Wrapping Up

I guess it's time to say goodbye to our banjar.

We had our final performance last week at the middle school, and it seemed the kids enjoyed it! It was good, but I wished we could have done all of the makeup too (though, the fact that the men had their shirts off for a more authentic performance was great!). I was kind of disappointed for the half of the bajar who wasn't able to do Kimball; they all worked so hard on a dance that we weren't able to perform! I guess it worked out well in the end considering our time restraints we had that day, but I would have liked to see the whole thing performed. Ah, well.

On that note, I'm really glad I was able to do the Kimball performance. Dressing in our costumes, being in full makeup and performing in front of a paying audience with the stage completely to ourselves felt really cool.

I really enjoyed this class, especially having our banjar. I don't think I really appreciated it until nearly the 2nd half of the semester. However, once I did, I really enjoyed coming to class! Before that, it had seemed to me like a hassle sometimes, especially since it was the last class of the day. But once we had gotten together, talked to together, and performed a bit together, it felt easier to feel like a community with everyone.

The eventual community atmosphere was a big reason I enjoyed this class and the other was the way Guru Francis taught it. I liked how Guru taught us about Balinese culture and the history of Hinduism in that part of Indonesia. That coupled with reading the Ramayana enriched the dancing experience and provided an important perspective from which to learn and practice dancing.

Actually, reading the Ramayana was one of my favorite parts. What an absolutely wonderful story! The beginning I found especially inspiring. The language was beautiful, the characters were rich, and it had a wonderful, mystic, and even nostaglic quality about it that I was very attracted to. Once I got to the Battle of Lanka though... it dragged on forever. But after that, I really enjoyed it again!

I initially signed up for this class to complete a GER. I don't particularly like dancing (mostly because I'm a little awkward looking!), but I thought that while I was in this class I would contribute to the group as much as I could and learn as much as I could. Therefore, throughout the semester, I would speak up during discussions and volunteer to act/dance (very much out of my comfort zone!). I wasn't always very good, but I wanted to show my dedication and willingness to participate! I think the most uncomfortable thing I did was play one of the harem women! Oh, I was pretty bad, but after you embarrass yourself, it's easier to do it again later. ;P

Well, I want to thank everyone for a great semester! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

One Down; One to Go!

One perfomance down, and one more to go! Our performance at Kimball went really well! I was happy to see Guru Francis so excited; he gave us an awesome introduction and joined in not just with the voices but with the chaking! I think the audience enjoyed our performance too.

Well, less than a week until the last performance! I just wanna say that I've really enjoyed this class. More so than I then I at first realized. For some reason, I felt like I've learned more than I thought I would have learned, but when I think of what more it was, it doesn't seem THAT much more. For instance, when I initially signed up for the class, I thought I'd learn a new dance style, which I did, I'd thought I'd learn some history and culture about where the dancing came from, which I did, and I even thought I do a performance which I did (though, I thought it'd only be for the class, not the community!). However I think what I didn't expect was the great sense of community we would have as a banjar and how good a public performance would feel. I'm actually kind of glad that we have one more performance to do, this time with the rest of the banjhar (but somehow I think middle schoolers will be a more intimidating audience).

Good luck everyone!!

Performance!

Okay, so the performance at Kimball Theater is in exactly one week! I'm very nervous. I really hope we do alright, mostly, I hope that WE feel we did well afterwards.

So, this weekend I'm going to really practice on my old man routine, and figure out the exact hand movements I want to use for the conversation. Once I've figured out what I'll do, then I'll be able to make sure the mudras are precise and can then exaggerated (right now, my mudras are done pretty close to my body, and I don't think the audience will be able to differentiate between different ones. I'll just look like I'm rolling my hands around aimlessly!).

I think we've been doing really well, all of us, on our performances. I am especially grateful for Kalyani!! SHE IS AMAZING!! She has given us so much direction for our performance, from how it should be staged and offering us example mudras to use. I think we all appreciate her guidence.

Well, I just wanted to express how I will be working hard this weekend to hammer out my part! We've all been doing so well up to now, and now that we're going into our final week before our premier performance, it's important to stay focused and bring as much as we can to our banjar and to the Ramayana. Good luck, everyone!

Post-Election Recap

Yay! The election is over, and we are now officially into the "Lame Duck" period. I, myself, am excited to see what Obama and the new Democrat congress will do (even though I didn't vote for him). Whether something great happens, or our country takes a turn for the worse, these are interesting times we are heading into.

Personally, I am a bit disappointed in some people during the race. I feel that "race" was too much of an issue. Granted, it would be naive to expect that people not recognize the historic nature of electing the first African-American (I would use "non-white," except I think it's particularly poignant of his particular race given the history of African-Americans in this country), however I would have hoped that people would not have factored in race AT ALL in their decision. This, of course, is not to say that he is not qualified for the presidency, though I do believe that people lowered their reservations for such. It's as if people thought, "Hey, he's good (enough), and we really like that he's black."

For instance, about a year ago, when Obama was still campaigning, I had a conversation with my (African-American) co-worker. He was talking about how wonderful it would be for Obama to get the Democratic nomination so he could vote for him. He said that he, for the most part, agreed with his policies, but he was most excited to vote for an African-American, and hoped that America had moved past its racism and would vote the same way. I said that if we had truly moved past racism, wouldn't it be that race is no longer an issue? American doesn't prove "it's not racist" by voting for a non-white, but by not considering race as a factor in the decision process. He replied, that though it would be nice (for people not to consider race), America had not reached that point, and therefore, he should not follow the same course. He would, instead, factor race into his decision.

To that I say, "you must be the change you wish to see." If you want to see the country move that way, where race/gender/ethnic background does not influence a decision that should be based on merit, you, yourself, have to make those decisions, and leave prejudices or favoritism at the door. I think this country still looks at race as too large of an issue, whether it's stereotyping or affirmative action. Hopefully, this new term will help us to realize that. Whether Barack does well or not, I hope he will be known in history not as a good or bad BLACK president, but simply as a good or bad president; as a person capable of successes and failures just as the people that have gone before him.

Finally!

I'm finally done with my applications to Japan! I turned in my applications last Thursday and sent them off to Japan. I should know whether I've been accepted to each program by mid-December, and I can't wait to know!

I've been wanting to study abroad to Japan since freshman year, but I wanted to have the most language preparation possible, hence I've waited until Spring semester of my Junior year. However, from then until now, it's been a bit difficult. Initially, I had wanted to do the W&M exchange program to Keio University in Tokyo, but I missed the application deadline (which is a whole other story! My advice: talk to someone who's done the particular program you want for information. The Reves Center is not much help and will send you on a goose chase!). But, I think I've found two very great programs that are actually cheaper (awesome!).

I'm so excited to be going to a foreign country! On one hand, it'll be scary once I get there, to be speaking only in Japanese (or limited English), but I want so much to live among another culture. Which is why I'll be living with a host family! I hope they will have children, espeically a high school student (I find Japanese high school life so fascinating). I also want to travel around the country to see the typical sights and visit some friends. So hopefully they can help me with the not only the langauge but also getting around the country. Very exciting!

Okay, well I think I've rambled on long enough. Just wanted to let you all know!

Disney's "The Princess and the Frog"

Has anyone heard about Disney's new 2-D movie in the works? They announced over a year ago, but I recently just went out looking for any new info, concept art, trailers, etc. The movie is, "The Princess and the Frog" (formally, "The Frog Princess") which will feature Disney's first African-America "princess." On one hand, I don't think there should have been as much hoop-la about it as there was, but I AM excited. She will be a whole new, fun personality with a completely new look that I'm really excited about.

When the news was first announced, there was some buzz about how "late" it has been and that Disney should've done this a long time ago, but I don't agree. I mean, it wasn't until the 70s that America saw a huge growth in ethnic pride, and I think it's reasonable that Disney didn't start making movies featuring predominately non-whites until the 1990s (In the 1980s, Disney focused on live-action films, and children animations were not as popular. The only hit was "The Little Mermaid" done in 1989). From then on there was "Aladdin," "Mulan," "Pocahantas," "Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Lilo & Stitch," and even "Hercules" with Megara (the other half of Disney's animations featured animal characters). It wasn't because Disney was opposed to featuring non-white protagonists that they have not yet featured an African-American one, but rather Disney has usually reinvented familer stories (aside from "Lilo & Stitch"), and there are few widely known tales featuring black protagonists. As well, I'm sure Disney would have wanted to do their first "black" animation "right" and up to the caliber of beloved films such as "Cinderella," "Aladdin," or "The Little Mermaid."

So, this was Disney's original plan for the movie:

There once lived a girl in New Orleans during the 1920s named Maddy. She was a chambermaid and her and her mother worked for a rich plantation owner who lived in the French Quarter. Maddy was in service to a spoiled, white debutatte, and despite her position she had big dreams. One day she meets a frog who insists he is a prince if she would only grant him a kiss...

Some of the other characters included a voodoo preistess who acts as Maddy's godmother, a voodoo male doctor who becomes the villian, and the prince is white.

Upon the debute of this information, there was criticism saying that it was a bad image for African-American girls to be in such a low position. As well, it was overly sterotypical to have voodoo characters, the villian should not be black, it was sending the wrong message to have a white prince (that black men aren't good enough), and the name Maddy sounded like a slave name. After the backlash, Disney went back to the drawing board and revamped the story, making Maddy into Tiara, her chambermaid position into a rich heiress, and the white prince into another ethnicity. They said they would reconsider the voodoo roles but they were still going to incorporate it into someone character. Disney has also been criticsized for white-washing history including race relations. Here are some of my thoughts on the issue:

I don’t think the original initial plot was that racist. Many other Disney Princesses have begun from “humble” backgrounds, so the original plot of Maddy being a chambermaid wouldn’t have been racist but rather just the opposite, because it shows that Disney isn’t treating an African-American heroine differently from other heroines. I honestly think this was the original view that Disney had, and they simply underestimated the sensitivity that many people still have about race relations (even from an earlier time period). Once they realized the extent of the sensitivity, at least they made the right decision to revamp the story, and hopefully just as good. I just hope it won’t be a re-hash of earlier Princess movies, just because I would like Tiara to have her own unique story, different from other ones, yet still reminiscent of the “Disney Princess legacy.”

As far as Disney white-washing history, this has always been true. They frequently simplify and romanticize different time periods, locations, and cultures. It has frequently been that the hero/heroine and their immediate circle (of friends or family) are portrayed as being more enlightened than the “common” people around them. This usually creates the common conflict where the protagonist is seen as misunderstood or even ostracized by the rest of society before they are redeemed by the end of the movie (Beauty and the Beast; Hunchback of Notre Dame; Aladdin; The Little Mermaid; etc.). I think a voodoo character (whether as a villain or an aid to Tiara) would be really good, since it keeps with the fairytale theme. To me, they are a standard character to the particular time period and an aspect of the culture the story is being portrayed in, just like a “witch” or “fairy godmother” is a stock character in Medieval or European stories.

I think it’s only because of present perceived race relations that the race of every character and their relationship to the protagonist (in this case, the princess Tiara) is being called into question. I don’t think it should be about portraying any one race in a positive or negative light, but that the story is about different people in general. At the end of the movie, no doubt African-Americans will be portrayed in a positive way, if only because the heroine is African-American. If there is an African-American villain, this should not be seen as trying to confuse children into saying that African-Americans are bad, except that people are people and they can be good or bad, regardless of race. As far as the race of the prince, I don’t think it’s that important. I think Disney usually chooses the race based on the society in the movie. In the Hunchback of Notre Dame, they were able to put multiple races (Caucasian and darker gypsy) because that was a reasonable make-up of Paris in that time period (where it wouldn’t have been too outlandish for this two people to meet). New Orleans, in the 1920’s and how Disney is portraying/exaggerating it, it was relatively multi-cultural compared to say, Mulan’s China, which was more-or-less homogeneous.

To a degree, there WILL be stereotypes in the movie, but that’s because fairytales often have stock characters who are exaggerations of a personality or role in society. It’s not meant to say anything in particular about someone, but helps create the nostalgia of old tales and fables. Not all the characters are supposed to be “real” people but often represent one personality trait (and thus are very simple). Usually only the main characters are more complex and are meant to be identified with (and actually, in earlier times, even the protagonists were 2-dimensional, such as Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, who represented “purity” or “innocence” with little character development). I don’t think it should be thought of as narrow minded, but is usually what creates nostalgia. If that isn’t our tastes anymore, then Disney should respond to this preference by changing how they create their character. However, because the “Disney Princesses” have done so well, especially the older ones (Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, & Snow White compared to Mulan or Megara), Disney probably thinks the nostalgia formula will work well.

In any case, I’m really excited for the movie! I’m hoping that Disney will be FINALLY be making a QUALITY 2-D animated film after many years of cheap sequels and full-features that relied on over-exaggerated characters to carry the film (this is only for the 2-D department. Their 3-D movies have been wonderful). The concept art has been truly great (especially that of Tiara; I loved all the different ways they played with her hair design!). In the past 10 years, Disney’s animation 2-D techniques have gotten better, more fluid and more expressive (though sometimes TOO expressive… “Ariel’s Beginning” anyone?), and now if they have a great story line it will make for a wonderful film!

Awwwkward

Man! I'm really bad at acting, and I didn't realize just how bad until today! I did do something different today and volunteer for something more than just talking! It was a bit humiliating, but I'm trying to get over it. It's just difficult when you're so bad. :< I think I managed to get better by the end though. I had to play as a member of the harem, but I really didn't know how to act seductive. Baring breasts and doing the "spread eagle" doesn't seem particularly attractive to me. It's like a young girl who doesn't know how to properly seduce a man, so she just shows the goods, thinking that's the same thing. Then again, maybe I'm giving too much credit to the men, and they actually don't care. "Just show the goods!"

One thing that helps me with the acting thing is knowing that the rest of the circle aren't really paying attention to me (they're so focused on chanting!). Of course, eventually, there'll be an actual audience...

YouTubing'

So, I was hoping I could find the full version of "Sita Sings the Blues" that Drew mentioned on his blog, but all I was able to find was this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ2dXm2nxao

It's a scene in the Battle at Lanka focused on Sita singing an oldies song (40's, 50's?). I actually didn't like it. I didn't understand where the animator (or director might be more accurate) was coming from and how an American 50's song related to Sita's dispair. Aside from the obvious connection to the scene by the lyrics ("Who's that knocking at my door?...Is it someone that I know...If my sweetie's there outside..."). Though, I would still like to see the rest of "Sita Sings the Blues" and see if the whole thing is like that or if was just an isolated artistic thing.

Update:
Later, after posting this, I WAS able to find the rest of the animation! It is much shorter than I thought it would be, and has four episodes (each about 5 minutes long):

"Dandaka Dharma" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF6HDw6mZCM&feature=related
"Abduction of Sita" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3fa1KVU4vM&feature=related
"Hanuman Finds Sita" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGfru1qrfac
"Battle at Lanka" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWuokqv706M&feature=related

After I watched the whole thing through, I actually liked it! I liked the music choice more, especially since the 4 episodes were less of the whole story but just vignettes. Plus, the music almost seemed like a fusion of identities. Kinda cool!

Bali & Society

After reading the article about the Social System of Bali, I have some thoughts. One thing that makes more sense now is the relationship or perhaps rather the reverence Rama's people had for him and his father as royalty. It seemed a bit contrived for the kingdom's people to be so concerned for the king's and Rama's welfare. They were TOO devoted in my opinion to the point it seemed ridiculously unrealistic. However, it seems that tying oneself to a liege lord or prince is one of the three essential social bonds for the Balinese, and that they truly "love their lords." Perhaps it was a more factual representation of the feelings people had for their ruler that I had previously thought. Of course, this would be the case as long as the ruler fulfilled their responsibility to the people (and took care of them).

As well, I further realized how Western and Balinese societies are incredibly different. This is probably due to a fundamental difference in where our identity comes from. For the most part, Westerners believe that one's identity is relatively innate, that you are born with a personality, and interests, and that usually only incredible shocks or tragedies will fundamentally change you. However, in Bali, your identity is given to you by your society, where what your environment requires of you is what you will ultimately embrace and determines who you are. This is evident by your caste, which cannot be changed (for the most part) and the expectation that an individual embraces their caste's role. Because of this difference in ideology I (predictably) find the caste system to be oppressive. I feel that the humans must be free to realize who they are, or even just change who they are and should be able to pursue interests, relationships, and careers freely, regardless of caste or even gender. Just the opportunity, which would not necessitate a complete paradigm shift, would be enough to satisfy my expectation of freedom.

Of course, if this sort of social system was fully embrace by the people, and that anomalies did not arise (such as, a person who aspired for a function not appropriated to their caste), then this would work just as well or better than any other social system. If the people embraced their responsibilities, understood the necessity and appreciated the work done by the other castes, and women understood and enjoyed their role and men theirs and they both appreciated the work done by the other, then this system would work very well. However, I don't know that this happens. Your identity is not dependent on you or your actions, where, typically, in Western societies, your identity, and especially your worth, is determined by your actions and merit.

However, I do like the closeness of the community. I do believe in community accountability, however as societies value individualism more and more, the community becomes less and less important. Bali communities seem to have a healthy system of education, responsibility, and looks after the enrichment of the people, by providing services for children, for their neighbors, and for those in need. In this respect, it's very wonderful! However, it is very adverse to change. Some may argue that there is no need for change, and some respects this may be true, but it is in my opinion that different times calls for a different way of doing things. Especially in respect to advances in technology and realizing (valid) social equality.

Okay, well, I think that is all for now. This is a personal opinion based on my own preferences for a society.

Practice

This past weekend I tried practicing our dance movements (the ones that we do in the beginning of class), and it was difficult. I'm not a very coordinated person, so I kept struggling to move fluidly from one movement to the next. I started by breaking down the movements, and then adding hands. Then I would try to speed it up and keep my movements going for many repetitions. Eventually, I was able to keep dancing without messing up for about 8 reps of the entire dance, which was really good! My major problem now is trying to smile and dance with intention the entire time. I am always thinking a lot about it so I think I come off looking a bit stiff. I guess I will have to keep practicing.

I also tried moving like Rama and Lakshmana, however, I didn't have a cup so I put a book on my head. In many ways, I thought balancing with a book was easier (it stayed on longer than the cup did!), mostly because it was not as light as a plastic cup. That is a really fun exercise! It requires concentration, it allows for a little competition (can I get the book to stay on longer? How far and fast can I move without letting it fall?), and before you know it, you're getting better! I hope my improvement shows in our classes this week.

When I look at our gurus dance, I am impressed at how beautiful the movements are. They are both graceful and strong at the same time, a combination I'm not accustomed to seeing. I hope that I can dance with a similar beauty by the end of the semester.

Rough!

Well, I haven't been to class much; this semester I had an explosion of work I wasn't prepared for and on top of that I was sick for over a week. I am so ashamed for my absence. Even if I'm overwhelmed with work, it's counter productive to not go to class. In any case, I will regularly be going to all of my classes, especially Asian Performance. I'm am genuinely very excited to learn dancing!

One thing I HAVE been keeping up with is reading the Ramayana. What a wonderful story! From the beginning I have loved the stories. When I read it, it feels as if I'm reading the history of an age before our time, one that fully existed before the magic and spirits suddenly disappeared from this world. It's the type of feeling I get when reading Greek stories, especially the story of Homer, or other tales about gods and goddesses. It's like a time gone by.

I think one of the most interesting things is how much the men cry in the Ramayana. A friend of mine, studied abroad in India, and she said that the men are much more apt to of more comfortable to cry than the average Western man. I watched an Indian movie (I believe it was called, "Lage Raho Munna Bhai") and the men cried a few times, and these were guys were portrayed as supposed to being strong, manly men.

What is most beautiful about the Ramayana is the love between the characters, and the understanding of this love, especially from Rama, despite the effects of fate. For instance when Kaikeyi was poisoned by Manthara, Rama knew how much his "mother" actually loved him, and her actions were not her own. And he tries to help the rest of his family understand what has truely happened, and help the others understand his dharma. There seems to be no evil from the characters and are only from demons and such! I kind of diminishes the amount of tension, but it's also kind of beautiful. On a random note, I wonder where the idea that blue skin signifies divinity comes from.

Welcome to My Blog

On the first day of my "Asian Performance" class, our class was instructed to write what our expectations of the class were, why we took it, and anything else that was on our mind. That, apparently, was the first post of a blog we would have to create for our class.

This blog is for that class and will serve as my "thought dump" where I will put whatever I want that I don't mind sharing with other people.

The following is what I wrote on my first day:

"I'm excited to start this class I came in because I need to fulfill GER 6, but the passion and commitment to the style of dance and storytelling that the professor has makes me want to learn right away! I want to be a very good student and do well; I only hope that my nervousness and self-consciousness does not hinder my willingness to throw myself into the Indian/Indonesian dance. I hope I will be graceful. I hope, also, that the other students try hard, not go through the motions or treat this class as a joke.

"I will stay in this class because I want to learn something beautiful about another culture; an old, ancient and rich culture. If I must spend time on GER 6, then I want to get the most that I can out of it. I know I will do that here more than being in '2-D Fundamentals' or 'Theater 101' or 'Creative Writing.'"