Telemark’s Annual Ball: Before the Clock Strikes 12

Tele-MARK the date, because the Telemark Dance Troupe’s annual ball is on Feb. 6! Telemark is a performance-based dance group on campus featuring various styles of dancing and genres of music. This year, the theme of the ball is “Before the Clock Strikes 12,” inspired by the fairy tale “Cinderella.”

Attendees are encouraged to dress up like princes and princesses or their favorite fairytale character, and there will be a costume contest with prizes. There will also be a dance contest featuring three Disney songs from different musical genres. The contest will be judged by a professional dance choreographer, and prizes will be awarded. Telemark will be tabling at the Memorial Union starting Feb. 1, where you can vote on songs for the competition.

With three beginner lessons — waltz, salsa and swing — the club is encouraging all skill levels to attend the ball. When asked who they hope will attend the event, co-presidents Bailey Matthews, a fourth-year forensic chemistry major, and Kimmy Nguyen, a fourth-year neurobiology, physiology, and behavior major, both laughed and said “Everyone!” According to Matthews, “the event is for anyone who has ever wanted to learn how to dance.”

Ringo Sanchez, a former Telemark member and class of 2013 alumnus, described his experiences attending Telemark’s prior balls.

“[The balls] are always fun with all sorts of music and dancing,” Sanchez said. “You shouldn’t be intimidated if you don’t know how to ballroom dance as there are plenty of people who do and are willing to teach you, along with actual lessons going on at the ball.”

The annual ball is an effort to raise funds for the Telemark Dance Troupe’s spring showcase, where the dancers will perform the choreographed routines they have practiced throughout the year. It is also an opportunity for people to get involved in the dance community and with Telemark.

When asked why she joined the troupe, Nguyen said that she had always had a desire to dance.

“I was a really big fan of Dancing With the Stars,” Nguyen confessed. “I liked dancing, but I never had the opportunity because lessons are expensive.”

Nguyen encourages anyone with a similar desire to dance to attend the ball or join Telemark.

“You don’t have to be dancer. If you just want to dance, then this is a great place for you!” Nguyen said.

The Telemark Dance Troupe’s annual ball “Before the Clock Strikes 12” will be on Feb. 6 from 8 to 11 p.m. in the ARC ballroom. Tickets are on pre-sale for $10 at the Memorial Union tables and are $12.50 at the door. For more information and to stay updated, check the Telemark Dance Troupe’s page on Facebook and Facebook event page.

Written by: Sofie Bates — slbates@ucdavis.edu

Poetry reading, open mic at the John Natsoulas Gallery.

On the first and third Thursday of every month, the John Natsoulas Gallery opens its doors to the Poetry Night Reading Series, hosted by Dr. Andy Jones, a university writing program and English professor at UC Davis and poet laureate of Davis. Beginning at 8 p.m., two poets will read a poem of their choice (this week features Matthew Woodman and Marit MacArthur), followed by an open mic at 9 p.m. and an afterparty at 10 p.m.

Jones and his colleague Brad Henderson started the poetry nights 10 years ago and began hosting in the Natsoulas Gallery, which is located on First Street in Downtown Davis, around five years ago. Jones, who now runs the series alone, saw a need for literature events in Davis.

“I felt that, growing up in Boston and studying in London, there were always so many literature events, which Davis didn’t have,” Jones said. “The English department would have occasional visiting writers, but nothing regular.”

Joey Van Buskirk, a third-year English major and intern with Jones, helps to organize and publicize the events, writing press releases and creating Facebook events. He said that one of the major benefits of his internship is that it forces him to be creative.

“It keeps me writing, as I’m not always doing a creative writing class,” Van Buskirk said. “I try and perform something every open mic night.”

Joshua Clover, an English professor at UC Davis and regular performer at poetry nights, is torn about whether or not he enjoys doing the reading series, as he finds it both embarrassing and sometimes unrewarding.

“Some nights I can get inside the poem and it feels like you’re figuring stuff out and understanding and capturing things, and that’s great,” Clover said. “Some nights you can’t, and it’s just a poem on a page and I’m saying the words and I don’t enjoy that.”

Clover and Van Buskirk are just two examples of the types of people who perform at the open mic nights.

“It’s usually a mix of town and gown,” Jones said. “More undergraduate than graduate students, and we have some music too. We also have short fiction and nonfiction performances.”

The poets who read prior to the open mic are also very varied in both location and reach, and one of Jones’ main tasks is to attempt to bring poets that will draw the biggest crowds.

“Some people come because they trust that we will recruit good poets, and others come for specific people,” Jones said.

There are also no limits on what can be performed at poetry nights, which many find liberating.

“I think the great thing about this event is you can go and see this vast spectrum of poetry,” Van Buskirk said. “There’s a common conception that poetry is Shakspeare, and it has this rhyme scheme and so on, when poetry is so much more.”

Clover himself had a hard time when asked to classify his genre of poetry, stating that no one can describe their own poetry, that poetry was first and foremost a social phenomenon.

““If I was to pigeonhole my poetry, I’d say it was militant communist poetry. For me, poetry is an interesting, transformative and sometimes effective way to look at particular problems in the world, and that’s what comes first,” Clover said. “I’m not a poet, I’m a person who has a set of concerns about the world and poetry is one of the ways I try and deal with them.”

Clover concluded his interview by musing on what poetry means to him.
“I think of poetry as a social phenomenon, a way that communities come together and try to think about poetry and the subjects in poetry,” Clover said. “The way I can define my poetry is by its political or social interests and relations to the world we live in.”

The open mic is operated on a first come first serve basis, so those intending to perform are encouraged to arrive early to sign up. For more information, please visit the Facebook event page, and the Poetry in Davis Facebook group.
WRITTEN BY: Kate Snowdon – arts@theaggie.org

Keeping things simple.

Being a student can be stressful enough without the added pressure of trying to look fashionable or keeping up with the latest trends. Sometimes, it’s best to adopt the “less is more” mentality and stick with simple yet polished outfits. Elyse Wudeck and Paige Mundy, both first-year graduate students in molecular, cellular and integrative physiology, adopt a versatile and comfortable style that will carry them through stresses of graduate school.

ASW: Could you describe your styles?

Mundy: Convenient and comfortable. Simple. Black, lots of black and neutral colors.

Wudeck: My mom says I should wear more colors.

ASW: What do you think fashion should be?

Wudeck: I think above all it should be flattering. That’s why the nineties are a bad time for fashion.

ASW: So I take it you’re not a fan of the nineties coming back?

Wudeck: Not a fan. My fashion is thrifty with mixed results. And no ironing please.

Mundy: I don’t think I’ve ironed anything since I’ve moved here.

ASW: What do you think of the fashion at Davis?

Wudeck: It’s definitely different to see the different kind of fashion in Davis. Where I come from [Texas], people would wear Nike shoes and pastel T-shirts. People here try to look good.

Mundy: I’ve seen some people bike with heels on.

ASW: Are there any trends that you find extremely overrated?

Wudeck: High-waisted jeans. I think it depends on your build. For my build, it’s not flattering. I don’t think the majority of people look good in them.

Mundy: Sneakers that have heels.

Wudeck: One [trend] that I like is scarves.

Mundy: They’re functional and [make it] look like I’ve tried a little bit.

ASW: Do either of you have advice for college students who are on a budget but still want to look put together?

Wudeck: Secondhand stores. They’re good for things like basic T-shirts.

Mundy: Keeping it simple.

ASW: Last question — did you plan to match today?

Wudeck: No, this just happened.

Mundy: We see each other every day.

WRITTEN BY: Dimitra Loumiotis – arts@theaggie.org

Veterans use the power of art to convey the struggles they have faced.

Positive Reflections: From Combat to Community, an art exhibit featuring work by veterans who served during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, will be opening on Feb. 5 at Gallery 625 in Woodland. The exhibit is a chance for former soldiers to present their battlefield experiences through art and is made possible by Veterans Initiative in the Arts (VIA), a pilot grant program of the California Arts Council.

A substantial number of former soldiers suffer from homelessness, including many who will be participating in this exhibit, and art is a way to draw attention to the issues veterans face.

Janice Purnell, the special projects manager at YoloArts, coordinated this exhibit and believes it is imperative for people to see a visual representation of the brutality of war.

“The artists each approach their struggle differently and use the art to discover ways of healing,” Purnell said. “Either they find through the process of art a way to access their emotions or they find an image that reflects the inner turmoil that they are to resolve.”

The show will also feature work by artists who did not serve in combat but have other connections to war, such as Nina Thi Strom. Strom’s mother was a refugee who fled from Vietnam during the Fall of Saigon.

“Our human experience and collective suffering as well as celebration, is vital to our survival,” Strom said. “This show is a way to acknowledge the bravery [of refugees].”

An astounding number of veterans face a multitude of hardships upon finishing their duties, such as high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and unemployment. The exhibit hopes to bring these issues to light through the artists’ renditions.

Fourth-year statistics major Greg Griffin has an older brother who served in the Army and was stationed in Basra, Iraq. According to Griffin, his brother witnessed many of his fellow soldiers suffer from PTSD and struggle to readapt to civilian life.

“I think it’s really unfair how people volunteer to fight for their country and come back only to be neglected,” Griffin said. “This [exhibition] will be a good way for people to realize how terrible war is and how much attention veterans need once they come back.”

Positive Reflections: From Combat to Community will open with an artists reception held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 5 at Gallery 625 at 625 Court St. in Woodland.

The exhibition will also be traveling to Davis in March and West Sacramento in April. Dr. Andy Jones, a UC Davis professor and Davis poet laureate, will be reciting a poem at each of the exhibitions. For more information, please contact Janice Purnell at specialprojects@yoloarts.org.

WRITTEN BY: Krishan Mithal – arts@theaggie.org

Ady Suleiman and Samm Henshaw conjure a musical mosaic of genres.

Nothing can quite fill the gaping hole Frank Ocean left in our playlists when he, well, left the music scene entirely. But nevertheless, I have shamelessly attempted to patch it together with the tracks of two soulful, genre-defying Brits. And with that, meet Ady Suleiman and Samm Henshaw.

Suleiman, a young musician currently residing in Liverpool, has mastered an integration of classic soulful melodies — so good they would make Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers proud — with a reggae that manages not to sound like a bad island beat. His adorably apparent British accent certainly isn’t a detriment, either.

As a relatively new artist in terms of released content, he has already made available two EPs, a Live in Manchester session and a collection of remixes for his single “What’s the Score.” Though Suleiman’s catchy beats in his EP What’s the Score are undeniably worthy of car sing-a-longs, it’s the two singles from his earlier released This Is My EP that truly showcase the R&B sound that makes him worthy of your attention.

The first, “So Lost,” has a message so genuine it’s impossible not to become immediately empathetic.  Feeling lost in your mind? Always; it’s midterm season. But how often are you told that “I must evolve or I will become incapable?”

The second standout track, “Need Somebody to Love,” is just about the only thing Suleiman needs to sing in order to successfully swoon any and all lady listeners. The nonchalance of his voice as he questions “Girl where are you?” paired with an acoustic guitar intro and the unexpectedly fantastic arrival of a smooth beat around 1:20 almost lets the desperation of the lyrics slide: “I’ve been waiting so long / to give some of my attention.”  Almost.

However, “Ain’t the Beep” might just eliminate this lovesick puppy image in a matter of minutes. This ability to slide across genres, however, is the truest portrayal of his talent.

Similarly, musician Samm Henshaw’s debut EP, The Sound Experiment, literally embodies its title, managing to conjure a musical mosaic of rhythms, genres and sentiments that can still stand as a collective work.  In fact, according to an interview with Quays News, his newest EP was produced with the intent of  “the theme is that there isn’t necessarily a theme.” And it does just that.

Although he only graduated from college last year, Henshaw has already proven his worth as an opening act for James Bay. Having only released one EP, the rising artist has his career (and my entire playlist) ahead of him.

The first track, “Temptation,” oozes with R&B rhythms and lyrics, followed by a catchy, pop-influenced track, “Autonomy (Slave).” The funky groove of  “Everything” and soulful sound in “Better” (a track that could be seamlessly added to John Legend’s 2004 album Get Lifted), provides evidence for not only Henshaw’s successful endeavor at a multi-faceted sound, but his diversified talent as well. There’s a reason his name ends in “Mm.”

The highlight track, “Only Wanna Be With You” has both an unplugged and fuller version, and though both have a meaningful take on a sweet love ballad, the unplugged version has a more intimate sound that encapsulates the sweet nature of “I know you’ve been hurt/ But I wanna make this work.”

I’m not suggesting these talented rising artists are Frank Ocean replacements, but I certainly won’t deny their successes as a temporary fixes, either.

WRITTEN BY: Ally Overbay – arts@theaggie.org