Tuesday, May, 31 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 8 'Born This Way' cinches Gaga's edge 4 The Mother Monster of controversial pop sensation strikes again By ARIELLE SPECINER Daily Arts Writer Whether it's dyeing her hair black and white, getting carried in via egg to the Grammy Awards or debuting a radio-friendly song about one of the most LdyGaga notorious back- stabbers in the Born This Way religious world, lotorsco Lady Gaga sure knows how to get people's attention. And she does not fail to continue this legacy with her sophomore album, Born This Way. The reigning princess of pop and fan-proclaimed "mother mon- ster" hits quite a few high notes - both literally and figuratively - on what could be one of the most influential pop albums of this gen- eration. Though that may be say- ing a lot now, Gaga preaches songs of self-love mixed with sex appeal in a way that hasn't been done since our Madgesty, Madonna. Comparisons aside, Gaga is ready to continue gracefully weaving her way through the pop world with outrageous outfits and outrageous- ly catchy hooks (Judah-jud-ah-ah anyone?) found on Born This Way. The album is chock full of pop prodigies such as the lead single "Born This Way" (possibly lov- ingly ripped off from Madonna's "Express Yourself"), the smooth- as-butter "You and I" and the are- na-ready anthem, "Edge Of Glory." Born This Way is jam packed with '80s hairband influence, iiber European techno beats and a cou- ple of saxophone solos from the E Street Band's Clarence Clemons (yes, really). In normal Gaga fashion, the Lady throws some serious curve- balls on Born This Way. Unusual subject matter and multiple lan- guages grace the album as she sings about seducing John F. Ken- nedy on "Government Hooker," her support for gay rights on "Americano" and Mary Magda- lene on "Bloody Mary." Those are not exactly the key elements one would normally find on a standard pop album. And unless you live under a rock, you know that Lady Gaga has never been one to follow standards - which is a prominent theme on her latest album. On tracks like "Bad Kids" and "Hair," Gaga wants her little mon- sters to know that they can be whoever they'd like to be and not to become one among the masses. On "Bad Kids" she sings, "Don't be insecure / If your heart is pure / You're still good to me if you're a bad kid baby." Born This Way not only shines through Gaga's abilityto write cre- ative and controversial material, but also her vocal talent and musi- cal aptitude. The New York native knows her way around a solid song writing session. On the highlight of the album, "You and I," Gaga slows it down to reminisce about her "cool Nebraska guy" and belt out "I love you." Though this may seem like a normal pop theme, Gaga gives it a twist with imag- ery filled lyrics: "I couldn't listen to a joke or rock 'n' roll / Muscle cars drove a truck right through my heart." In true Gaga form, she brings gritty, greasy toughness to t X MI 0 Don't come too close, she actually does bite. a love song. In contrast to the sappy but stel- lar love song, Gaga pulls out her normal dance ways on tracks like "Schiege" (which is 75 percent in German) and "Judas." The beat drops are every techno-head's dream and even to the non-ravers out there, the dance tracks on Born This Way aren't too intimidating. Lady Gaga manages to introduce her "Just Dance" days to this more modern and sophisticated scene. While her devoted little mon- sters may give this album two full paws up, Born This. Way falters at its over indulgence. Though Gaga is known tobe over the top, there's only so much over one can go while still being taken seriously. Because Gaga is such a public spectacle, she puts too much energy in the perfor- mance factor of her songs and that tends to overshadow her talent. But quite frankly, it doesn't matter if you love H-E-R or not - because realistically, she doesn't care - she was born that way, baby. Dance Works elicits inspired contemporary pieces By ANNA SADOVSKAYA For the Daily Ann Arbor Dance Works, a Uni- versity dance company comprised of faculty, students and invited choreographers, is unveiling its Ann Arbor 26th annual spring perfor- Dance WorkS mance this week. It will feature dune 2-4 dances by both t 8p.m. new and return- Betty Pease ing choreogra- Studio Theater phers, as well as reinvented and Ticketsfrom$10 digitally inspired pieces. "The opportunity to work with faculty, guest artists and really tal- ented dancers creating new work, is what we live for," said Jessica Fogel, artistic director and co-founder of Ann Arbor Dance Works. Fogel has been with the Uni- versity for over 20 years, teaching dance and inspiring young adults to pursue an understanding of the fine arts. "This generation of dancers real- ly wants to engage with audiences that don't necessarily always view the shows, that don't always attend the concerts and performance," Fogel said. "The idea of having encounters through performance and dance with a new audience excites our dancers." For the 2011 Spring Season, Fogel explained that it is more than ever an expression of inspiration on the part of the choreographers and dancers alike. "This is the creation and the revival of dance. The show fea- tures artists and choreographers coming together," Fogel said. The performance includes pieces by Sidra Bell, Amy Chavasse and Peter Sparling, along with Robin Wil- son's "Feets!," "Blues/Crossroad" and Bill DeYoung's "Tenfold." "One of our choreographers, Sidra Bell, was recommended to us by many different people," Fogel said. Bell, the artistic director of Sidra Bell Dance New York, has had her work represented nationally, along with featured debuts in Germany, Greece and Denmark among other European countries. "It was interesting to see her building a new work with our danc- ers over the past two weeks," Fogel said. "She's pulled together a very stylish, exciting contemporary work." Along with Bell, resident cho- reographers have also created pieces to evoke appreciation for dance from the audience. Spar- ling's "Patient Spider" is a digitally- enhanced screendance, featuring the music of composer Yehuda Yannay, and words by Walt Whit- man from his "A Noiseless Patient Spider." It mixes media and live movement to produce what Fogel describes as a "graphically beauti- ful work." Furthermore, "a person can view ('Patient Spider') on their computer and it would be a visually stunning piece," Fogel said. Although there is an abundance of dance fashioned online, some works only come alive in person. Amy Chavasse's "What Passes for Tenderness" is a "wonderful piece for six women, trading ideas about tenderness, and cruelty, and the double edge of that." According to Fogel, Chavasse, through collabo- ration and improvisation, explores the ideas behind what defines ten- derness in the 21st century and what is contrasting to its definition. "It's a very vivid way of experi- encing one's own sense of meaning through movement," said Fogel. "And having an encounter with the performance and then with the audience." AddedFogel: "Thisshowfeatures really top caliber dance works, with fabulous dancers. It's a great, inti- mate performance experience, and it's an opportunity to see things close at hand." q a cOURTESY OF GLENN BERING Dancer Tehillah Frederick performs at 25th annual Ann Arbor Dance Works.