The Bucknellian

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.