Vote for Comment of the Week

Voting closes Thursday noon.

Student #1 has left a new comment on your post "Behind Ballet's Diversity Problem":

Very interesting change going on in the dance community. Ballet as a form of dance is notorious for its rigidity and structure, which is mirrored by its rigid reputation. Ask anyone what they think of ballet, and they will immediately have specific concepts in mind: purity, grace, balance, clarity, virtue, etc.
The issue at hand is that these very concepts are not, in our culture, associated with people of color.
Thus, we have two solutions: change our perception of ballet, or change our perception of people of color.
If we open up our views on the art form of ballet, or (more importantly) if key figures in the ballet world opened up their views on ballet, what would that mean? I agree with Jasmine-- to make a change, you must appeal to those on top. In the entertainment world, people produce what they think the audience wants to see. If the audience is clear that they want to see diversity, in not only race but also form, perhaps the ballet technique can be altered. Art is fluid; it will adapt to the needs of the people.
However, ballet is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of racial issues. It is not the dance that keeps people of color out of ballet companies, but the principles behind the dance and how in our society, people of color are considered incompatible with such principles. We can alter the state of ballet all we want, but eventually we will have to address the bigger picture. It is a truth that people of color are seen through a lens of judgement, and allowing them visibility in the world of ballet is but one step to a larger process.
Ultimately, it comes down to the attitudes of the people. Everyone must reflect on themselves, and recognize the judgement they are conditioned to in order to make the world a fairer place.

Student #2 has left a new comment on your post "Robots And Choreography Abound In Update To Ballet...":

Although the article does make mention of how incredibly well the robot and the dancers are in sync with one another, there is no way to describe its genius until witnessing it. This is a beautiful example of how art and technology are rapidly coming together, building off of elements of the other in order to create something better. For a large period of time, forms of art were kept where they were intended. If the author’s intention was for it to be a play, it would be a play. Nowadays, that is not necessarily the case. Audiences are being opened up to several different interpretations of the same original piece. For example, musicals are rapidly growing in the film industry, television networks are producing plays, entertainment once intended for live theater is now being shifted to an area where it can be watched as many times as a viewer pleases to. While some may think the awe of witnessing live performance is lost, this can easily be argued. Even though someone in a film setting can call cut and choose to redo the scene, and live music has a significantly different vibe compared to something recorded and edited in a studio, the raw emotion felt in an actor’s performance is not lost, it is in fact improved. The audience sees every detail in a way that cannot be mimicked by a stage setting. This new technology of piecing together the grace of art and the mechanics of technology allows an up-close and personal experience for audiences. The element of live performance is still very much present and the one-cut attitude the director adopts only solidifies why this is an excellent direction to take in the world of theater. 

Student #3 has left a new comment on your post "Comics on Film: The 10 Best Cinematic Superhero Co...":

I have been in love with marvel and superheroes all my life, I am still learning about them but the action that comes with them makes the movie. I have never really thought about the costumes but by reading this article shows and reveals to me that if they didn’t have these costumes for these characters none of the movie would make sense. They put so much detail and focus on the costume to make the actor feel special and to make it work for when the audience is watching the movie. It is also amazing that over the years with the remakes of the characters that not only is the film transforming but the costume and the ideas behind it are to. With Thor they said they used the comic book to relate which I think it great because when people watch that movie and have seen the comic book they can relate and have fun with their own creation. With all these new creations it can reveal and excitement for the audience to try and guess what will happen next and see where one thing in a movie can take you. I think it is also very neat to see what one person can do with something that everyone likes and really bring it to life and be very passionate about what they are doing. 

Student #4 has left a new comment on your post "We've gone too far with 'trigger warnings'":

Having encountered situations before where I wish I could have had a trigger warning, I am slightly sympathetic to those who ask for them, but only just. In my case, I was a young LGBT youth enduring substantial amounts of bullying at my school, primarily in the form of slurs regarding my sexuality and liberal sensibilities. During this time, my english class had to watch a film in class where a multitude of these slurs were used, and I didn’t feel traumatized by the film, but instead I felt very uncomfortable, and felt as if this exposure to these slurs in a classroom environment was an unintentional encouragement for the students who used them towards others. This is an instance where I could have used a slight warning by the teacher, and I could have possibly avoided this uncomfortable situation. Before watching a movie with violence we are always warned by our teacher and given the option to leave the room if it makes us uncomfortable. I don’t feel like there should be a difference between the avoidance of physical violence and emotional violence, but I also agree with the article that there is no clear line of where to draw the line of what is “triggering” and what is not. Because of this grey area, it would be virtually impossible to regulate, but triggering subjects are undoubtedly a problem and people should be more aware of how to warn others of them and be empathetic to those who prefer a warning.

Student #5 has left a new comment on your post "Playwright Marina Carr explores matters of life an...":

Based on this article, I think the greatest testament to the strong show that they have in "Woman and Scarecrow" is the fact that the playwright is flying out from Dublin to watch this production. Having viewed the show myself, I can say that her time will be well spent. Through her interview, you can see her passion for the writing shine through everything that she does, and the personal relationship she appears to have with the director gives the prospective audience member that added little bit of comfort. This director knows the work and knows the playwright, so he should be able to handle the work well. To characterize the show as dark would be removing all the subtle nuances of the characters that bring elements of levity into the show. The darkly comic interchanges between the husband and wife detail the struggle of a love neither of them completely had for the other. Scarecrow knows how the story goes, but Woman is still trying to piece it together, creating a strong undercurrent of dramatic irony. All in all, Woman and Scarecrow gets a two strong thumbs-up, and it's exciting to know the writer will get to see such a strong performance of her work.