple headstones, which demonstrates equality among all the deceased.
    In Indonesia, along with many other Southeast Asian cultures, death is viewed as a very personal and intimate experience. Families often keep the body in their home until the deceased’s wake, in comparison to a hospital or funeral home. This allows the community and those close to the person to physically confirm and actively accept death, as opposed to a more distant or impersonal recognition. Frequently, the wake of the departed includes music, dancing, and food; therefore, it may not occur immediately after death because they family will need time to gather money and resources. These traditions include the entire community because every individual is important to the society, and upon death there is a void in the role that person served. Thus when a death occurs in these cultures, it affects and allows for total inclusion of the community.
    Both the Islamic and Indonesian traditions focus on death as a concept beyond the loss of the individual. While the event is certainly sad, they understand that death is merely a given part of life, and in a religious sense it is how one takes a step closer to God. Furthermore, actively celebrating the deceased's life instead of passively morning it, they will aid one to learn how to manage death and potentially inspire them to live a more passionate and fulfilled life.

Moral behind Gambling Scene

For me, the most interesting scene in the Mahabharata was the gambling scene because after watching it, you can walk away learning so much from it.  We have many people in the world who go through great lengths just achieve success in their lives and have very little respect for their family and friends because all that matters to them is success.  One lesson learned form this story is if we want to be successful we have to put our lives into God's hands and let him pave the way for us because if it was meant to be, He will guide us to the right path. Another, less religious lesson, is that gambling is a disastrous habit and one should never be tempted by gamblers.  Although it may seem addicting, it is important to not get too caught in the actions because depending on the game the chances of you walking away empty-handed is much greater than walking away with riches.