History of Dance: an Interactive Arts Approach by Gayle Kassing (65-130)

Summary:

     Social studies expert believe that in order to understand a historical era, one must immerse themselves in it. Capturing dance through its history takes a variety of tools and resources. Some dance choreographers keep a choreographic journal where they record movements, ideas, steps, floor patterns, dance positions, music count, phrasing, costumes and design. Dancers throughout history has a devise way to capture dancing by recording dance movements so that it could be shared with others. Dance iconography is a visual tool that captures a moment or the essence of a dance. 

Quote:

    "Dance does not appear in a vacuum. It exists as part of the tapestry of arts, culture, society and history." (Kassing, 125)

Reaction:

    I love this quote. It tells the audience that dance is a mixture of everything. Dance incorporates art, and culture in some dance choreography. Dance also has many connections to society and history. The choreography is created/design to reflect and mirror the real society. It also incorporates history to keep the plot develop, and to keep the audience members entertained.

   

History of Dance: an Interactive Arts Approach by Gayle Kassing (1-65)

Summary:

     Dance is a moving art that exist for a short period of time, then it disappear; only to exist in the mind of the dancers and the audience members. The major focus of the history of dance is the dancer, the dance work, choreography, and the literature within that period of time. The understanding if each of those concepts and components, and how they interrelate with other arts in a historical and cultural time frame. In history, "people drive the event." The dancers, the dance creators, the choreographers, and the directors. Dance is often called a mirror of society. A response to historical events, and also religious movement. It is also a social statement, no matter where its performed, nor by whom. How people danced and the types of dances they performed are connected to society and the historical time period.

Quote:

    "The dance is the mother of the arts. Music and poetry exist in time; painting and architecture in space. But the dance lives at once in time and space." (Kassing, 3)

Reaction:

    Dance is used as an active imagination. Its the mother of all other art, meaning its the leader/top chief of other arts. Dance consist if music, poetry, painting, and also architecture. It doesn't only exist in "time", but it also exist in space, meaning that it exists everywhere. Its another way to express others emotions and interior/exterior feelings. Dance lives both in time and in space.

The Lovely Bones (Film Adaptation)

Lovely Bones:

    The Film starts with a deep focus on the snow globe with a penguin trap in what is known as a "perfect world". Then the scene fades from the past, when Susie was younger, to the present time. Something important that I noticed was the high camera angle over the sink whole, its an important scene because that's where Susie's body got dumped. when Susie saved her brother's life I noticed that the music was first slow when Buckley was first hurt but, after when Susie started driving the car it became much more faster and it built more tension. During that part where she saved her brother. her grandmother said that she would live a long and happy life because she had saved her brother. I find this part as a dramatic irony, because the audience watching the movie knows that Susie will not live a long and happy life. This scene dissolved into a white light, and that's when Susie starts telling her story about how she got murdered. While Susie was in the mall, there was a shot when Susie was reading a magazine and she peeped up to look at her secret crush, while she was looking, Mr. Harvey, her murderer walked by, and was watching her. While Susie was walking home from school,there was a long shot to show  the audience what the surroundings looked like right before she encounters Mr.Harvey. The entire film was diegesis, because it every scene had a narrator. There was a dolley shot after Susie's murder, when she was trying to run away from her murder. That was before she was able to grasp the fact that she was dead. Another scene was when the Camera zoomed in on Buckley's drawing of where Susie is, "her heaven". 

Review on "The Lovely Bones" (Film)

Review:

    Peter Bradshaw, says that "The Lovely Bones" a startling story. "Its a mix of horrible and sickly-sweet in a ratio of one to eight". The lovely bones gives a pretty accurate picture of the afterlife. Bradshaw talks about the use of the term "my heaven" by Susie during the film. "Her spirit lives on, running desperately through the streets after the initial ­assault, ­unable at first to grasp that she is dead". This is a true statement. As you watch the film, it feels as though Susie is confused about her murder. She doesn't want to believe the fact that she is dead. When she focuses strongly enough, those who once knew her will feel her present. One example is her father and her little brother Buckley manage to see her just for a moment or feel her presents. Since Susie is in heaven, she is trapped in what she calls a "perfect world" just like the snow globe penguin that fascinated her as a baby in the beginning of the film. Peter Bradshaw says that it feels as though Jackson, the director of The Lovely Bones, has taken the meaning of heaven and "turned it inside out". In the film, ­instead creating a nightmare, he created a bland of "girly-sparkly" dream. I would definitely recommend this film to everyone. If you love suspend and tension, then The Lovely Bones is the right movie for you.  

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (pg 174-328)

Summary:
    For weeks Lindsey, Susie's younger sister, cased Susie's killer's house. She agreed to train with the soccer team throughout the year. She took on the challenging: qualifying to play in the all male high school soccer league. Each time the team runs around the neighborhood, Lindsey looks towards Mr. Harvey's green house. Inside that green house, Mr. Harvey was looking out. He was her watching and he began to itch. Its been almost a year now, but the Salmons remained bent on crowding him.
    Mr. Harvey would leave his house everyday for an hour or two. Well, On November 26, 1974, Lindsey saw Mr. Harvey leaving his house, and she begin to hang back from the team running. At the edge of Mr. Harvey's property was a row of tall, thick pines that had been left untrimmed. She smashed Mr. Harvey's basement window, then went inside. She searched around his house, and she found his sketch book.

Quote:
    "I wish you all a long and happy life" (Sebold, 328)

Reaction:
    This quote actually was pretty sad to me. She told us the story of her death, and how her family struggled. Susie herself, didn't live long and happy life. She died young at the age 14. Her wishing us a "long and happy life" is kind and sweet. She is hoping that we can enjoy our lives, and live as long as possible happily and after. Usually books have what you would call a "happy ending", well this is Susie's Happy Ending.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (pg 7-174)

 Summary:         
    In the beginning of this novel, the protagonist of the story, Susie Salmon, tells the reader about her rape and death. She was murdered on December 6, 1973. She explains the day she was killed. She was walking back home after school. Since it was snowing, she decided to take a short cut through the cornfield. While walking she sees Mr. Harvey. Mr. Harvey was a man from Susie's neighborhood. Her mother liked his border flowers. He was also Susie's murderer.
    As I continue to read the book, Susie tells us her journey in heaven. She remembers her death like it was yesterday. She met a new friend, Holly. She's been in heaven for three days now, just like Susie. She watchs what her family is going through after her death.
    Susie's father, Mr. Salmon, had a second tought about Mr. Harvey. He started to get more suspicious about him.

Quote:
    "I heard about the horrible, horrible tragedy....I hope they get the bastard. I'm sorry for your lost" (Sebold, 8)

Reaction:
    This quote is like a "HAHA, UHH" momment. This man has absolutely no shame. Its funny because he is susie's muderer.His the one that created the "horrible, horrible tragedy" that occured. I feel like his making fun of the family and the cops, or insult them by saying "I Hope they get that bastard", and "I'm sorry for your lost". Its like his trying to say, that he will never get caught, and goodluck trying to find him, althought his right their standing infront of them.
   

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (pg 424-529)

Summary:

    In these last couple of chapters, the narrator talks about how she has a too much male hormone. She inherited a very rare genetic condition, where the mutation express itself. The treatment that was recommended for her is twofold. First, a hormone injections. Seconds, cosmetic surgery. This treatment will initiate breast development and enhance her female secondary sex characteristic. The surgery will make Callie look like the girl she feels inside of her. Callie will never menstruate. So, she will never be able to have children. Callie doesn't agree with the surgery. So, she decides to go away, and write a letter to her parents. In her letter, She states that Dr. Luce, the surgeon, is a big liar. She said that she is not a girl. She is a boy, and that is what she found out. When Callie ran away to California, He went to jail. His brother, Chapter Eleven, had to fly to California in order for him to get custody of his brother, and released him.

Quote:

"My own medical story was only a reflection of what was happening psychologically to everyone" (Eugenides, 478)

Reaction:

    Callie is saying that what she went threw, everyone is going threw it now. Women were becoming more and more like men. And men were also become more and more like women. For a little while, sexual difference might pass away. But another thing seems to happen. This was called evolutionary biology. Were the sexes were separated by men being hunters, and women being gatherers.