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Friday, November 13, 2009 - 5

VH1's filthiest
sex therapy

A pec acle of culture

The 26th annual IASA
Cultural Show spotlights all
varieties of Indian dance
By KAVI SHEKHAR PANDEY
DailyArts Writer
"I'm really sorry, I'm on one hour of sleep
right now," said Engineering
senior Apurva Lingnurkar, Vmstaara
co-coordinator of the 2009
Indian American Students At Hill
Association cultural show, as Auditorium
he put the finishing touches Tonight,7 p.m.
on the show, hurriedly tweak- $12-$20
ing dance moves, fixing light-
ing cues and organizing chaos. And add to all
this a last-minute interview. Lingnurkar was
understandably distracted - he and fellow
coordinator Engineering senior Nishi Shah
have been planning the spectacle since Feb-
ruary. All this work, time and sweat is culmi-
nating in a single performance tonight at Hill
Auditorium.
"Vistaara," the title of this year's show (the
26th annual installment), showcasesthe efforts
of 250 participants who have been practicing
their routines since September. The show spot-
lights various dances that encapsulate aspects

of Indian culture, including the traditional
dances of "Bhangra," native to the state of Pun-
jab, and "Raas," a folk dance from South India.
New to this year's show is an all-girl progres-
sion, which fuses several dance forms together,
as well as a men's tribal dance.
A multi-sensory experience of great music
and elaborate choreography, the show is also
for a good cause. All proceeds from "Vistaara"
will go toward Pratham, a charity that works
to give illiterate and impoverished children in
India an education.
"Vistaara," translating to "development" or
"progression" in Sanskrit, precisely correlates
to the theme of the show.
"We wished to portray how various styles of
Indian dance have changed over time," Ling-
nurkar said.
"We plan on doing that through different
music and different dance steps, featuring
newer and older types of dance."
Planning the intricacies of the dances - some
of which feature dozens of participants danc-
ing simultaneously - is the job of the show's
dedicated choreographers. LSA seniors Kriti
Samaymantri and Manika Agarwal have been
planning their dance portion since April. It
represents the evolution of the Bollywood film
industry.
"(To embody the theme) we chose songs
from the '70s through present day - popular

songs that the audience and dancers would be
able to get in to," Samaymantri said.
Even audience members who speak no South
Asian languages will be able to follow the "pro-
gression of time" in the songs of this dance. The
upbeat, vivacious songs stretch from a jazzy
prelude entirely in Hindi to a very modern,
club-hopping groove featuring lyrics recogniz-
able to English speakers like "Ain't nobody like
my Desi girl." (Desi means "Indian.")
Although the performance's leaders devote
tremendous effort to perfecting the show,
there's an absolute "wow" factor to the com-
plex composition and precise that can only be
credited to the devotion of the dancers. The
participants have been vigorously practicing
since September, putting six to eight hours
every week. But LSA senior Yash Chauhan,
member of the "Bollywood" dance troupe,
doesn't fret about the sizeable practice obli-
gations.
"You'll sacrifice the hours cause you're hav-
ing so much fun at practice," he says. "It's going
towards a good cause, and the show is such a
big deal for (the university) - it's the biggest
student run production on campus."
On stage, this enthusiasm translates to an
exuberant event, where the performers will
be whirling and pulsating with a wide grin.
The only people having more fun will be in
the audience.

By ANT MITCHELL
Daily Arts Writer
Congratulations are in order
for VH1's newest creation. Not
every network
can claim to
have produced
the reality-show $ex Rehab
equivalent of a
used condom. w -th Dr.
In the realm of Drew
trashy TV, "Sex
Rehab with Dr. Sundays at
Drew" has got 10 p.m.
to be up there VH1
on the hierarchy
of shows that drain an audience's
faith in humanity, which includes
"A Doubleshot at Love" and "Fla-
vor of Love."
This sinking feeling of dis-
gust and disbelief is not directed
toward any of the cast on the
show, but rather toward the audi-
ences that supported "Celeb-
rity Rehab with Dr. Drew," thus
enabling the creation of "Sex
Rehab with Dr. Drew."
"Sex Rehab" follows the
rehabilitation of eight individu-
als, three men and five women,
including pseudo-celebrities like
Jennie Ketcham (a.k.a. Penny
Flame when she's moonlighting
as a porn star), Playboy Playmate
Nicole Narain and professional
surfer James Lovett. While try-
ing to sexually detox, some of the
women still make a living as Play-
boy Playmates, porn producers or
adult entertainers.
The whole scenario makes it
hard not to ask: Exactly what are
these people going to do career-
wise when they get out of rehab?
It doesn't seem like returning
to a livelihood of freelancing
as a dominatrix is conducive to
staying on the sex rehab wagon.
Following a summary of each
addict's claim to fame, Dr. Drew
has a session with each partici-
pant and he or she is welcomed
into the rehab center (a welcome
consisting of the filmed confisca-
tion of sex toys, skin magazines
and dildos named Jeremy).
Despite the incredibly uncon-
vincing melodramas and overly
contrived dialogue each patient
fuels, many of the sex addicts
actually seem genuinely messed
up, and it's hard noct to feel bad
for them. But sympathizing with
the participants isn't the point of
the show, nor is the point to shine

a light on real issues with which
people struggle.
Instead, the point of "Sex
Rehab" is to extract as much
shock value as possible from
everyone's problems. The show
makes a point of unearthing as
many participants' past sexu-
al abuses as can fit in an hour
(apparently seven) and by creat-
ing as many situations as possible
to set them up for failure.
The latter is achieved by room-
ing the guys and girls right across
the hall from each other, which is
basically the same thing as put-
ting out a table full of brownies
on "The Biggest Loser." If not
for the absolute transparency of
these tactics, the show might be
stomachable, but as it is, it's dis-
gusting.
While the show pretends to be
.concerned about each person's
recovery, "Sex Rehab" mostly
depends on the audience's desire
to hear about how Nicole can't
stop whacking off or how Smith
has STDs on his uvula.
One of the most disturbing
aspects of "Sex Rehab" is that Dr.
Drew himself doesn't seem to be
a very reliable therapist. Anyone
who has taken Psych 101 knows
that it's never a good idea to tell
patients how they feel, and then
A used condom
of a show.
frown if they try to disagree. His
later insinuations thathis patients
are lying makes him come across
as smug and pretentious, espe-
cially when he says things like,
"Although Phil claims he didn't
suffer childhood abuse, his grief
over his mother's death has cer-
tainly affected his addiction. I'm
certain that as Phil progresses in
treatment a more complete story
will unfold."
If any plan to brave this nause-
ating hour of pity, dreadful dra-
matics and clumsy mind poking,
be sure to bring knee pads (no -
not for that!).
Undouhtedly, hours will he
spent following the unfortunate
exposure of this show kneeling
before the TV-watching public,
begging forgiveness for having
fueled the production of filth of
this caliber.

The Macpodz get spiritual at the Pig

By KRISTYN ACHO
Daily Arts Writer
Tonight, Ann Arbor's own the
Macpodz are "landing their dance-
party mother
ship" at the Blind The
Pig. Or at least
that's how they P~dZ
put it. At the
But is this Blind Pig
going to be a
dance-party Tonight, 9:30 p.m.
mother ship
worth riding?
The Macpodz formed in Febru-
ary of 2006 with bass player and
vocalist Brennan Andes serving as
the hub of the wheel, getting the
band started by playing house par-
ties at Black Elk co-op on Baldwin
Ave. Since then, the Macpodz have
released two psychedelic, dance
friendly albums that have had mid-
dle-aged jazz fans grooving across
the region.
As self-proclaimed "disco-
beboppers," The Macpodz' live
performances employ '70s fusion
and electric jazz in the supposed
tradition of American Rock ("think
Booker T. & the M.G.'s and Miles
Davis" Ross Huff, University alum
and Macpodz spiritual junkie bold-
ly - and misleadingly - claims). It's
music that would make your par-
ents nostalgic for the good ol' days.
So what the hell is "disco-bebop"
anyway? Huff, who sings and
plays trumpet and flugelhorn for
the band, chatted with the Daily
to answer this burning question
and to dish about how the band is
musically influenced by everything

from yoga to 2 a.m. treks to Fleet-
wood Diner.
"We're influenced by so many
types of music - everything we can
get our hands on: jazz of course,
salsa music, rock'n'roll. We're tak-
ing things from Motown and reg-
gae - even elements of classical
music," Huff boasts in hopes of
defining the band's jumbled, "dis-
co-bebop" sound.
Although the Macpodz's sound
is largely based on jazz and impro-
visation, rock'n'roll was Huff's
strongest influence. Either way, it
would be pointless to try to stick
The Macpodz into one musical
genre, as each track feels bogged
down by a clunky disjointedness of
Latin, rock, and jazz influences.
The seasonings of rock'n'roll
throughout the band's tracks have
surprisingly enabled the Macpodz
to display their rock chops at rock-
heavy fests like Rothbury. But
it's hard to imagine the Macpodz
garnering the same types of fans
who came to hear rock anthems
performed by bands like the Black
Crowes and the Hold Steady.
Still, according to Huff, going to
diverse music fests like Rothbury
"gives us a chance to get in front of
audiences that may not have heard
of us, but maybe were there to see
Umphrey's McGee. And being in
front of music fans of that open-
minded nature, that are excited
about music and the community
surrounding it is a really positive
thing for us," he says.
But The Macpodz are really
about their small town roots. Just
as Huff described his admiration

of the s
at Roth
up with
mate,
like BI
Music I
"It's
thing t
Rothbu
are gre
networ
ple in d
we're it
Keep
values,
ridicule
the sec
get a d
studies
jazz cu
psycho
yoga an
Wh
"A lo
underst
and bo'
um and
or the f
exactly
what I
what th
just ent
ing deg
"I th
meanin
ects tha
one wa

pectrum of music displayed nection with the university."
bury, he was quick to follow Apparently, a degree from the
h his fondness for more inti- University really does prepare you
smaller Michigan festivals for the future.
issfest and Grand Marais Still, even if you're not seeking
Festival. a spiritual connection this Friday
nice to be onstage at some- night, it's bound to be an interest-
hat is not as big of a scope as ing endeavor.
try. Local-oriented festivals "Ifa person wants to come to a
at for building up a local show purely for the entertainment
k and getting to know peo- value, they can have that angle ful-
ifferent towns or areas that filled. But sometimes if a person
n," Huff says. wants to come to a show in order
ping in line with his folksy to search for that connection with
the University alum has a other human beings or searching
ously spiritual side. He was for that connection with a higher
ond University student to being those things can be available
legree in jazz comparative too," he says.
, which combines the basic Huff seems to be hoping to
rriculum with the study of reveal his deeper understanding of
logy as a creative process, "someone you might call God," he
id spiritual development. states. Dude, how profound.
When asked about his musical
influences, Huff keeps it local. He
claims that musicians and compos-
sere yoga and ers in the ever-growing Ann Arbor
music community influence him.
"If you're sitting, having cof-
fee with somebody you can realize
what the genesis behind their song
t of it catered towards the was and really get inside each oth-
tanding of how the mind er's work and understand it more
dy work in a creative medi- deeply. When you're a ticket holder
that goesbeyond justmusic the person on stage seems to be ina
ine arts. It prepared me for different world, they are very liter-
what I wanted to do. I view ally and clearly on another level,"
do as a trumpet player and he says.
e Macpodz do as more than But it's not all about self-
tertainment and the differ- enlightenment. For Huff every-
rees of that," he says. thing's an influence: "The subway,
ink there is amore profound the sound of the highway, or the
g. All of the current proj- restaurant you're eating in - the
at I'm involved with branch Fleetwood! The Fleetwood is a
y or another from my con- main influence."

WRITE FOR ARTS.
IT'S COOL
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ARTS IN BRIEF

CONCERT PREVIEW
Electro beats hit UMMA
The Flashbulb
At UMMA
Tomorrow, B8p.m.
Free
Benn Jordan could be called a lot of things,
but "complacent" isn't one of them. At a cre-
atively throbbing 31 years old, the bipolar
electronica artist has already released and dis-
tributed music under more than ten different
pseudonyms, and has pumped out a whopping

14 LPs in just the last decade.
The most prolific of these monikers has been
the Flashbulb, Jordan's primary outlet for exor-
cising his creative juices - and the label he's
deciding to wear when he plays at the UMMA
for free on Saturday night.
Stylistically, Jordan is in constant flux. Never
content to rest on his laurels, the electro-smith
is currently in creative transit from snare-pum-
meling, trip-over-your-shoelaces breakcore to a
more plaintive, string-laden breed of IDM (intel-
ligent dance music) inspired by classical music.
Jordan certainly deserves his classification
in the IDM genre - his music, while rhythmi-
cally arresting, has a meditative, cerebral qual-

ity that's better suited to aquarium-like trances
than ecstatic club-grinding. A multi-instrumen-
talist with a background in jazz guitar, he often
records organic instrumentation and then filters
it through electronic programs, creating a sound
that's alluringly alien without ever feeling syn-
thetic.
He refers to his music as "acousmatic," allud-
ing to a French artistic movement that attempt-
ed to make sound with no clear originating
cause, in order to move away from instrument-
driven music. And, whether you buy this or not,
Saturday night's sure to make you think while
creatively throbbing, too - free of charge..
JOSHUA BAYER