Extra Blog Post #2

I am not a very creative or artistic person so having to make things from scratch usually does not appeal to me. For some reason, however, I have always wanted to try pottery although I have still never gotten the chance. I don't know if I would be good at it or not considering I am usually not talented when it comes to the arts but I think making pottery would be fun! It definitely looks hard when I watch other people do it so I know that I would not be able to successfully make pottery right from the start. In high school I tried to find an art class that I could take that would include making pottery but failed to find one. I am hoping that maybe a class here at Penn State does it that I would be able to take before graduating. If I am able to find a class that does I would first attempt to make a vase and then a bowl that my mom could put our dinner in. In my opinion pottery is clearly an art because the person making it can choose to design it in any shape or form he or she would like. People are able to express their emotions and thoughts through pottery making it an art as well.

Blog Journal #5: In the Red and Brown Water

The name of the main character in the play "In the Red and Brown Water" is Oya. At Penn State's Playhouse Theatre Oya was played by Dre Parker. The entire play focuses on Oya and her issues as she turns into a young woman showing her many struggles and decisions that need to be made. Oya is a high school track star who gives up an amazing offer of going to college on a scholarship to run in order to stay home and take care of her ill mother, Mama Moja. Plenty of boys wish for Oya to be theirs throughout the play including her neighbor Elegba, Ogun who has a stuttering problem and Shango who eventually becomes a soldier. After Mama Moja passes, Oya's godmother, Elegua, visits frequently and reminds her of how important her education is and that she should not be so wrapped up in finding a man. When Oya returns to tell the Man from State that she is ready to accept her scholarship now he breaks her the news that it is no longer there as an option for her and that he is sorry. This upsets Oya and she next agrees for Ogun to move in with her hoping to start a family, which is the complete opposite of what Elegba just recommended. She is clearly not happy with Ogun, however, so when Shango returns from fighting they have an affair. Neither boy can seem to get Oya pregnant for some odd reason. She withdraws herself and tells Ogun it is time for him to move on and find someone better for him. Soon after Oya finds out that a mean young woman named Shun is pregnant with Shango's baby. She goes inside her house to get a congratulations gift for Shango and returns bleeding as she hands him her ear that she just removed herself. 

What struck me as the most important thing about the story for Oya was the early death of her mother. I believe that if Mama Moja was not sick and getting ready to pass away Oya would have taken the scholarship to run, gone to college, not have worried over finding a man to have a baby with and not have gotten depressed. Mama Moja’s death pretty much determined the outcome of the rest of Oya’s life. Oya never ended up achieving what she originally set out to which was to be a top runner. Instead, she totally dropped running as a whole.

I was the most compelled by Ogun in the performance because he knew from the start that he wanted to be with Oya and did not give up on this. Although she wanted nothing to do with him in the beginning he was the one who ended up moving in with her later on in the play. He did his best to fix his problem of stuttering and was able to accomplish it just for her.

I cannot think of any critiques of the performance because I felt that it was excellent and enjoyed it very much. This was not my first time seeing a live theater performance either so I do have some experience. I have seen multiple other plays in New York City before. I think that this performance was not quite as good as those that I have seen in NYC but it did, impressively, come pretty close because the NYC plays are Broadway shows performed by all professionals. 

Extra Blog Post #1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv6PvH8hVKE

In my opinion the definition of art includes performance. I have been a cheerleader all of my life which means that I have been performing practiced routines in front of large crowds for years. When performing I do a skill called a backflip. A backflip is an art because it requires practice, is watched by others, and your body is bending and being positioned in unique ways that takes time and effort to perfect. Not everyone can just do a backflip. It took me millions of tries before I was able to say that I could successfully land a backflip all on my own. On top of that it cost a good amount of money to pay a coach to give me private lessons weekly. The video that I chose to use for my first chosen blog post teaches viewers what it takes to do a backflip which seems like a simple task but definitely is not. Once I accomplished it I was extremely proud of myself and knew that all of my hard work was worth it. It gave me a sense of confidence in a way that not many people can say they understand. The video is clear and to the point. I think it did a great job at exemplifying the art of doing a backflip and would recommend it to others who are interested in learning how to do one themselves.