Author: jal060

By Michelle Joline

Senior Writer

We are all anticipating pastels and high-wasted shorts to be trending this spring, but that didn’t stop New York City from hosting the Fall/Winter 2012 Fashion Week Feb. 9-16. It’s hard to imagine ever being excited to wear a wool coat or knee highs again when all we can think about is the freedom of tank tops and sandals, but one thing is for certain: there is a ton to choose from in terms of trends for fall 2012.

One trend that was popular all over the runways was military. Marc by Marc Jacobs featured designs that reinvented the classic power suit to be structured like a military uniform. Marc by Marc Jacobs is also showing a darker palate with pops of Egyptian blue and red. The standard Marc Jacobs line showed a large interest in textures. It layered textures from skirts and jackets to hats, making the outfits visually fun. Sadly, we all aren’t lucky enough to be able to fund a wardrobe with a Marc by Marc Jacobs or Marc Jacobs label, but these looks can also be invented by mixing and matching styles from past seasons.

The militant theme was only common in color, too. Topshop Unique models sported military greens, greys, plums and blacks. Zac Posen was also a fan of the palate and style, showing structured dresses with extreme cinching at the waist, emphasizing the popular peplum. Posen also featured textured fabrics, mostly utilizing Asian-inspired textiles.

Layering translucent fabrics was also popular on the Spring 2012 runways, with designers like Valentino causing a lot of hype over the trend. This look is not only reserved for Spring/Summer 2012; darker translucent and sheer fabrics were spotted on The Row models. The sheer fabric often worn as sleeves or high necklines is an exceptional way to make your look a little more mature and conservative while still having a flirty flare. There were also some creamy white accents on The Row runway; maybe we can finally start wearing white after Labor Day.

We all should be rejoicing because the Fall/Winter looks for 2012 invite the inner fashionista in all of us to be inventive. There is an opportunity to have fun with our looks, allowing us to take the vain nature of style a little less seriously. Now we just have to wait and see what these runway looks have inspired from fellow fashion appreciators in the fall.

By Heather Hennigan and Michelle Reed

Contributing Writers

Thanks to the Stadler Center for Poetry and Jamaal May, the 2011-2012 Stadler Center Fellow and three-time Rustbelt Poetry Slam Champion, students have the opportunity to take part in an interactive and performative literary experience: slam poetry. With May leading the way, the Stadler Center has instituted Stadler Center Slams, the next of which occurs on Friday, Feb. 24 at Uptown and is open to all. Sign-ups begin at 6:30 p.m. and the slam begins at 7 p.m.

But what is slam, exactly?

“A slam competition involves poets who perform their work and are scored by members of an audience, with a winner being declared at the end,” Stadler Center director Shara McCallum said. “Our series features a [non-competitive] open mic to begin the evening, a featured poet reading his or her work and then a slam to conclude. We also serve free pizza to make the event more of a social gathering.”

McCallum and May began this series last fall upon May’s arrival at the University.

“With Jamaal’s background and experience on the slam circuit and his incredible presence–he is the phenomenal host of the series–I saw the perfect opportunity for us to get this series started,” McCallum said.

The Center’s two previous slams were extremely well-attended and well-received by University students, as well as those from Susquehanna University.

“What’s terrific about slams is that they involve audience participation and allow budding poets a chance to test out their work and hone their voices. The culture of slam is youth-driven and slam, a phenomenon that has shaped poetry over the past two decade, derives much of its energy from that fact,” McCallum said.

“I think poetry slam is something everyone should check out at some point, especially if they’ve never been able to get into poetry,” May said. “I had to be dragged to my first poetry slam because I had misconceptions about poetry based on limited experience with the art form and thought it wasn’t for me. Now that I travel the country, performing at various slam venues, I constantly hear people express the same sentiment I had at my first slam: ‘I didn’t know poetry could be like this. Where have I been?’”

While the lively, interactive environment is a big part of the appeal of poetry slams, May also emphasizes the unique way that slams bring people together.

“From my experience, poetry slams make for fertile soil when it comes to planting the seeds of community. Because anyone can show up and listen, be heard or volunteer to judge, slam has an implicit openness to the format,” May said.

To those writers who are hesitant to share their work on stage, May offers his advice.

“I always say being nervous means you care. I’m always nervous before sharing my poetry, but it can be helpful to shift your focus to the poem itself. Remind yourself why the poem is worth sharing. You have something to say that no one else can say quite the way you can. The rush you feel when you step off stage that first time will make all of the shaky nerves worth it,” May said.

By Katie Smith

Contributing Writer

This January, the University’s Hurricane Katrina Recovery Team traveled to New Orleans to help the people of the great “Big Easy” rebuild after the devastation caused to the community after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

As a student co-leader for the trip, along with Cara Poli ’12, it was an honor to lead and work together with a fantastic group of 27 fellow students and faculty. This year, our group worked with recent graduate Andrew Yaspan ’11, who is currently working as part of AmeriCorps in partnership with the St. Bernard Project. Together, with the St. Bernard Project, we worked on installing the insulation and dry wall for the Williams family in New Orleans East.

We were thrilled to meet the homeowner himself, Keith Williams, on our first day of working. Keith bravely shared his family’s story about how they have attempted to rebuild their house and lives for six years after the storm. Now, Keith, his wife and their teenage son are seeing their dreams rise from the ground. Our group was lucky to spend some intimate time talking with Keith and on our last day on the work site, the family cooked our entire group a New Orleans traditional lunch of catfish, jambalaya and an assortment of other “fixin’s.”

As a returning student leader, one of the most amazing and rewarding parts of the trip was getting to know Keith and truly seeing the difference we made for him and his family. Our job, though tiring at times, was a wonderful contribution to the Williams’ home. As the walls began to rise, Keith was already planning out where he would place his furniture and where he would relax by the fireplace. He even showed our group where he would put our group picture on the wall as a reminder of our dedication to the Williams family and the community of New Orleans.

Returning back on campus, our team is still committed to serving the people of New Orleans. Working with Andrew is a reminder to us all of how we can continue our work, whether down in New Orleans or raising money on campus. We hope that the entire campus community will join in our upcoming fundraising opportunities so that we can support the St. Bernard Project and the University’s service learning trip each semester.

In addition to building, our group had fun exploring New Orleans, meeting new people, eating traditional foods and enjoying some local jazz music. Traveling to New Orleans and serving the city’s people has been one of the most incredible and life changing experiences. Despite Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans remains one of the most distinguished cities in the United States. Rich in culture and spirit, New Orleans is determined to rebuild. Six years later, the city of remains in desperate need of volunteers to help rebuild. Our team encourages all students and faculty interested in serving the community of New Orleans to apply for future trips.

By Carolyn Williams

Staff Writer

“My Week with Marilyn” is director Simon Curtis’s attempt, the latest in a line of many, to resurrect one of America’s most loved film actresses: Marilyn Monroe.

The film begins with Colin Clark’s (Eddie Redmayne) decision to “run away to the circus” by joining the British film industry. Fortunately for the young, handsome and affable Clark, his well-connected parents are friends of that cinematic power couple, Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) and Vivian Leigh (Julia Ormond). Clark almost immediately finds himself on the set of Olivier’s latest film, which would eventually come to be called “The Prince and the Showgirl.” His costar is none other than young American sexpot Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams).

Clark quickly endears himself to Monroe, and the two enjoy a sort of naïve romance, despite Marilyn’s newly-minted marriage to playwright Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott). Monroe leans heavily on this new friendship with Clark, especially as things go from bad to worse on set. Monroe’s acting method clashes terribly with the British actors’ indefatigable work ethic, and she quickly earns her costar’s ire. Surrounded by her handlers and disappointed colleagues, Monroe becomes more and more upset, as do the others on set. But, when she gets a scene right, the result is magic.

“My Week with Marilyn” is based on Clark’s autobiography of his time with Monroe, and even if the translated Monroe we see on screen is dominated by our stereotypes of her, she is still something quite remarkable. Williams, who has already won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Motion Picture for this film, is also nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars on Feb. 26 and with good reason. Though physically not identical to Monroe, Williams portrays her as a work of art: endearing and at times infuriating, but always Marilyn.

“Michelle Williams flawlessly captures the innocence and charm of America’s most beloved sex symbol,” Liz Walker ’14 said.

Branagh is also up for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars for his performance as Olivier, the acting powerhouse who spends much of this film caught between lust for and irritation with Marilyn. The film itself is enjoyable, although it does dabble in Marilyn’s unhappiness and alludes to her inevitable end.

“‘My Week with Marilyn’ is a fun, but at the same time heartbreaking film. Williams and Branagh really stand out throughout the movie, but the rest of the cast provides a strong backdrop. I would definitely see it again,” Kate Wilsterman ’14 said.

By Rob O’Donnell

Staff Writer

The Fitzwilliam String Quartet played a remarkable performance at the Sigfried Weis Music Building on Feb. 7. For all of you who did not attend, you really missed out on some beautiful classical music. In all honesty, I don’t know too much about classical music, which makes it all the more impressive that I really enjoyed myself.

The music was complex but emotional, with soft mellow tunes, bright and lively melodies and at times, furious and frantic playing. The intensity of the performers was what really surprised me. One of the violinists, Lucy Russell, kept rocking her chair back as she got into some of the more intense solos. She alternated between absolutely attacking her violin and coaxing warm, mellow melodies out of it.

“Ghosts,” composed my Jackson Hill, was definitely my favorite song of the night. Haunting and dark, the name was very appropriate. It conjured up images of graveyards and, big surprise, ghosts. It was intense, yet absolutely beautiful. And of course, the playing was executed perfectly. I wish that all the songs had descriptive names like that, instead of “Quartet in C Major, Op. 33 No. 3.” That song was also gorgeous, but I really did prefer the more modern idea of putting a name on the imagery evoked by the songs.

Alan George, the viola player, broke the silence during a brief interlude to address the audience. He was soft-spoken but hilarious. He lightened the mood after the darker “Ghosts,” and also explained the absence of one of their usual musicians. University Orchestra Director Christopher Para injured his hand, so they were not able to play their favorite piece by Tchaikovsky. They had to change the song basically last minute to another one. I found this particularly interesting because despite the change, the performance was still enchanting.

The performance was also very intimate, yet the sound was still rich and almost booming. During the intermission, the musicians even came out into the audience and chatted. It seemed as though they had quite a few old friends there already. Before the performance, the group had even invited anyone who wanted to join them at the Lewisburg Hotel afterwards to do. Seeing such talented musicians give a brilliant performance, while behaving in such a low-key and gracious manner made the concert even more special.

Even though I have never really listened to classical music before, I had a memorable time at the performance, and definitely plan on attending some others. I highly encourage everyone to do so as well, you won’t be disappointed.

By Courtney Bottazzi

Staff Writer

On Feb. 11, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company performed “Body Against Body” as part of the Weis Center Performance Series. The performance challenged the audience to reconsider preconceived notions of what to expect from a visual performance. 

The pieces were all co-choreographed by Bill T. Jones and his late partner Arnie Zane. The first piece, “Duet x 2,” did not allow the audience the comfort of an audio track. Instead, the audience heard staccato sound bits from the dancers landing or the languid sweep of their feet across the floor. The dancers’ breathing was the most prominent sound throughout the piece. Without a beat to rely on, the audience was susceptible to the incredible task these dancers had of keeping up with one another.

“They [Jones and Zane] made works that were collaborative, matter-of-fact, inclusive, often disjointed, sometimes boring and sometimes fun,” said Marcia B. Siegel, a dance critic and lecturer. 

A union between two dancers’ bodies became evident. There were struggles, synchronization and at times moments of complete stillness where the dancers rested on each other in a hug.

The goal of the performance was clear: the audience was to participate by witnessing the experimentation of this dance rather than to sit back and be entertained. The unexpected aspects, such as surprising moments of humor and conversational speech, may have been for the audience’s benefit, but it was recreating the tension between two bodies that was the true intention of the performance.

The simple set design allowed for an intimate performance where the audience could pay more attention to different factors, such as focusing on one dancer or another, or noting which moves were being replicated.

“My overall impression of the performance was that it demonstrated the sheer athleticism of dance. Aesthetically, it wasn’t my favorite type of dance. I am typically intrigued by group dances that have some tangible element or storyline. So this type of dance was a departure from what I usually seek out. I was completely impressed by the creative process that went into building these pieces. The duets required a collaborative spirit, and I was amazed at their ability to stay on pace with each other without musical accompaniment,” Bucknell Dance Company member Adrienne Vischio ’12 said.

Kourtney Ginn ’12, also a senior member of the Bucknell Dance Company, was able to view the performance contextually with knowledge of Jones’ more recent pieces.

“I tried to look at the performance through a historical lens. I have seen Bill T. Jones’ more current work, but it was much different to see some of his original works this time. You can absolutely see his growth as a choreographer and how today he has been able to bridge the gap between post-modern dance (like what was presented) and the entertainment factor that many audiences desire now. As a choreographer myself, I could clearly see how he was exploring the fundamental elements dance composition through his use of repetition, space and others. Overall, the physicality and athleticism of this company never ceases to amaze me,” she said. 

It is clear that this dance company continuously strives to make an impact on its audience.

By Heather Hennigan

Contributing Writer

The Wingmen, a student band on campus, was featured last Friday night in Seventh Street Café’s Late Night series. The band members include Drew Picketts ’14 (lead vocals, rhythm guitarist, harmonica and kazoo), Alex Ororbia ’13 (lead guitarist, rhythm/funk guitarist, back-up vocals and band manager), Michael Mattei ’13 (bass, back-up vocals, rhythm guitarist, flute and manager), Andy Hritz ’14 (keyboard, saxophone, kazoo and percussion) and Tony Veloz ’14 (violin). 

Q: What type of music do you play/write? What are some of your influences?

A: Drew: “We play reggae, ’90s rock, blues and some originals. Everyone in the band comes from different musical backgrounds and listens to their own distinct genres.”
A: Michael: “In terms of the music we play, I don’t really like to classify us. Each member of the band likes to listen to and play completely different genres, and we just do our best to work with each other and add our own flavor. I’d say the biggest influence in our sound, though, is Drew’s love of reggae and ska, and also some punk influence. That’s definitely the bare bones of what we do.”

A: Alex: “Whenever I write riffs or song ideas for the band, I usually come from a funk perspective and draw from 90s rock composition and old classic rock riff ideas, and then mix in key change ideas to spice up the feel of the riffs and progressions. I like to write (i.e. brighten up a tune, create a sad bridge, etc.). The ideas (for a chorus, verse or both) that I bring to the band ultimately change to how the band functions as a whole and the resulting songs display a blend of those basic riffs, Drew’s melodies and lyrics, and Mike’s bass-lines. Andy has certainly brought in a different feel and style to the music we play. Not only is he good at creating the keyboard accompaniment (and bass-lines in certain cases) that we need for most songs, he brings in some progressive and classically influenced ideas into our writing. As a result, we have some pretty cool songs in the works. I would also say that Tony’s violin playing has added yet another dimension to our band’s style, putting in more interesting timbre in our music as well as some orchestral-sounding themes over top our progressions, influenced by his classical background and a love of improvisation. He’s told me the band is providing him with an excellent opportunity to improvise and experiment with violin playing in a unique way (especially trying to integrate it into our more funky rock style).”

Q: When did your band first form and how?

A: Alex: “Well, as I think back, Mike and I have been friends since our freshman year here at Bucknell. I remember him and I talking about how cool it would be to perform all of our favorite songs just even as guitar-bassist duo as early as freshman year.  Then I actually started a smaller performance group with a some music-loving friends who were interested in playing at Seventh Street, including a pianist and a guitarist, and we got a holiday party gig at Uptown where we needed to put together a set list within a few weeks. I met Drew at one at a meeting of the music club Mike tried starting up the 2010 fall semester, and he got a hold of me after I posted that we needed a singer on that club’s Facebook. I gave Mike a call one night and asked him if he was interested in joining in on a starting band with Drew and I (the other guys eventually couldn’t do it) and getting ready to play for a gig in just under a week. He accepted, and well, several days later we were playing at Uptown several holiday tunes that we modified like ‘Rosty the Snowman’ and ‘Jingle Blues’ and our own version of ‘Feliz Navidad’.”

Q: How did you come up with your band name?

A: Michael: “The name came from one of those instances where you’re just thinking about the day, and a particular phrase seems to describe it perfectly. I was walking back to my mod from practice (the first or second one, I don’t remember exactly) and I was thinking about how the band was going to work out and the role that each member would play (this was before Andy joined the band). It was obvious from the start that Drew would be the frontman, since he’s lead vocals. And Alex, he was sort of like the band’s wingman. He met me early in our freshman year. Then he met Drew later in our sophomore year (Drew was a freshman) and was like, ‘Hey, you two should get together and play some music!’ so Alex brought us all together and was, in my mind, dubbed the band’s wingman. A few seconds later, he received a text message that said ‘The Wingmen?’ and the rest is history.”

Q: Were you excited to be featured in Seventh Street Café’s Late Night series? How was it?

A: Alex: “Yes, I was excited to be a part of the Seventh Street Late Night series. I enjoy practicing for upcoming performances and crafting our set-lists for each gig as well as figuring out which original songs are performance-ready. I enjoy the laid-back environment of Seventh Street Café. Overall, it was very fun playing [there] and I hope the band gets to do more.”

A: Andy: “Oh yeah. Nothing beats being squeezed into the back corner. I can only escape by crawling under my keyboard … But in all seriousness, I like the opportunity to perform in front of peers without the pressures of having to sound professional or anything. We can jam and have a good time.”

Q: Do you ever get nervous?

A: Michael: “Generally, we’ve become really comfortable with [performing]. We just go in and have fun. We don’t care about our audience taking us seriously. We just want them to have fun with us and enjoy the show. We just wing it (pun intended) and play through mistakes and have good time.”

A: Alex: “I don’t usually get nervous for performances, given we have done them enough to know what to expect. We often joke that we certainly fit our band’s name since we often end up ‘winging‘ some things and go into a performance after only having rehearsed some songs in our set only once or twice. But I love to improvise my guitar solos, so I feel it generally works out going in to some gigs with only a basic feel for certain songs. It can sometimes allow us to make a song we choose to perform more like a good cover, or our own version of it, rather than simply trying to copy it.”

Q: Any plans/hopes for the future?

A: Michael: “I have two hopes for the band. The first is that we work closely with other bands to enhance the musical community here at Bucknell. My other hope is that we can record as many of our songs as possible before Alex and I graduate so we can listen to them years from now and think back to the times we’ve had, but also so that friends and family from home can finally hear the band.”

A: Andy: “I know we’re trying to minimize our use of covers and shift to performing mostly original material. I’d like to write more for the band. I know all of us are trying to get an album out within a year.”

A: Alex: “I always hope for more gigs at Uptown or Seventh Street, and we would like to play a little bit more at some of the local venues of Lewisburg, like Bull Run Inn, Zelda’s Cafe, Cherry Alley, an event in Hufnagle park, etc.  Ultimately, we hope to phase out most of our cover songs with originals (we have plenty of works-in-progress at the moment) and just cycle in several of these covers for every show. One long-term band goal is to release an album of our original music and a few of our better covers within the year. We also have a Facebook page. Please visit our page and give us a ‘like’ to keep up on performance dates and sample songs we plan on posting there.”