The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, October 24, 2008 -5A
Society and the
dance revolution
By SARA SCHNEIDER
Daily Arts Writer
"Whether werealize itornot,the
21st Century-world has been inevi-
tably shaped by
post-modernity
- globalization, ArCS in Time
international Friday,Oct.
policy, cultur- 24 at 4.p.m.
al pluralism, At Palmer
etcetera," said Commons
Angela Kane,
professor of
School of Music, Theatre & Dance.
"Similarly, the dance of today
embraces the influences and reac-
tions against both modern and
postmodern dance."
Kane and Jessica Fogel, a fellow
professor in the School of Music,
Theatre & Dance, will begin the
2008-2009 Dance Legacy Lecture
Series with a discussion on Ameri-
can postmodern dance protago-
nists.
Despite the lack of importance
placed on dance throughout the
average person's day, it plays an
essential role in art.
"Dance is an art of non-verbal
communication and, as such, it
can speak to people from all walks
of life," Kane said. "It can inspire,
evoke, incite and entertain all in a
single moment - and that's just in
terms of watching a performance."
Beyond the performance, dance
has a culture and history of its own
that continuously intersects with
other societal elements.
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This
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it's pos
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'n't think of there being a The viewers can translate the
utside the dance sphere," art to support their own ideas, or
aid. "There is no inside the art can force them to rethink
tside. Life and dance are these beliefs. Kane said she wants
tly intermingled. One to stress the importance of debate
ecomes the other; both are and differences of opinion, "not
only in the arts but within schol-
lecture will focus on the arship in general."
dern era, but attaching a Addressing the big issues
efinition to this time period through artistic means can allow
e goal of the organizers. people to form a deeper connec-
lieve it's more important tion with these injustices. This
w the different schools of method of communication and
and the ongoing debate on understanding provides benefits
is' both within and beyond beyond normal thinking.
Kane said. "There are multiple physical,
ugh the exploration of creative and therapeutic benefits,"
arying trends and debates, Kane said. "Dance, along with the
sible to gain insight into other arts, makes for a culturally
sent groups of thought and rich and diverse society."
Dancers and non-dancers alike
can benefit from learning about
the influences of history on dance.
ic oringthe This lecture will explore the New
York City art scene in 1950s and
rids of dance. 1960s, a time full of change and
excitement inside and outside the
dance world.
"The period of the 1960s and
1970s was a particularly revo-
earning about the dances lutionary one in dance," Fogel
ticular era, you can learn said. "And many new ideas were
bit about the cultural con- explored at that time which are
f that particular time and still being probed and spun out
ks to the present," Fogel today."
Artistic expression is a power-
e is a difficult art form ful medium that has both affected
fe to dissect, but it is this society and been affected by soci-
degree of interpretation ety. This kickoff lecture will pro-
ates the different opinions vide interesting insight into both
to breed a healthy debate. these relationships.
"Yeah, um, I don't think we were supposed to bring the GTO into the corn maze."
A nerd's quest
"On the Road"
meets "American
Pie" in new comedy
By ANNIE LEVENE
Daily Arts Writer
In 2007, psychologists Cindy
Meston and
David Buss **
catalogued the
237 top reasons Sex Drive
people have sex.
While answers At Quality16
seemed pretty and Showcase
straight-for- Summit
ward -the num-
ber one reason
for both men and women was "I
was attracted to the person" - one
surprising find was that men, not
women, were more likely to view
sex as away to gain status. Perhaps
this is the reason behind the film
industry's fixation on a certain
theme: losing your virginity.
Hollywood's stereotypical, vir
gin is slightly dweebish, usually
kind-hearted and almost always a
teenage guy. His mission? Lose the
virginity before the start of college
or forever be the outcast.
When contrasted with other
coming-of-age films centered on
female characters, it's not hard
to see a discrepancy in ideals. It's
not that girls are without carnal
desires. However, for characters
such as Juno MacGuff in "Juno"
or Stacy in "Fast Times at Ridge-
mont High," sex is the catalyst for
the real story in whichthe charac-
ter realizes it's not just becoming
sexually active that defines adult-
hood, it's also being able to deal
with what happens afterward. In
comparison, for male characters
going through the same sort of
bodily changes, the act of sex is -
for lack of a better word - the cli-
max, the total, and absolute, sign
that manhood has come.
That is, at least, the view of
Ian (Josh Zuckerman, TV's "Kyle
XY"), the sad little virgin of "Sex
Drive." Frustrated by his older
brother Rex's (James Marsden,
"27 Dresses") torments, Ian sim-
ply must get laid. Enter "Ms.
Tasty" (Katrina Bowden, TV's "30
Rock"), an almost too-good-to-
be-true hottie that Ian meets on
the Internet. With dreams of oral
sex running through his head, Ian
sets off with his best friends Feli-
cia (Amanda Crew, "Final Desti-
nation 3") and Lance (Clark Duke,
TV's "Greek") to meet Ms. Tasty
halfway across the country.
Needless to say, for a film practi-
cally begging to be compared to its=
predecessors, such as "American
Pie," "Sex Drive" is full of flesh,
alcohol and stupid gay jokes. Any
attempt to shock is pretty much
for naught since it's all been done
before.
Even the cameos seem outdat-
ed. The film features Seth Green as
a sarcastic Amish guy - because
what's funnier than not using
electricity? - but the dude hasn't
been culturally relevant since the
last "Austin Powers" film in 2002.
Even more shameful, "Sex Drive"
features the band Fall Out Boy
- whose last hit was almost two
years ago - in a sad and ineffective
attempt to up the cool factor.
While the actors who play the
three main characters are talented
enough, the characters themselves
are all quite flat. Inexplicable
ladies' man Lance spends his time
hooking up with random chicks
and giving Ian bad advice. As Feli-
cia, Crew mainly functions as a
somewhat-pretty face that spouts
one-liners that encourage loving
yourself or letting go.
In the end, "Sex Drive" is just
another coming-of-age story that
comes up alittle short.While audi-
ences will probably come to the
film expecting gross-out gags and
gratuitous swearing, is it too much
to want some sort of character
development as well?
It's too bad thatthe one char-
acter who really should grow the
most, Ian, ends the film in pretty
much the exact same position he
began it. Sure, he gets the girl -
three guesses whether it's Ms.
Tasty or Felicia - and he gets
laid, but he doesn't grow up. Per-
haps in an industry where physi-
cal acts have come to symbolize
emotion development, it's all we
can expect.
Revisiting, a classic
By TRINA MANNINO
DailyArts Writer
Diverging from the usual sitcom
or reality show, NBC has taken a
risk by picking
up the 13-part **
TV series "Cru-
soe." Qusoe
Based on
Daniel Defoe's Friday at
1719novel"Rob- 8p.m.
inson Crusoe," NBC
the show fol-
lows the famed
castaway of the same name (Philip
Winchester, "Flyboys") who strug-
gles to survive on an exotic and
desolate island. With help from
his native friend Friday (relative
newcomer Tongai Arnold Chirisa)
and his dog Dundee, Crusoe man-
ages to escape a group of greedy
pirates, Spanish soldiers and can-
nibals. The only thing that keeps
him from going insane is his desire
to return to his wife and family in
England.
The show won't appeal to most
teens and college students, as
it's more appropriate for parents
and their kids. Its action-adven-
ture themes, clean humor and
rmntir elements will anneal
Crusoe met Friday via a flashback,
and Crusoe's thoughts reveal
how he ended up stranded on the
island.
The story of "Robinson Crusoe"
came long before adventure mov-
ies like "Pirates of the Caribbean,"
but the TV adaptation appears to
have used "Pirates" as inspira-
tion to make it more appealing to
today's viewers. Lynch (Jonathan
Pienaar, "Blood Diamond"), the
ringleader of the dimwitted group
of pirates, seems to be based on_
Johnny Depp's iconic perfor-
mance as the offbeat Jack Spar-
row. Unfortunately for Pienaar,
he lacks Depp's charm and doesn't
look half as good in black eyeliner.
In addition to similar perfor-
mances, the show sensation-
alizes action sequences and
provides a hot pirate love
interest for Crusoe. What hap-
pened to missing his wife? It's
doubtful that Defoe intended
his main character to be a sex
symbol with a penchant for blow-
ing things up.
Unlike the vast majority of
shows on network TV, "Crusoe" is
a family-friendly show that canbe
enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
Despite its campy script and sen-
sationalized elements, the show
is a refreshing
concept in
the midst
of count-
less for-
mulated
shows.
4W romantic elieu i jpa -----
to viewers young and old. Mis-
chievous kids will envy Crusoe's
tricked-out treehouse filled with
booby traps and homemade con-
traptions, including a catapult
that launches coconuts.Aut TONIGHT AND TOMORROW MIDNIGHT
will enjoy the action sequences ___
and plot points about Crusoe's FOR MORE INFO VISIT MYSPACE.COM/STATETHEATREA2
relationships with his wife and
friends without worrying about 5
Like "Lost" for
pre-teens and
their parents. 3 8 2 1
2 7 6 3
offensive subject matter show-
ingup in front of the kids. But the 9 8 5 2
show won't appeal to the young
adult demographic because of its 6 7 5
corny dialogue and its inconve-
nient time-slot on Friday night. 8
Young people would probably -
rather watch grittier and more [ 7 9 4
current action-adventure shows
like "Lost" and "Heroes."
Despite its struggle to appeal 3 8 7 2
to TV's most sought-after demo-
graphic, "Crusoe" does a good job -
balancing multiple genres while
presenting the story in an original
way. Throughout the pilot episode,
characters' pasts are revealed
through their own personal flash-
backs. The show explains how
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