2-News

12 — Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Online Event: Thursday, November 19, 2020 | 4:00 p.m.

 An online lecture. For more information, visit 
events.umich.edu/event/75456 or call 734.615.6667.

Anti-Jewish 
Pogroms and 
the Origins of 
Multiculturalism

JEFFREY 
 VEIDLINGER 

Joseph Brodsky Collegiate Professor of 
History and Judaic Studies
Director, Frankel Center for Judaic Studies

DAILY DANCE COLUMN

MUSIC REVIEW

FILM REVIEW

SMTD’s Brendan Ryan at the sideline and on the stage

Sam Smith’s ‘Love Goes’ is a new, unbalanced sound

‘The Undoing’ is the thriller we need

I’m aware that I am not alone in 

missing Michigan football — I do believe, 
however, that my specific reasoning 
for missing football is more unique 
than most others, because I do not miss 
the actual game. I barely know what a 
fourth down is, and I could not tell you 
our quarterback’s name. I also do not 
miss tailgates, or the smell of beer on 
State Street, or my brother’s inevitable 
depression whenever we lose to Ohio 
State. But I do miss the marching band 
running out of the tunnel, the voice of 
James Earl Jones on the loudspeaker 
and the flight of cheerleaders as they’re 
tossed into the air. 

Most of all, though, I miss our dance 

team. Each year, I pay for a full season 
ticket package of entrance fees so I can 
march down State Street, climb into the 
bleachers and spend all four quarters of 
every gameday watching the dancers 
spin and jump and cheer with impeccable 
precision. 

One of those dancers is Music, 

Theatre & Dance senior Brendan Ryan, 
who currently serves as a 2020-21 team 
captain. Pre-COVID-19, one could easily 
spot him by looking for the lone male on 
the sideline of female dancers — when he 
was recruited out of high school, Ryan 
became the first man to ever join a Big 10 
dance team. Superlatives aside, his spot 
on the field was well deserved: What he 
lacked in hair flips he made up for with 
dynamic facial expressions and absolute 
sass. Rain or shine, win or lose, Ryan’s 
dancing was always a joy to watch from 
the bleachers. 

“I can’t picture myself doing anything 

but performing,” Ryan recently told me 
over a FaceTime call. He phoned from 
the couch of his Ann Arbor apartment, 
backed by a massive Block M flag and 

wearing a Michigan t-shirt. His maize 
and blue pom poms hung on the wall off 
to the right. The decor was probably a 
good metaphor for the zealous dedication 
required of any successful dance team 
member. 

He and his teammates dance at every 

football and basketball game, through 
the supposed breaks of timeouts and 
halftimes. To do so, every dancer must 
memorize more than 60 sideline routines, 
each of which is assigned a codename. On 
gameday, when the band begins to play, 
the captain will yell out a code (it might 
be “Pineapple!” or maybe “Bubble!”) and 
the dancers have less than three seconds 
to begin dancing, on the beat, synced 
with the rest of their teammates. 

“We constantly get referred to as 

‘Oh, they’re just there to look pretty on 
the sidelines,” Ryan said, “and that is so 
not the case.” The system requires an 
immense amount of prep — practices start 
in early August, a month before classes 
begin, during which new members must 
learn all 60 routines. Throughout the 
year, they continue to clean each sideline, 
aiming for more precision and better 
positioning each time. Simultaneously, 
the team also learns and cleans three 
full-length routines — jazz, hip hop and 
a school-spirit-based game day program 
— for competition at the Universal 
Dance Association collegiate nationals 
in January. Their performances often 
become contenders for the top ten 
placement and this past year, they made 
the hip hop finals for the first time since 
2013. 

“We’re cheering on our sports teams 

and having a season of our own at the 
same time,” Ryan said. During the school 
year, the group works like any other sports 
team: four days of two-and-a-half hour-
long practices alongside two more days of 
cardio and strength 
training at the 

University’s athletic 
facilities. 

“The 
only 
day 
we 
have 
off 

is Saturday,” Ryan said, “but those are 
typically game days.” 

It’s a full-time, physically demanding 

gig, but 2020 marks only the ninth year 
that the University will classify its dance 
team under athletics. Ryan’s coach, 
Valerie Stead Potsos, worked diligently 
to build the team’s reputation to the point 
that they could receive funding from the 
athletics budget. “That was huge,” Ryan 
said, “She worked so hard to get us looked 
at as a sport.” 

Potsos’ fight represents a larger effort 

for dancers to be recognized as the 
physical practitioners that they are — 
to raise awareness for the athleticism 
behind the accolades, and push for more 
people to peer down from the stands 
of the Big House and cheer in awe of 
the work that goes into the precision of 
each dancer’s movements. To go for the 
football and stay for the dancing. 

But even inside the dance world, 

Ryan walks a tightrope between two 

different microcosms — he is one of six 
team members to also pursue a BFA in 
dance. “It’s two different worlds,” Ryan 
said. Athletic facilities converge with 
conventional studios that teach theory, 
history 
and 
composition. 
The 
two 

denominations do not always get along: 
“We have professors here who have 
danced all their lives and have somewhat 
of a traditional view of dance,” Ryan said, 
“and they kind of roll their eyes when 
they hear about dance team stuff.” 

As a result, Ryan and his team members 

can often find themselves contending 
with a double-edged sword. Outside the 
dance world, they defend their right to be 
viewed as a sport. Inside the dance world, 
they defend their right to be viewed as 
dance. The melee between both sides 
can be quite common for those who work 
in creative fields structured through 
competition. Where does the dancing 
stop and the sport begin? 

To Ryan, this question may not entail a 

strict line in the sand. In fact, there might 
not be a linear answer at all. After four 
years of competitive and concert dance, 
he sees himself as an embodiment of the 
back-and-forth overlap between the two. 

“Being in both worlds, I know what 

it takes, and I respect both viewpoints,” 
Ryan said. Now, as he looks to the future, 
this overlap will inform his professional 
dance career. To start, he hopes to join the 
ranks of a growing number of men in NFL 
and NBA cheer teams. “I think there’s at 
least 20 males now, nationwide,” Ryan 
said. Just a few years ago there were none. 

From there, the sky will be the limit. “I 

don’t know, backup dance for Lady Gaga 
one day?” Ryan said, or maybe Broadway. 
The open-ended career options come 
from the breadth of styles he tackled 
while here at the University. He is sports, 
art and hard work wrapped up into one.

Daily Arts Columnist Zoe Philips can be 

reached at zoegp@umich.edu.

ZOE PHILLIPS

Daily Arts Columnist

MICHIGAN MARCHING BAND PHOTOGRAPHY

Sam Smith won the hearts of the world 

over with their 2014 album In the Lonely 
Hour. Smith has a sultry, powerful voice, 
one that can make a listener experience 
the exact emotions Smith is singing about. 
Songs like “Stay with Me,” “I’m Not the 
Only One” and “Lay Me Down” are classic 
pop ballads that remain popular six years 
later. 

From addressing their sexuality and 

gender identity to discussing body image 
issues, Smith has become a beacon of hope 
for many struggling with the same issues. 
In the five years between their first studio 
album and the release of Smith’s 2020 
album Love Goes, Smith has established 
themself as both an icon in the music 
industry as well as an outspoken public 
figure. 

Smith’s Love Goes is a well-timed album 

about the cruelty of the world around 

them. Smith actually initially planned 
for the album to be named To Die For but 
changed the title after taking the global 
pandemic into consideration. The album 
addresses heartbreak, difficult memories 
and the general pain in the world. 

Smith starts the album on a strong 

note with the acapella track “Young,” 
which gives their unbelievable vocals a 
chance to shine through without being 
overshadowed by any backing tracks. 
Smith sings wistfully about wanting to 
“Get a little wild, get a little high, kiss a 
hundred boys and not feel like I’m tied to 
them.” The song is a reflection on their 
youth and realizing that they do not 
deserve to be judged off the things they did 
as a young person in the public eye.

From this point on, unfortunately, the 

album loses its momentum. Smith tangles 
the thread, shifting from a synthy pop 
track to a slow ballad over and over again. 
There is very little consistency throughout 
the record, which is something that Smith’s 
In the Lonely Hour didn’t struggle with, 
on the other hand. It seems as if Smith is 

split between wanting to experiment with 
upbeat dance tracks and wanting to stick 
to their signature crooning vocals on top of 
piano instrumentals. While experimenting 
with new sounds is something that every 
maturing artist should feel entitled to do, 
this type of stark contrast in sounds on the 
same record ends up making the album 
feel confusing and directionless.

The strongest tracks on the record tend 

to be the ones that most closely resemble 
Smith’s first album. “Love Goes,” featuring 
Labrinth, is a catchy, slow song that shows 
off the strength of both artists’ vocals. 
“For The Lover That I Lost” is a heart-
wrenching ballad that reminisces about an 
old love. Those tracks could have easily fit 
on In the Lonely Hour, and they’re proof 
that maybe Smith’s strongest sound is the 
one they’ve been using since the beginning. 

The five bonus tracks at the end of the 

album also throw off the balance of the 
record. Three of the songs (“Dancing 
With A Stranger,” “How Do You Sleep?” 
and “I’m Ready”) are huge radio hits that 
sound over-produced. It’s clear they were 

added to the end of the album simply 
to boost its popularity, and they simply 
don’t fit into the rest of the tracks. Smith 
should have just decided to end the album 
on “Kids Again,” a simple, sweet song that 
brings the album full-circle to the idea of 
youth that Smith introduces in “Young” at 
the beginning. 

The album is clear evidence that Smith 

is continuing to change with every project 

they put out. While they have a lot of 
trial and error to go through to discover 
what sound works best for them, Smith 
is an undeniable vocal powerhouse who 
will likely continue to shine in the music 
industry for years to come.

Daily Arts Writer Gigi Ciulla can be 

reached at gigishea@umich.edu.

GIGI CIULLA
Daily Arts Writer

CAPITOL

The elements that make an excellent 

psychological thriller are subjective, but “The 
Undoing,” an adaptation of the novel “You 
Should Have Known” by Jean Hanff Korelitz, 
is guaranteed to meet your expectations. 
The pilot opens with the soft, smooth jazz of 
“Dream A Little Dream of Me” and a montage 
of children innocently playing in the opening 
credits. “The Undoing” has a way of captivating 
its viewers with its strong elements of mystery 
and compelling themes. Miguel Alves (Edan 
Alexander, “Succession”), runs down the street 
in a hurry, he opens the door to a shop where 
he stands, frozen, immediately drawing the 
viewers attention with the suspense of this one 
scene. 

Grace Fraser (Nicole Kidman, “Big Little 

Lies”), a psychiatrist married to oncologist 
Jonathan Fraser (Hugh Grant, “Big Little 
Lies”), lives in a wealthy, upper-class area 
of New York. Together they raise their son, 
Henry Fraser (Noah Jupe, “A Quiet Place Part 
II”), who attends an expensive private school 
along with the children of Grace’s girlfriends. 
As a part of the school’s committee, Grace 
and her girlfriends have a meeting to plan a 
fundraiser when outsider Elena Alves (Matilda 
De Angelis, “The Big Other”) straggles in. The 
next day, Elena is found dead by her son Miguel 
in a gruesome bloodbath in her art studio. And 
Grace’s husband? Nowhere to be found. 

The episode subconsciously lures the viewer 

into the world of the one percent and compels 
them to believe that all that glitters is not really 
gold. A rich family may seem perfect on the 
outside, but there is always an ugly truth that 
lies beneath the surface. This show doesn’t 
necessarily make you want to shout “Eat the 

rich!”, but it does you reveal that people in a 
place of privilege have secrets — and they are 
capable of hiding them much better than the 
average joe. 

On the other hand, there’s a contradiction 

between Grace’s career as a couple’s psychiatrist 
and her own life, where there’s something 
obviously wrong with her marriage. To society, 
considering everything the wealthy may be 
able to acquire through their way of living, 
everything may seem perfect on the outside. 
So it makes one think, do people of higher 

statuses only pay attention to one another on 
a surface-level basis? In other words, do they 
feel the need not to be more involved with 
their partner’s lives because they’re blinded by 
wealth and money? Could Jonathan be involved 
in an affair with Elena? It’s odd that Elena was 
instantly drawn to Grace as if she had some sort 
of unknown connection towards her. However, 
it’s too soon to make final conclusions on such 
a situation. 

Additionally, the music in this episode was 

the perfect vehicle for the tone. Throughout 
the episode, there were constant scores 
of 
ominous, 
orchestral 
music, 
working 

wonderfully to prepare the viewer for a sudden 
event. It helped push the show into its narrative 
of suspense. All the actors and actresses were 
dedicated to their roles and portrayed their 
characters 
exceptionally 
well. 
However, 

the cinematography was bland. For certain 
scenes that were meant to illustrate a dark and 
foreboding tone, the lighting stayed consistent 
and did little to help set the scene. 

For those who have a love for suspense and 

thrillers, “The Undoing” is the perfect match. 
With its appealing way of drawing the viewer 
in throughout the entirety of the episode, 
it’s bound to keep your attention and leave 
you wanting more. The commentary on the 
underlying issues within the upper class only 
adds to the mystery and makes it all the more 
ominous.

Daily Arts Contributor Jessica Curney can be 

reached at jcurney@umich.edu.

JESSICA CURNEY

For The Daily

The episode 

subconciously lures the 
viewer into the world 
of the one percent and 
compels them to believe 
that all that glitters is not 

really gold.

