ARTS
MAY 7, 2015
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 12
STUDENTS PREPARE FOR FINAL PERFORMANCES Dance students showcase their work
On The Scene Music
Aryn Hicks Staff Writer @ECCUnionAryn
After months of preparation and endless rehearsals, students will finally be able to showcase their dancing ability and choreography skills as the dance department presents the “Choreography Showcase.” “It’s kind of a unique event in that it is exclusively for the students to showcase their choreography. We have no other performance event like that,” Daniel Berney, dance instructor said.“This is the only one that is specific to the students and 100 percent choreography by the students.” The showcase is a biannual event that includes students enrolled in the Beginning Choreography A (Dance 171 A) and Beginning Choreography B (Dance 171 B) classes as well as other students in the ensemble dance classes. “The ‘Choreography Showcase’
is a really good opportunity for the students in the choreography class to experience everything that comes with choreographing a dance,” LA Kingman, 29, dance major said. “Which is creating the movement, finding the music, but also all of the technical stuff that most people don’t really associate like tech rehearsals and working with the crew that’s in the theater.” The showcase consists of 20 pieces that range from modern, jazz, hip-hop, and ballet. Students enrolled in the choreography classes came up with dances, concepts for the show, lighting, costumes and other ideas that go into a dance performance. “The ‘Showcase’ is crucially important just because it gives exposure to those people who have never seen a dance performance in their life before and for those students who are currently dancing and want to take it to the next level. It’s just a great and inspirational show,” Jeffrie Gonzalez, 21, dance
The Jazz One Big Band The Jazz One Big Band, directed by Alan Chan, will be performing tomorrow at 8 p.m. in Marsee Auditorium. Tickets for the event are $10 and can be purchased online, in-person, or over the phone. For more information on the event, call (800) 832-ARTS.
The Symphony Orchestra
Courtesy of the Center for the Arts
major said. Some of the pieces include fantasy elements, props, and one based off “Super Mario,” Kingman said. “A lot of training, a lot of hours,
go into making these pieces - not just from the dancers or the instructors but also from costume designers to the backstage crew in the auditorium,” Gonzalez said. “There
is just a lot of work that goes into it to make it the great show that it is.” “The Choreography Showcase” will show today at 1 p.m and 7 p.m in the Campus theatre.
Dance department gets ready for final show Trent Ledford Staff Writer @ECCUnionTrent
As the semester comes to an end, the dance department prepares themselves a final performance. The Lo Tech, No Tech I & II
is for all dance students to show friends, family and other audience what they learned over the semester. “It is basically for the dance students. So if you are in a dance class, at the end of the semester you have to perform in the show,
basically everything you learned in class, and apply it,” Erica Jones Adkins, 20, dance major said. Dance students look forward to the opportunity to perform their own work. “I am excited for it because I worked so hard and I finally get to
show people what I learned,” Jones Adkins said. Students performances will have personal history behind it. “This is my first year choreographing and I am excited. I am excited about the three other pieces I’m in. I am in a modern piece, and
The Symphony Orchestra, directed by Dane Teter will be performing on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Marsee Auditorium. The program will also include featured soloists from the Applied Music program. Tickets for the event are $10 and can be purchased online, in-person, or over the phone. For more information, call (800) 832-ARTS.
The Chorale Group the other one I am in is a hip hop piece. That’s my passion. That is what I grew up on,” Amy Randle, 19, dance major said. The Lo Tech, No Tech I & II dance performance will be Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Marsee Auditorium.
There will be a performance by the Chorale group at EC, directed by Joanna Nachef, on Saturday at 8 p.m. in Marsee Auditorium. Tickets for the event are $10 and can be purchased online, in-person, or over the phone. For more information, call (800) 832-ARTS.
Dancer hopes to inspire youth Ryan Decker Staff Writer @ECCUnionDecker
As a remix of Pat Benatar’s 1980 hit single “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” blared through the speakers, a group of 13 young adult dancers sprang to life, twirling and jumping around the studio. Of the 13, one was the clear leader, demonstrating the motions and directing the others on what to do. Porsche Norman showed command of both her students and the routine while also portraying her jovial attitude. Norman, 28, dance major, first started dancing at a young age and is experienced in a plethora of genres, something she showcases at various El Camino events, such as the recent “Night of Resident Artists.” “I (initially) danced from four to about 18 years old,” Norman said. “I trained in tap, jazz, ballet, modern, hip-hop, African, pretty much all styles.” Through her dance, Norman discovered a passion for teaching, which she satisfies with her business, Tajallet Dance Company. “I definitely want to continue to be able to teach and share the gift (of dance) with other students,” Norman said. Norman is able to connect with her students due to her joyful personality. El Camino dance professor Michelle Funderburk described Norman’s personality as “full of energy, bubbly and very personable,” adding that she is able to “connect with a lot of people of various cultures and ages.” Despite the amount of work she puts into working on her dancing, Norman still finds time to focus on her studies and excel in them. “She probably did the best comprehensive final exam I’ve ever seen,” dance professor Daniel Berney said, “I actually had to call her
in to talk about it to make sure she didn’t compromise the material somehow.” Norman remains inspired by her late dance teachers, the brothersister duo of Paul and Arlene Kennedy. “It was because of (the Kennedys) that I’m able to share the gift with the students now because they taught me not only how to learn but they also taught me how to teach,” Norman said. Norman also named EC dance professor Pamela Santelman as part of the reason she got back into dance following a five year break to explore other options and take care of her now four-year-old son, Desmyn.
“(Santelman) reminded me of all
the reasons why I love to dance,” Norman said, “All the older teachers that I had and everything that I had learned, she brought right back to me when I came back to dance.” Never one to limit herself, Norman has set lofty goals for the next few years. She has made it her dream “to do Broadway before I’m 30.” Norman not only dances for herself but also views it as a way of positively influencing the people around her. “I dance to work my way through my issues but I also dance to be an inspiration to the next generation,” Norman said. As Norman looks to inspire the youth of today, she has a similar effect on the people closest to her, regardless of age. “I’m really proud of her for living to the beat of her soul and giving back,” Norman’s mother and former EC graduate, B. Rene Norman, said, “As a daughter, I wouldn’t have her any other way.”
Shontel Leake/Union
Mercedes Hunter, 25, art illustration major (right), takes selfie with her art work with Melissa Mc Donalds, 22, art illustration major.
Art show represents student vision Jerome Casio Staff Writer @ECCUnionJerome
Jorge Villa/Union
Porsche Norman, 28, dance major, warms up by rehearsing tap dance numbers.
Once a year, every spring semester, the artists of EC are given the opportunity to display their work in the Art Gallery’s “Student Show.” To effectively capture EC’s uniqueness, Director of the Art Gallery, Susanna Meiers assigned Jacob Merkovsky’s “Owlbear,” with its huge, talon-wielding arms, to greet guests at the door The “Owlbear” is an exotic cross between the two animals, with the sharp talons and fully rotating head of an owl attached to the massive body of a bear, Merkovsky’s life-sized “Owlbear” is, without a doubt, the ideal attention grabber. “People who don’t originally come in (the Art Gallery) are walking down the hall, and they just can’t resist,” Susanna Meiers said. Student photography included
Sean Matsuyama’s black-andwhite, “Lucid Dream,” to more bizarre pieces like Merkovsky’s “Owlbear.” The “Student Show” is very much a collaborative work of art that captures the vision of EC’s artists on one canvas. “A glimpse of each artist’s point of view,” was how Virginia Chavez, 21, sign language interpretation major, described the exhibit. Displayed in the “Student Show,” Chavez’s untitled blackand-white photograph captures the solitary moment of a homeless man sleeping on a piece of dumped furniture. Not going for a specific theme, Chavez originally wanted to shoot something inanimate but unintentionally captured abandonment in the process. “Some people will think that the abandonment is within (the man) and some will think that the abandonment was in the furniture,” she said. “Whatever they think it is or whatever they feel is correct - it’s up for interpretation.”
Rowan finds it important for students to have their own spaces outside the classroom where they can connect with other students and start a dialogue. Rowan, who chose all of the show’s 26 photographs, admires how it “highlights the enormous amount of talent.” “I was profoundly moved and impressed by the quality of craftsmanship, diversity of voices, use of various mediums and a sophisticated artistic vision of the many students,” she said. The exhibit, and education in fine arts does more than give students the chance to display their talents with success that transcends artistic exposure. “I profoundly believe that arts education can transform people’s lives,” Darilyn Rowan said. “It gives them a voice, a way to express themselves in the world, to say ‘I am here.’”