Alvin Ailey Contextualisation Essay Example for Free

Alvin Ailey Contextualisation Essay Ailey used his culture and many childhood memories to base his choreography on. Church and worship played a huge role in the lives of black Americans and was the center of Ailey’s community. â€Å"The exuberance and poignancy of the black experience are well served in Aileys splendid. â€Å"The church was always very important, very theatrical, very intense. The life that went on there and the music made a great impression on me. † (A. P Bailey 1997 pg. 8) He grew up in Texas in the 1930s with both racial segregation and the economy being big problems of the time. â€Å"Black lives were as peaceful and secure as racism and poverty would allow. (Dunning, 1996) â€Å"In those days black people were forced into certain sections of the town†¦you couldn’t buy a house in other sections of the town, so you had to go to schools that were essentially segregated’’. In spite of the miserable living conditions   Ailey’s community and others alike were joyful in church and the drew drop inn which was where all the adults used to go on Saturday nights to dance to the blaring juke box. The dew drop inn was a rough place to be. My mother was in there, and everybody was doing what they considered to be the nasty dances†¦many of the same people who went to dew drop inn on a Saturday night went to church on a Sunday morning. In dance I deal with these two very different worlds: Blues suite and revelations. † (A. P Bailey 1997 pg23) At the age of 12 Ailey joined his mother in Los Angeles where she was to work as cleaner for a wealthy white family â€Å"I remember very well seeing my mother on her knees scrubbing these white folks’ rooms and halls. That image is in my ballet cry† (A. P Bailey 1997pg32) Here he experienced the theatre and heard the music of Duke Ellington for the first time, who’s music he later came to create a total of 14 dances to. Including The River’ â€Å"The River is a legendary collaboration between Ailey and Ellington was Ellingtons first symphonic score written specifically for dance†¦The legendary and highly acclaimed collaboration mirrors together the art forms beautifully. (http://www. exploredance. com/article. htm? id=1635) Creations of Two Masterful Artists, Alvin Ailey and Duke Ellington by Amber Henrie December 28, 2006. It was not until the 1940s that Ailey took a serious interest in dance, seeing the Dunham Company perform excited him in a way that nothing ever had before. Proving it to be a transcendent experience for him, he felt a connection with her and her dancers and was ‘lifted into another realm. I couldn’t believe there were black people on a legitimate stage†¦before largely white audiences†¦doing afro-Caribbean. Lester Horton not only inspired Ailey with his stylized technique and incredibly expressive movement but also in the way he offered his students a ‘complete education’ teaching them how to participate in all aspects of production from lighting and reading music to choosing the correct fabric for performances â€Å"He knew every fabric in the world and was extremely knowledgeable about color, design, dyeing and tailoring†¦I am still guided by Lester’s insistence that costumes must be made from extraordinary fabric† (A.P Bailey 1997 pg. 63) The Horton Technique focus’ on movements that lengthen the spine and the hamstring muscles with flat backs, lateral stretches, descending and ascending from the floor into horizontal positions, release swings, leg swings and deep lunges all of which appear in Ailey’s works regularly. Lester Horton has proved to be Ailey’s biggest influence; the similarities between the 2 choreographers are due to Ailey’s awe of Horton, his works and his attitude. As he just as Martha Graham had, had a mixed racial company â€Å"He realized that you have to use the best dancers regardless of color† (A. P Bailey 1997 Pg. 60) All of the above stylistic features are seen in works of Ailey’s such as Revelations, Cry and Witness to name a few. Each using deep plies and stunning lines to create interesting and meaningful viewing, using a combination of modern dance with jazz and classical ballet. Each with a meaning and a message to its audiences worldwide. Ailey (cited by De Frantz) said From his roots as a slave, the American Negro – sometimes sorrowing, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful – has created a legacy†¦ which have touched, illuminated and influenced the most remote preserves of world civilisation We bring you the exuberance of jazz, the ecstasy of his spirituals and the dark rapture of his blues. † Yet while Ailey drew lots of his choreography from his ‘blood memories’ he did create plot less works too, making more use of ballet technique which can be seen in Streams. After Lester Horton’s death, Ailey founded his own company and had great success that still lives to this day; he and his company toured worldwide and were awarded with numerous honours before settling In New York. Yet Thomas F DeFrantz (2004) said the unasked question, implicit in dozens of feature articles and reviews, seemed to be: how could a gay black man from dirt-poor. Rural, depression-era Texas, with limited dance training and no college degree found and run the most successful modern dance company in the idiom’s history?

Role of the College Dining Commons in Gaining the Freshman Fifteen Essa

Role of the College Dining Commons in Gaining the Freshman Fifteen Introduction: When beginning college, many freshmen, or first years, have to adjust to the different aspects of college life: the environment, the rigorous academics, the various clubs and activities to be involved in and the new friendships to be made. If one is living in the dorms, another area of adjustment to be made is the food. At UC Davis, the dining commons, more commonly known as the â€Å"DC,† are the main sources of food for freshmen (and a few transfer students) living on campus. While Sodhexo, the company that runs the dining commons, claims to promote a healthy variety of food to choose from, quite a few students disagree with Sodhexo’s claim, insisting that there are not enough adequate healthy foods to eat. This paper will explore and evaluate the food at the dining commons, from both a personal and nutritional standpoint, as well as determine if the food served can be linked to the â€Å"freshman fifteen.† The Dining Commons Diet: The following is a typical menu at the DC: At lunch, chicken nuggets, vegetarian cheese lasagna, sandwiches, Vegetarian Parmesan Panini, Vegan 5 Bean Salad with pita chips and Vegan cheesecake are offered. Dinner choices include: Salisbury steak and steamed potatoes, lemon ginger stir fry in a noodle bowl, vegetarian linguine parmesan, an array of pizzas at the pizza bar, Mongolian-style wok and Vegan Santa Fe chili and Jasmine rice. Of course, the dining commons also offers soups – such as vegetarian garden vegetable or turkey noodle, along with the Aggie grill, which includes hamburgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, grilled-cheese sandwiches, both grilled and breaded chicken breast patties and French fries... ...rect.com. Jones, Amy L. and Melody A. Graham â€Å"Freshman 15: valid theory or harmful myth?† Journal of American College Health. (January 2002). V50: 171. Online. PubMed. 6 March 2004. http://infotrac.galegroup.com. Keeling, Richard P. â€Å"Fear, shame, and health promotion.† Journal of American College Health. (January 2002) V50: 149-152. Online. PubMed. 6 March 2004. http://infortrac.galegroup.com. Kelly, Katy. â€Å"The ‘Freshman 15’. (weight gain by college freshmen).† U.S. News and World Report, Inc. 11 August 2003. V135: 54. Online. PubMed. 6 March 2004. http://infotrac.galegroup.com. Willett, M.D., Walter C. Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy. New York: Free Press, 2001. Worthington, Janet. â€Å"Surviving The Everyday Stuff.† Careers and Colleges. (March 2000) V20: p30. Online. PubMed. 6 March 2004. http://infotrac.galegroup.com.

Wounded Platoon

REACTION PAPER THE WOUNDED PLATOON Kevin Shields, a 24-year old Army Soldier, went out drinking with three Army buddies on November 30, 2007, from Fort Carson, Colorado, a base close to Colorado Springs. A few hours later, he was dead. He was shot twice in the head at close range and left by the side of the road by his army buddies. Shields' violent murder accentuated one of many violent attacks committed by the three Army buddies, who are now serving time in prison for Shield’s death and other crimes as well.Since the Iraq war began, a total of 18 soldiers from Fort Carson have been charged with or convicted of murder, manslaughter or attempted murder committed at home in the United States, and 36 Army soldiers have committed suicide. In the movie The Wounded Platoon, FRONTLINE investigate a single Fort Carson platoon of infantrymen, the 3rd Platoon, â€Å"Charlie Company† 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, and finds that after a long period time away from home, serving th eir country, a group of young men changed by the war in Iraq and suffering from a range of psychiatric disorders that many blame for their violent and self-destructive behaviors.Since returning from Iraq, three members of the 3rd Platoon have been convicted on murder or attempted murder charges; one was jailed for drunk driving and another for assaulting his spouse; and the other one has attempted suicide. They could not stop bragging about the amount of innocent people they have murdered and they have gotten away with it. â€Å"There's a whole bunch of people in the unit that killed people they weren't supposed to,† according to Bruce Bastien, who, along with Louis Bressler and Kenny Eastridge, is now serving time for the murder of Kevin Shields.In a stunning confession recorded by police interviewers and shown for the first time on television, Mr. Bastien admits to his role in the murder of two U. S. soldiers and the stabbing of a young woman during a robbery in Colorado Sp rings, thefts and murders are being committed in our own backyard by our own Army soldiers whose work is to protect us and our country. Mr. Bastien also makes claims about more murders committed in Iraq during the surge. â€Å"It's easy to get away with that kind of s**t over there. You can just do it and be like, ‘Oh, he had a gun,' and nobody really looks into it. ‘F*** it, it's just another deadHaji. ‘† But that excuse did not go too well for them here. While the Army has concluded that there is no evidence to back up Bastien's allegations of soldiers killing innocent Iraqis, PBS, Fontline also speaks with platoon member Jose Barco, who makes a similar claim. â€Å"We were pretty trigger-happy,† he says of the soldiers' time in Iraq. â€Å"We'd open up on anything. We usually rolled three or four trucks, and if one of them got hit and there was any males around, we'd open up, and we'd shoot at them. They even didn't have to be armed. † They have extended their behaviors here at home and even turned on their own Army buddies.ScienceDaily (Sept. 15, 209) The Veterans’ Administration should expect a high volume of Iraq veterans seeking treatment of post traumatic stress disorder, with researchers anticipating that the rate among armed forces will be as high as 35%, according to the Management Insights feature in the current issue of Management Science, the flagship journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS ®). 35% of our soldiers suffer from PTSD. The VA system which is already experiencing significant delays for PTSD treatment provision, urgently needs to vamp up its mental health resource capacity.Our soldiers are becoming mass murderers abroad and at home. Is it PTSD, boredom or just because they can get away with it? Anything less than manditory PTSD therapy upon return should be considered less than acceptable to the American public. We ask these personnel to put t heir ordinary lives on hold, commit unspeakable acts of valor and return to America without support and understanding. We can not begin to imagine the horrors these people have witnessed or experienced. With manitory treatment by psychotherapists, the stigma would be removed and maybe they would have a regained sense of morality. Being from N.C. and witnessing the struggles of returning military personnel from wartime, we need to do so much more for them. This was an excellent film and is exactly what I expected from Frontline. No opinions or hidden agendas. Just the facts and the room for us to interpret. I think we need to step back and remove the original problem, which is waging illegal wars in other countries. We are sending our people in there to be damaged, then trying to â€Å"fix† them, most of the time so they can become functional enough to go back on a deployment and do violence upon others and be re-traumatized. That is insanity.Did you notice how the assistant c hief of staff to the army talks about the soldiers as though they are products or commodities to be shipped to the front based on â€Å"supply and demand? † That is, indeed, exactly what they are. Just another pair of boots on the ground, just like any iraqi is â€Å"just another haji, like cattle or a dog. † These soldiers are de-humanized in the same way they have de-humanized the alleged â€Å"enemy† and that may be the moral lesson for them all. This should give any person a lot of pause before they voluntarily (and remember everyone, it is voluntary) signs up for this irrational, cowardly work. This should give any person a lot of pause before they voluntarily (and remember everyone, it is voluntary) signs up for this irrational,cowardly work. † You need to jump back with your bad self,you and like minded others are as much to blame as the incompetent system I've had to deal with because of my own issues,you reek of the snide arrogant sort who spend t he day blaming America for every wrong in the world before going home to sleep at night under that blanket of safety provided by better men than you,the same men you call cowards.You're not fit to lick the mud off any of my brother's boots What ‘blanket of safety' did the War in Iraq provide for anyone? It was and is a complete disaster that has cost us over 4,000 soldiers lives and $1 trillion to US taxpayers. It was waged based on lies by ‘chicken hawks', men like Dick Cheney who got 5 deferments when it was his turn to fight in Vietnam yet has no problem sending young American men and women to die for ‘weapons of mass destruction and liberating the Iraqi people. What a joke. The ‘support the troops' campaign is nothing but a Pentagon marketing strategy to take the onus off of the government's awful policies. If you really want to support the troops, look at the policies themselves and the terrible decision making that when into waging them and make sure it never happens again. We can support the troops by avoiding the needless deaths of 4,000 soldiers and the countless wounded. Thats real patriotism, saving American lives from needless death.I’m sure many Americans are scared of the same thing happening to their soldiers coming home in their hometown who are now in Afghanistan. So far our media has not really made any connections between crimes at home and PTSD. It will only be time. I’m also sure that our Military is keeping quiet. Sending our young men into combat result to PTSD, Madness, and violence backhome. The VA will ne er have enough resources to take care of the broken minds and bodies that wars have created.

Careers And Careers Computer Science - 1037 Words

Careers in Computing: Computer Scientist Computer science offers many different career options including software engineering, system analyst, and computer scientist. Each one of these career options focuses and specializes in one study of computer science and certain aspects. One major career choice that deals with computer science is a computer scientist. A computer scientist has acquired knowledge of computer science itself and various principles and applications that involve computer science. This covers a very broad range of studies, such as computer engineering, software engineering, information theory,database theory, computational complexity theory, numerical analysis, programming language theory, computer graphics, and so on. Computer scientists work on the theoretical side of computer systems, as opposed to the hardware or software side that computer engineers mainly focus on. The goals of a computer scientist are to study and research the principles of computers and predict behaviours (processors, programs, com puters interaction with people, computers interacting with other computers) as well as improve performance (cheaper, faster, better). They develop methods and try to advance our current technology. The most important educational requirement that pertains to computer science includes a P.H.D, a M.S, or a B.S in the field of computer science or a subject that closely relates to the discipline such as mathematics. It is very important to have strongShow MoreRelatedA Career Of Computer Science1065 Words   |  5 PagesA Career in Computer Science As a child, I said I was going to pursue many different careers because I had no guidance in this area and a head full of imagination. As I got older, I had to narrow my options. In high school, my 10th grade teacher asked me the burning question†¦.†What career do you plan on taking up?†. 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