The Arvada Center's Metamorphose

Beyoncé Knowles’s Lemonade video album brings the words of Beyoncé into a visual media and shows the viewer a deeper meaning behind the album. After this video came out many articles came forward analyzing Lemonade. One article, in particular, that was intriguing is Bell Hooks “Moving Beyond Pain.” Hooks starts her article saying that the Lemonade video was created as a money-making, business strategy, but as the text continues the reader can conclude that “Moving Beyond Pain” is actually about African American women, and women in general, standing up for themselves.

Gates highlights that For colored girls is a film that makes a strong message of empowerment to the humanity of women. No matter how bad things could get in life and no matter how many times you’ve been brought down, always know you are strong enough to get back up and not let darkness conquer your life. This essay will explore how a person can overcome any kind of tragedy, hardship or struggle whether or not they are affected emotionally,

“Women are still underrepresented in the film industry, which overwhelming relies on the blockbuster formula and its target audience of young males”. (Dominique).Gender roles have affected the way a film succeeds, making most successful films based on male led roles, putting down the female lead roles. The film industry for women is complicated and in order for them to succeed, they have to already be well known and have experience. Other women have to play stereotypical roles in order to have a place in the film industry. Some films have female led roles that show how women are powerful such as Legally Blonde and Mean Girls. In the film Legally Blonde, Reese Witherspoon plays a young woman who finds herself chasing down the man of her

My life would be incomplete without performing music. I’ve spent time, in concert bands, in bell choirs, in school and church choirs, and singing, playing in music festivals, and in pit bands trying not to laugh my head off at the actors’ improvisations. But the art that truly speaks to my soul does not lie in creating music, it lies in dancing to it.

“Being yourself never goes out of style.” The average person would think that some world changing person said this but nope. Elle Woods said this. Elle Woods as in “Woods comma Elle”, the main character in the movie Legally Blonde. Legally Blonde is my all-time favorite movie. Actually, every day I strive to Elle Woods. She is basically my role model in life. This may seem silly, but really behind all the pink, Elle Woods is actually a character that may people should take notes from. The Elle Woods, in the movie “Legally Blonde”, is so appealing to me because it she shows that women do not have to follow stereotypes and can do and be whatever they want; every woman should have the blonde ambition and independence that Elle Woods has.

For nearly twenty years, Beyoncé has lived her life in the public eye yet she has always kept her cool, been submissive, and rather quiet when it came to her personal endeavors however after releasing the film “Lemonade”, we are able to see her in a vulnerable light. In Jeremy Helliger’s article: “Dear Beyhive: Stop Whining. Beyoncé Still Hasn’t Earned Her Album Of The Year Grammy” he addresses the idea that although Beyoncé was able to encourage black women to be proud and free, she also she missed the mark by adding raunchy, over the top content to her vulnerability.

As a shy, reserved student, I found myself blossoming through the stage. I fell in love with the stage and auditioned for the middle school's play, A Christmas Carol. Fortunately, I was casted in the performance. I loved the experience so much that I auditioned for the next year's play and musical and got a part in those as well. The more time I spent on stage, the more confident I became. I felt like the stage was where I belonged. I had a passion for theater that began to distinguish like a flame when I entered high school.

In the acclaimed 2001 film, Legally Blonde, the main character, Elle Woods, is a fantastic feminine icon for females. The film represents the struggle of women to prove their ability. Remarkably, Elle never succumbs to those who so strongly see her as being stupid. While others put down her abilities and intelligence, Elle hardly ever doubts herself. She moves through the world with pure confidence. As Callahan, a law professor at Harvard who later selects Elle Woods for his internship quips, “it’s as if she just woke up one day and said, ‘I’m going to law school.” She decides on a goal and knows she can attain it, even if others only respond with incredulity or mockery. Legally Blonde has many positive depictions of women and femininity for a 2001 film.

One of the most important theatrical experiences I’ve had the opportunity to partake in was when I was cast as Lil Inez in the Tony Award winning musical, Hairspray, written by a native of my city, John Waters. In the musical, my character struggles with understanding the racially-prejudice world around her as she fights to show her pride and get her voice heard. Playing the role of Lil Inez was very insightful to me personally, because I had been ostracized at my previous elementary school simply because I was biracial in a predominantly African-American school. As a performer, every character I develop is similar to assembling a jigsaw puzzle, and the feeling of being able to embody the solved puzzle once all the pieces fit together is irreplaceable.

At 3:00 PM on Sunday April 13th, 2014, I attended the performance “Shared Graduate Dance Concert at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center-Dance Theatre. Walking into the theatre I had anticipated experiencing an upright performance. This sensation came as I visited the website for the Shared Graduate Concert and saw a breath taking photo that entailed a person behind a curtain holding their hand up and a fuzzy person in front of a curtain. Also, I knew I was in for a good ride after I saw Meghan Bowden in the pamphlet.

‘For Colored Girls’ directed by Tyler Perry is an adaptation of a Tony Award nominated choreopoem written by Ntozake Shange. Clint O’Conner a reviewer for the Plain Dealer writes about Tyler Perry, “He has taken Ntozake Shange’s 1974 choreopoem ‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf’ and both condensed and expanded it into a big-screen extravaganza assessing the black female experience in America” (O'Connor 1). ‘For Colored Girls’ is an emotionally charged drama about the struggles facing the modern-day black women finding their voice in America. This master piece with an all-star cast of African-American women will be talked about for years to come. Tyler Perry is at his finest and the ensemble of

Fourteen years after that fateful day, when I saw that first musical, my love has grown. I have changed a great deal, but my love has not. Despite what other people say and believe, musical theatre is what I am destined to do. So I will keep pushing myself to become better. Because, no matter what, I'm determined to keep dancing and Singing in the

As a musical theater junkie, I was ashamed to admit that Bucknell’s performance of Spring Awakening was the first production of the show I had seen. It was a show I was always interested in and had listened to a few times over, yet I had passed over the opportunity to see it on Broadway (or at other play houses). Despite my excitement to see Bucknell’s performance, there was something missing in the show that kept it, in my opinion, from being truly great. It appeared that there was an imbalance of acting, singing, and dancing skills, where one talent excelled at the fall of the others.

Before the musical, academics was the only activity that people recognized me by. I did do other activities besides academics, but only my closest friends knew that I could play the piano or draw. Just like my peers, my mother didn’t even know I could sing. Consequently, the musical helped change how others saw me.

Last friday, at 7:00 pm, there was a performance from the FPA Theatre Arts. This is the performance of the student version of Legally Blonde Jr. The story of this performance is about the blonde girl who gain the admission to the Harvard Law School to follow her boyfriend, Warner. During her life at the Law School, she gains more experiences, lessons about life, and she had lost all interested in Warner.