Iranian Cultural Experience

They first danced together. This piece was a burst of energy for the production. They used the entire stage and had very drastic movements. The two dancers danced very good with each other; they both had large sweeping gestures. After they performed together, they each had a solo. The guy went first and his dance was a very high energy performance. He had incredible leaps and jumps. He used the entire stage and made sure the crowd did not get bored of watching him. I loved this performance because it was so high energy and I felt that if I looked away for a second I would miss something. The girls’ performance was high in energy as well but more mellow. Her movements were very graceful, fluent, and

Furthermore, the connection between these artists ensured an impeccable performance. Seeing people look up and interact with each other reinforced their confidence and helped the ensemble stay together. They moved and played together as one organism. Thus, short notes were played identically by every person, creating sections of order in a piece of pandemonium.

When the concert first began, the three instrumentalists walked with energy despite their age. The first song, “Sonata I in G-Major Op. 2, Nr. 1” by Michel Blavet, was a Baroque Sonata. There were five movements and was played by the harpsichord, flute, and cello. All movements of the song were polyphonic because of the three instruments that had different parts and equal importance. In the first movement, I noticed that the flute tended to rise in pitch. In the second movement, I noticed that the melodies often repeated. Throughout the rest of the song the tempo changed from fast to slow and the flute would usually take the lead. On the last movement, the cello and the harpsichord

Arab Americans are defined primarily of their religious identity and they reside in all 50 states. The first generation of immigrants from the Middle East dates back to late 1800s. The majority of immigrants’ population came from Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. Religion plays an important role in the Arab society and most of their way of life is not necessary because of their religion. Like many other immigrants, the reason these immigrants migrated to the United States was to escape the religious persecution, an opportunity to build a better life. Majority of how Arabs interact and the way their culture is has to do with the Koran and it is one of the foundations of Islamic law. In the Arab American culture, family is an important aspect and everyone plays their respective role. Fathers are the head of the households and are expected to provide for his wife and children. The women has restrictive education and they help support the family by caring for the house. Kids take on a role are taught by their parents depending on their gender. Boys are most likely to follow the footsteps of the father to prepare to care for his own family one day. The girls learn the basics of running a household. It is common for the children to live with their parents until they marry or live with them to care for them as they age and can no longer care for themselves. The Arab culture also value respecting the elders and they are often the decision makers in the family. The family

Usually, music from the side of the listener is heard differently, it could be appreciated but music from the side of the originator, from the person who is playing it has a different feeling. The interaction between the instruments, the players and the band in general is a beautiful thing to witness. And as the narrator explained, as one instrument beckoned to the other, as as another instrument answered with an equal amount of sonorous beauty, it created a cacophony and beautiful sounds that the singer called “the

This was evidently appreciated by the audience as it permitted them to understand the background of the piece better. Correspondingly, being that there wasn’t a conductor, the body language was interesting to watch, as the performers organized and timed themselves accordingly. I found that the passion in the duo was more prominent than in past concerts. You could see this reflect on the audience as after the end of every piece, the audience couldn’t help but burst into applause as the passion and exhilaration built up till the very end of the pieces. Moreover, the pieces that where performed felt more intriguing using a wider range of music styles, from jazz to classical waltz. Therefore, the pieces ranged in dynamics, tone and mood evoking many more moods and

My favorite part of the concert was the second part. The group played a song called “Body and Soul.” The guitarist played slowly before the others joined. They created a relaxed atmosphere with an old-school effect. All the notes were legato except the melodies of the drum which was staccato. The combination added character to the piece and made it entertaining. At 19:00, the pianist played briskly but beautifully, then the guitarist did the same. The notes became high pitched and the tempo and dynamics increased. After the guitar stopped, everything went into decrescendo and the melodies from the bass and drums became choppy (staccato). Overall the piece surrounded the theme of dependence and how it affects one’s happiness or strength. The piano and the guitar brought the happy aspect to the piece and without it, everything weakened and became uncoordinated. Initially it celebrated peace,

On the night of November 11th, I attended Divahn’s performance at the Gamble Auditorium. Their music featured Middle Eastern, Latin, and Indian styles, and the vocals were sung in various native languages of the Middle East. Although I could not understand the lyrics, the music was able to demonstrate the emotions of the piece effectively, so that I could understand the content of the music.

As I was sitting in the audience, the first thing that I noticed was that the audience consisted of all ages, ranging from eighteen years of age to perhaps eighty years of age. In preparation for the concert to begin, several performers entered the room and tuned their instruments to the keys on the piano. The performers’ attire was highly conservative, covering almost every inch of their entire body, and they wore all black from head to toe. When the concert began, the audience clapped as the performers were introduced and were walking out onto the playing area. As the performers took their seats in front of their stands, the audience became quiet and there was a short moment of silence before the performance commenced.

Seemingly the death of intellectual life from the western viewpoint, the cultural revolution in Iran opened a new chapter in the country. As they denounced Western influences, they made way for a new wave of Islamic culture. The Cultural Revolution affected more than just the educational aspect of Iranian society, it also heavily affected its citizens. The Iranian Cultural Revolution was centered on the reformation of the education system in Iran, so the impact the cultural revolution had on Iranian students, educational institutions, and professors would outweigh any other.

Each woman’s experience plays a different note that completes a beautiful melody and through their voice you see the essence of a woman.

The concert started with Tim Sanchez playing the Oxycotten on the Marimba. Not only was this instrument a first time experience for me but the dynamics

As Michael Axworthy states on the back cover of his book, A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind, Iran is a “land of contradictions”. As this is true these contradictions is what makes Iran, Iran. Iran today is looked as the pinnacle of the Islamic faith in the form of a Government structure. Since 1979, Iran has been known as the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iran will continue being an Islamic Republic for centuries to come. Iran has a rich history of intellectuals and scholars. Iran is known for its vibrant culture that dates back longer than the Western Ideals were even conceived. However Axworthy asks a question about Iran and its impact on the world’s history and the current events that we see in Iran today, Axworthy asks “Is Iran an aggressive power, or a victim?” This statement is a true paradox, can Iran be the next Nazi Germany, the next Soviet Union or the next Great Islamic Caliphate or is Iran just fighting to keep its culture alive from a vast array of attacks from foreign entities and internal struggles.

The concert was performed on the Southam Hall stage at the NAC; this is a large hall with extremely good acoustics. It is a nationally known stage, so the quality of the hall is very good. Generally, the audience was very receptive as it was composed of adults, who were all silent. The acoustics were very good as the hall spread the sound throughout the hall without making it echo. This had a positive effect on the performance, because it was possible for the orchestra to be clearly heard from any point in the entire hall. I was impressed by the large number of students that I saw that night because the show deserved to have been heard by many young people.

This afternoon, I went to the music concert hall where is located in the music building for the listening hour, a small noon-time concert which is performed by the staff and students from the music majors. Since it is a free noon-time concert, most of the audiences just wear the t-shirts and jeans to the concert. Dresses are not required for the concert. The performance today is given by the Ananda Jazz Ensemble. They have played “Running Away”, composed by Bob Marley; “Madalena”, composed by Ivan Linz; “Conejitos y Ananda”, composed by Abi Romero; “La Bikina”, composed by Ruben Fuentes; and “Chukaro”, also composed by Abi Romero. Because this is a Latin Americdan Journey, all of the music performed is jazz music. All pieces played in the concert are an ensemble of piano, bass, and drums. During the concert, I was trying to be a perceptive listener; I enjoyed the music with concentration and paid attention to the music’s unity and variety, such as the dynamics and tempos. I also tried to associate the music with a picture when I listened to it and understand the emotion in the music.