A&E

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

The MarqueTTe Tribune Arts & eNtertAiNmeNt

Page 8

Marquette University Bhangra gears up for semester

MUBA founded in 2019, just starting competitions again

By Izzy Fonfara Drewel

isabella.fonfaradrewel@marquette.edu

Bhangra has appeared on America’s Got Talent, in the 2012 London Olympics and has even been performed at the White House, and now the Marquette University Bhangra Academy is hoping to create a thriving community on campus.

MUBA is a dance organization that specializes in Bhangra, a style of dance that originates in the Punjab region of India, and is normally performed at celebrations such as weddings.

Riya Bhasin, a senior in the College of Health Sciences, cofounded MUBA in 2019. She described the joyful memories of dancing at her family events, and how she really wanted to bring that community to Marquette.

“I always found it to be fun and I thought it would always bring people together, and that was the biggest reason that I wanted to push to have this club,” Bhasin said.

This high-energy dance is accompanied by elaborate and brightly colored outfits which pair nicely with the exciting, upbeat music. The uniforms are traditional and designed to allow the dancers to perform impressive moves, such as leg lifts, while also displaying their culture.

Anuhya Kakumanu, a senior in the College of Health Sciences, explained that while the club eventually wants to compete they start out with teaching the basics to anyone who is interested.

“[The club is] basically teaching people about this style of dance and how to get them involved and getting them interested in the dance,” Kakumanu said.

MUBA has a list of goals, one of them being to grow their membership and recruit more dancers this year.

“It’s been hard because we’ve had a lot of people from [the University of WisconsinMilwaukee] reach out because they want to join us, but we don’t know if we can do that because of COVID-19,” Bhasin said

They also planned to hold auditions at the beginning of the spring semester, but because classes were postponed, they’ve had to move them to a later date.

“I don’t even know how we’re going to go about auditions right now because I have to keep checking in to see if we are going to have a space to do things,” Bhasin said.

Additionally, there were plans for a performance at the beginning of February but Bhasin said it is looking uncertain. However, Bhasin and the rest of the organization are more than happy to welcome anyone who is interested.

“All you need is good energy and a positive attitude; you don’t need any experience,” Bhasin said.

While experience is not needed, some members come in with knowledge of the style from their culture and lives before college.

“I had a little bit of experience from when my friends and I would go to weddings and such where we would perform Bhangra,” Amrit Pal Singh, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, said. The group was able to start up these workshops again in the fall semester, and they received a lot of positive feedback from their participants.

“It was nice to know that the efforts that everybody has put in to make this an inclusive and nonjudgmental space have been appreciated,” Bhasin said.

Before the pandemic precautions, the group was also allowed to have more performances on campus, which included their appearances at MU Spotlight, a talent show put on by the Marquette University Student Government. Kakumanu mentioned that these shows have become some of her favorite memories from MUBA.

Coming back from the pandemic was a challenge for the organization, but the members worked hard throughout the fall semester so they could get back to doing what they love.

“Having to start MUBA back up again, especially after the other two co-founders had graduated, was an immense amount of pressure on me,” Bhasin said. “I felt like I had put in a lot to make this work and I didn’t want to see it die.”

However, that hard work was not in vain. Eventually, they hosted a few workshops along with some rehearsals for performances. MUBA wore masks and limited the amount of people they were around to make their practices safer, Kakumanu explained.

“There’s a little bit of concern with [the omicron variant.] We’re trying to bring in new people, but you never know what’s going on with those other guys,” Singh said.

MUBA is celebrating and sharing culture through their performances and workshops on campus, but the growing concern over COVID-19 and the new variant has discouraged their upcoming plans. They are taking measures to be safe while hoping that they will be able to showcase their dance to the community.

As spring semester progresses, the Marquette University Bhangra Academy will work hard on their dances and future performances. If you are interested in MUBA or just want to stay up to date with them, you can find out more on their Instagram, @marquettemuba.

Another goal of the organization is to get involved with Bhangra competitions across the Midwest. Bhasin described how they tried to get involved with the Madtown Bhangra competition previously, but it was complicated by the

pandemic. In addition to that, Bhasin explained MUBA was at a disadvantage because they didn’t have as many members as their competitors.

Prior to the pandemic and the COVID-19 precautions, MUBA held workshops on campus to teach the dance to students.

All you need is good energy and a positive “ attitude; you don’t need any experience.”

RIYA BHASIN

Senior in the College of Health Sciences

Five ways students can spend extra week of vacation

Marquette extends winter break due to COVID-19 spread

By Kim Cook

kimberly.cook@marquette.edu

When Marquette University announced a week delay to the spring 2022 semester due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the omicron variant, students with plans to arrive back to campus around the former start of the semester are now left with an extra week of free time.

With that in mind, here are a few activities and events that are sure to help students make the most of their bonus week of winter break.

Cheer on the Golden Eagles!

While the men’s and women’s basketball teams will be on the road for most of the extra week, Marquette Tennis will be taking on the Chicago State Cougars from the Helfaer Tennis Stadium and Recreation Center Jan. 21. The women’s tennis match will take place at 2 p.m. with the men’s match to follow at 6 p.m.

The men’s basketball team will return to Fiserv Forum Jan. 23 to take on No. 20 Xavier, right before the kick off of the spring 2022 semester.

As for women’s basketball, they will go head to head with Xavier in Cincinnati Jan. 21 and then backtrack to Indianapolis to meet the Butler Bulldogs Jan. 23.

Plan a day in the city

With new businesses like the 3rd St. Market Hall opening near the Historic Third Ward, and events like Gallery Night MKE, Milwaukee is ready to welcome Marquette students back from winter break.

The 3rd St. Market Hall, which opened Jan. 14, is a new destination for food and gifts right in the heart of the city or, as the business’ website states, “a celebration of our city’s cuisine, diversity, and culture all happening on one of the most cherished and historic blocks downtown.” There are currently six vendors open for operation within the market hall including Dairyland, a restaurant that dishes up frozen custard, and Strega, a vendor that serves freshly made pasta.

Gallery Night MKE, taking place in the Third Ward Jan. 2122, features Milwaukee-based artists and their work. This event is completely free and offers the opportunity to buy original art while shopping in the boutiques in the Third Ward. Check out Gallery Night MKE’s for a full list of featured artist and a schedule of the events.

Stream a new TV show or movie

Frigid winter temperatures and the ongoing pandemic create the perfect opportunity for students to stay in and find a new television show or movie to obsess over, and there are plenty of new releases that will make the perfect candidates.

In December 2021, Netflix released the second seasons of a couple of its most popular original series like “The Witcher” and “Emily in Paris.” Although vastly different from each other, you can still binge watch with a group of friends. The streaming service also added new original series in 2022 like “Hype House,” a reality show that brings together some of YouTube and TikTok’s biggest creators like Thomas Petrou, Chase Hudson and Nikita Dragun.

HBO began releasing the second season of their award-winning drama “Euphoria” Jan. 9. For all the “Star Wars” fans out there, Disney+ added “The Book of Boba Fett,” a spin-off series from “The Mandalorian,” that follows bounty hunter Boba Fett back to the planet Tattoine as a new story unfolds. Prepare for the spring semester

Students can also take the time to make sure that they are ready for the spring 2022 semester to begin. With the announcement that the semester would be starting Jan. 24 rather than Jan. 18, Marquette is also requiring students to get their COVID-19 booster shot. Proof of their booster is to be uploaded to the MU Medical Clinic Portal prior to Feb. 1. To maximize protection from COVID-19 and the omicron variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends everyone over the age of 12 receives a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.

On campus, the Walgreens on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and 16th Street is offering COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots by appointment. Students can look to their website for more information on how to schedule an appointment.

Just hang out and relax

While this may not seem like the most extravagant use of time, just catching up with friends during this extra week is a great option for those on campus. Before academic and social calendars get too full, students have a good amount of time to do nothing with the fellow Marquette students, roommates and friends that they may not see as often over the course of the semester.

Photo by Collin Nawrocki collin.nawrocki@marquette.edu Visiting the lakefront is one way to spend a day in the city no matter the season. Take a walk along the beach.

REVIEW: Cordae lacks growth on sophomore album

“From A Birds Eye View” debuted Jan. 14 on all platforms

By Rashad Alexander

rashad.alexander@marquette.edu

Since the release of his debut album “The Lost Boy” in June 2019, Maryland rapper Cordae’s career and personal life has already had big changes. He has been nominated for two Grammys and dropped the YBN from his name after the group disbanded. Now, two years after his debut album, he returns with his sophomore project, “From A Bird’s Eye View.”

When Cordae announced the release date of the project would be Jan. 14, he released a video presenting the album in a Steve Jobs homage, where he presents his new project in a similar style as Jobs. He even wore a black turtleneck and blue jeans, just like the late founder of Apple wore. This trailer made me excited for the album’s release, as Cordae’s unique way to announce the project built more anticipation.

However, upon listening to “From A Bird’s Eye View,” the excitement I was looking for was nowhere to be found.

Usually when I hear a really good album, the first few tracks are the ones that really draw me to the project. However, the first five tracks weren’t really anything special. I feel like Cordae’s flow doesn’t really change throughout the songs, and the production is kind of bland and doesn’t really stick with me. His first album’s production was a lot more diverse and engaging, where his new album just sounds like the same song 14 times.

I did like the fourth track, “Momma’s Hood,” where he mentions his story of dropping out of college to pursue his rap career.

“The smartest n**** who had dropped out / F*** your graduation / I think that s*** a f***** scam / Somebody had to say it,” raps the 24-yearold, who previously went to Towson University.

The album does have some high points — mostly the features. Lil Durk, Gunna, Lil Wayne, H.E.R. and the legendary Stevie Wonder make appearances on the project. I feel like all the features played their role well on the songs and were overall the focal point of the album for me.

A song with Lil Durk and Cordae was a collaboration I generally didn’t expect considering their different styles, but it actually worked out with the melodies of H.E.R. on “Chronicles.”

I think the best feature of the album was Freddie Gibbs on “Champagne Glasses.” Gibbs and Cordae are both known for their lyricism and seeing them go back to back on a song really kept me engaged while listening to the track.

While Cordae had a successful debut with “The Lost Boy,” his style hasn’t really changed in the nearly two years since that album. While his lyricism is still some of the best in hip hop, it all just sounds the same. I just don’t see a whole lot of replay value with “From A Bird’s Eye View.” It seems like he thought he could do the same things he did on his debut album with his new project, but it only holds him back from growing as an artist. He has a lot of potential to be a star within the industry, but I think Cordae needs to find different sounds within his music to make that push. Also, waiting to drop a new album after nearly three years made it seem like this album was going to be worth the wait. Unfortunately, it the project just didn’t live to the expectations I hoped for.

I rate Cordae’s “From A Bird’s Eye View” a five out of 10. My favorite songs were “Today” with Gunna and “Chronicles” with H.E.R. and Lil Durk.