The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, September 8, 2008 -5A
FINE A RPEIEW
UMS looks to
Arab world
"Do you know what they say about guys with a big nose and big ears?"
Empty beauty
By NORA FELDHUSEN
Daily Arts Writer
Every day we are bombarded by televi-
sion and online images of the Arab world.
Photographers and pundits shape our con-
ception of this vast region, in which our
country is heavily invested, but from which
we are culturally disconnected. But how
often do we discuss Arabic art, music or
dance?
A few years ago, the University Musical
Society (UMS) began to highlight a differ-
ent region of the world each season. They
started with the Arab world and went on to
explore Africa; Mexico, the Americas and
Asia. This season, they are beginning the
cycle again by returning to the Arab world,
a theme for which there is no shortage of
varied artistic material to fill this year's
roster.
The theme of global performing arts,
however, does not stray from UMS's regu-
larly impressive lineup. Highlights of this
season, in addition to the Arab-themed
UMS delivers
another global lineup.
performances, are the Mark Morris Dance
Group from New York City and the upcom-
ing return of world-renowned theater group
Complicit.
The largest Arab-American community
in the United States is about 40 miles from
Ann Arbor in Dearborn, Michigan. Accord-
ing to Claire Conley Rice, Interim Director
of Education and Audience Development at
UMS, the society chooses world regions to
"connect local communities with a season
of artists where they or their ancestors are
from." It hopes specific events will inspire
local communities to come out for other
UMS events, and there are ofteninforma-
tive activities like artist talks and panel dis-
cussions before or after performances.
This year, Rice said, UMS is attempting
to "festivalize the approach to global pro-
gramming" by adding more than just music
to the roster. The festival includes a theatri-
cal interpretation of "Richard III: An Arab
Tragedy." The play is set in an-unspecified
oil-rich Gulf location and willbe performed
in Arabic with English supertitles.
According to Rice, the goal of these per-
formances is not so much to send a politi-
cal message but to "celebrate a part of the
world that has been plagued with negative
stereotypes." The performances not only
pay tribute to a rich cultural world but help
audiences understand the diversity within
it.
There will be a number of unique events
inupcomingmonths, including The Culture
Project and Sulayman Al-Bassam Theater's
performance of Shakespeare, and Algerian
choreographer Heddy Maalem's interpre-
tation of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring."
This season also includes a book group,
with one session led by Zeitouna, the local
Arab-Jewish women's group. The women
will lead a discussion about "The Lemon
Tree," a story of an Israeli woman and a
Palestinian man who form a relationship in
spite of their surroundings.
Artists from across the Arab world will
be in Ann Arbor this year to show us that
seemingly disconnected regions of the
world with differing values and ways of life
can combine to create art that is dynamic
and exciting.
Ben Kinglsey and
Penelope Cruz fail
to save dramatic, yet
thoughtless, film
BY SHERI JANKELOVITZ
Daily Arts Writer
Somehow, "Elegy" isn't moving. How
is this possible? There are fantastic, raw
performances, mainly by the support-
ing cast, quiet piano music underscor-
ing many scenes and a supposedly heart
tugging climax that comes out of left
field. It clearly intends to be far more
emotional than it is onscreen. But some-
thing's still missing.
David Kepesh (Ben Kingsley, "Sexy
Beast") is a suave older professor who
uses his charm to seduce the most beau-
tiful of his female students, but only at
theendofthe semester,
after all grades have **
been given. Sneaky.
His prey of choice Eleg
at the start of the film Egy
is Consuela (Penelope At the
Cruz, "Volver"), a Michigan
beautiful Cuban stu- Theater
dent transfixed by Lakeshoe
every word that comes Entertainment
out of her teacher's
mouth. David's best
friend, George (Dennis Hopper, "Swing
Vote"), warns him about getting too
involved with Consuela, telling him she's
just a beautiful shell he'll never crack.
Yes, Cruz's character is beautiful
(as she always is) and seems almost
untouchable, but what more to her is
there? At one point, she tells David she's
going dancing with her brother and.
David is incredulous, as he never knew
she had a brother: The audience feels
the sameaway, shocked there are actual
dimensions to seemingly hollow char-
acters.
Maybe that's done on purpose. The
audience is continually reminded that
"beautiful women are invisible." Con-
suela certainly proves that point. She's
a beautiful face and, like David, we're
not supposed to care much about what
she says or feels. At one point the words
coming out of her mouth are actually
muted. She's clearly only meant to be an
See ELEGY, Page 8A
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