Get ready to move and be moved. On May 29, Penumbra opens at the Main Theater in Wright Hall. Presented by the Main Stage Dance Theatre, Penumbra features a myriad of dance styles, expressing emotions and stories familiar to many.

The Main Stage Dance is an annual showcase for students’ original choreographies. Throughout every school year, select dance students each create a piece to be performed in Spring Quarter. The students are committed to developing their choreographies as they would with thesis projects. The recital overall celebrates the select students’ passion, devotion and talent.

Director David Grenke describes how the program demonstrates every dancer’s unique relationship with the art. Speaking with MUSE, Grenke put the concept into perspective.

“We think of presentational performance as storytelling or expression; another way we think about it is as a kinesthetic way of thinking,” Grenke said. “We think with our bodies; we take in information that way. It’s one of the earliest forms of anything we do. It’s how we think after birth: functioning with our body.”

Penumbra specifically features the work of Cynthia Arellanes, Mark Crumrine, Mariah Heller, Hien Huynh, Fidel Prestegui, Veronica Quiroz and Quiona (QJ) Williams.

Hien Huynh — a fifth-year communication and dramatic art, dance emphasis double major — choreographed the piece “Ethereal Abyss.” Huynh said his work pays homage to the complexity of human emotion and expression.

“The piece explores the external and the internal — how sensations of what we see may differ from what we feel,” Huynh said. “It follows instincts of opposition: the existence and the nonexistence. Hollow-like human beings, rigid, stiff with composure, yet inside there exists emotions of regret, pain and frustration. These beings attempt to break out from their hardened shell, seeking one another through the shared struggle. Yet, they are ripped and reversed apart from one another in a cycle of emotion and emotionless.”

The program concludes with Mariah Heller’s “Awakening.” Heller — a fourth-year dramatic art, dance emphasis major — centered her piece around themes of patriarchy and female empowerment. Heller’s piece draws inspiration from observations of relationships.

“We’ve been working on these projects for about a year now, and my piece originated as a narrative based on the cyclical nature of relationships,” Heller said. “As my piece evolved, it became a bit more focused. I drew from the dynamics that I have experienced in my personal, familial and romantic relationships. I also drew from various social constructs such as patriarchy.”

While all pieces may resonate with viewers differently, the dancers and Grenke expressed that they hope that the program will leave audiences with a new take on dance.

“We hope the performance can be a catalyst for any new thinking, whether it’s a new perspective around a narrative idea or concept, a new way of considering what dance is or a different way of seeing use of space in a theater,” Grenke said.

For show times and ticketing information, please visit tickets.mondaviarts.org.

CHLOE CATAJAN can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Six a cappella groups will perform together on May 30 as part of a concert that will benefit the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation.

LocalTones, the latest installment in an annual concert series that showcases the a cappella groups of UC Davis, will feature performances from The UC Davis Lounge Lizards, The Spokes, The Afterglow, GreekBeats, Jhankaar and The Liquid Hotplates.

“LocalTones is an awesome collaborate a cappella event,” said Rachel Riley, a fourth-year English major who is president of The Spokes. “It’s a chance for the local a cappella community to come together for one event.”

Jaimie Wu, a fourth-year exercise biology major who is president of The Liquid Hotplates feels that Localtones exhibits the strong sense of community among the a cappella groups of UC Davis.

“While LocalTones has changed a lot since my freshman year, the theme of a community effort has been constant,” Wu said. “This year’s going to be the best one yet because we came together and had all the groups host the show as a community. We’re sharing the work in publicizing and selling tickets and it feels way more equal [than in past years]. All the groups were involved in choosing the date, the nonprofit we would donate the proceeds to and how to promote the event. The distribution of work is more even and our effort has gone beyond just changing our profile pictures to the event flyer.”

This year, the event’s profits are going to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. This charity has been chosen because the Nool brothers who are members of The Afterglow recently lost their younger brother to this disease.

“I like that I get to support their family,” Wu said. “What’s a better way to be a community than to support someone in the community?”

This is the second LocalTones for GreekBeats which consists of members of sororities and is the newest a cappella group on campus.

GreekBeats formed in January 2013 as a way for members of sororities to have an a cappella group that didn’t require as much of a time commitment.

“We’re definitely more established now,” said Madison Kime, a third-year managerial economics major and a founding member of GreekBeats.  “It was a little intimidating being the new group last year.”

LocalTones will occur on Friday, May 30 at 8 p.m. in 123 Science Lecture Hall. Tickets are $5 presale and $7 at the door.

JOHN KESLER can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

On May 30, ASUCD Entertainment Council presents Lawntopia on the Quad for the second year running. This year’s free event will feature Bay Area hip-hop duo, Zion I.

Zion I, renowned duo of producer AmpLive and MC Zumbi from Oakland, Calif., debuted in 1997. In total, they have released over seven studio albums, their most recent EP releases being The Masters of Ceremony and Libations. In a phone interview, Zumbi talked about his music.

“It’s positive, but not radio, corporate hip hop. It’s soul music with a lot of bass. My intention is also to be reflective and introspective; I read and pray and meditate a lot and I think all that comes through in the music. It’s celebratory and party music but with a mindset,” Zumbi said.

Zion I has performed in Davis several times before. They will be including both well-known songs and newer material in the Lawntopia show.

Ben Bryan, a fourth-year managerial economics major, has been director of the Entertainment Council for the past school year. The first Lawntopia featured independent trio Radical Something, and the Entertainment Council has worked hard to surpass last year’s efforts.

“This year we wanted to do something a little bit bigger and really make sure it appeals to everybody,” Bryan said.

Lawntopia has already received a huge response from the Davis community, and the Entertainment Council is expecting a good turn out.

“We put out the [Facebook] event invite on Monday night and by Tuesday morning there were already 1,000 people attending so that’s pretty exciting for us,” Bryan said. “One of the reasons I love doing this is because, music’s my passion, I love music, but being able to set up the event, put it on and then go and see the look on everybody’s face when it all comes together, nothing’s better.”

The second installation of Lawntopia is a further step toward making the event even bigger in the future. UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara have annual music festivals Sun God and Extravaganza, respectively.

“Maybe next year it’s kind of this size and then the year after we could turn it into a festival like all the other UCs have,” Bryan said. “We’d be looking at bigger artists and more artists playing instead of just one or two.”

Andrea Hasson, a fourth-year clinical nutrition major, has been assistant director of the Entertainment Council for a year and a half. Hasson is responsible for booking the Quad shows and running volunteer meetings.

“It’s cool to see that you’ve organized something and people watching the music. This is probably the biggest event I’ve been part of on the Entertainment Council,” Hasson said.

Letty Uy, a second-year design major, is the online promotions director for the Entertainment Council. Uy is in charge of marketing Lawntopia through social media and posters, and her role allows her to utilize her design skills.

“I start out usually with a movie or a performer, so I would check out what the movie’s about, watch the trailer or look at the performers and listen to their music while I’m designing the poster, so just kind of the essence of what I’m designing for,” Uy said.

The Entertainment Council also hosts regular film screenings on campus.

“It’s such a great team, we’re all friends and that makes it really enjoyable. I just love doing the work, being involved in the music, and bringing events that people look forward to and have fun with,” Uy said.

For those who were disappointed by Holy Ghost’s recent cancellation, the band will be making an appearance next school year around Halloween time.

Lawntopia will take place on May 30 at 6 p.m. at the UC Davis Quad. Students will need to bring along their UC Davis Student ID to attend.

ZOE SHARPLES can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

From May 31 to June 1, the Davis Art Studio Tour will take place all over the City of Davis. The Davis Art Studio Tour is an annual city-wide exhibit meant to showcase the vast artistic talent throughout the city of Davis. The tour works by offering viewers a map of all the different art studios in Davis that are open for public viewings.

The tour was founded in 2007 and sponsored by the Pence Gallery in order to celebrate local artists and make citizens aware of the variety of art that could be found in Davis.

Now the tour is sponsored by a Davis art cooperative, The Artery. The art viewings are unique because rather than an artist displaying their pieces in an organized gallery, the work is displayed in the same place where the art is created: the studio. This gives new perspectives to art enthusiasts as to what kinds of environments professional artists build for themselves in order to spark the creative process.

This year there will be 27 unique artists from around the city. The pieces set to be showcased range from oil painting to sculpture to photography and beyond. Local ceramic artist, Linda S. Fitz Gibbon, will be displaying some of her new work as well as older pieces. She said she is excited for art admirers to see the space in which her work is created.

“My home is like a gallery with art wall to wall,” Gibbon said. “I’ve been collecting art longer than I’ve been making it — over 20 years. This is a great opportunity to see a broad range of artwork from some well-known figures. I’ll [also] be showcasing both figurative and abstract ceramic sculpture from a few inches to several feet high.”

Local painter Marie-Therese Brown will be showcasing her pieces at the tour. She said she believes this event is not only beneficial for consumers and admirers of art in Davis, but for the artists themselves.

“This is also a chance for the artists to get to know the community and get feedback on their process and art,” Brown said.

A pre-tour exhibit will be held from May 27 to June 2 at The Artery on G Street. The tour is $10 for adults and free for kids 12 and under. For more information, visit www.davisartstudiotour.com.

— Akira Olivia Kumamoto

Best of 2014 (So Far)

All good things must come to an end. Graduation is just around the corner, so this marks the final edition of the Aggie Arcade. But sappy goodbyes are boring — let’s talk about great video games instead.

The first half of 2014 has seen plenty of enjoyable releases, but a few games stand out among the crowd. One of those games — Transistor — came out just last week. It’s the newest project from developer Supergiant Games, the team behind 2011’s critically acclaimed Bastion. Let’s just say they avoided a sophomore slump.

Transistor‘s greatest strength and weakness is its ambition. It tells a complex story of identity and technology that lacks a much-needed emotional punch, but it makes up for it with a gorgeous sci-fi world and deep combat system.

I became addicted to Transistor‘s action/strategy hybrid combat and its insistence on experimentation and careful planning. It reminds me of games like Valkyria Chronicles and XCOM: Enemy Unknown in that overt aggression works against the player. Thoughtful decisions and patience are the keys to success.

And though I found the narrative to be disappointing, the way in which Supergiant Games crafts a unique and highly detailed world always makes for a memorable experience. Years from now I’ll still fondly recall Transistor‘s Cloudbank city.

I loved my time with Transistor, but Dark Souls II and TowerFall Ascension are my two favorite games of 2014 so far. Both have been discussed in previous editions of the Aggie Arcade, but it’s worth repeating why they leave such a huge impression.

Anyone who knows me knows my passion for the Souls series. It challenges players and truly tests their resolve, but victory and the ensuing sense of accomplishment stands as the series’ greatest achievement. Dark Souls II retains that distinctive feeling and makes some important mechanical changes in the process.

I still prefer the original Dark Souls, but the sequel provides another unforgettable experience with terrifying bosses and even more terrifying environments. Even at its worst, it trumps most RPGs out there.

TowerFall Ascension, on the other hand, captures the nostalgic joy of my youth. It reminds me of when my brother and I would play multi-player games together in the same room. Now the industry continues to push online multi-player, but games like TowerFall still remind us how fun local multi-player can be.

It helps that the game itself emphasizes the importance of smart game design. At its core it’s a simple 2D archery game, but the way in which TowerFall factors in different arrow types, environmental hazards and player movement makes for a fun game outside of the appeal of local multi-player.

As I said, there are plenty of other 2014 releases that I have enjoyed, but Transistor, Dark Souls II and TowerFall Ascension are my clear favorites. I can’t wait to see what the rest of 2014 has in store.

Now it’s time to close the Aggie Arcade. Thanks for reading!

ANTHONY LABELLA can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.