Dancing becomes something more when you put all of your skills on the stage and go for it. As family members and close friends waited in their seats, the bright lights slowly dimmed the stage for the show to begin.

The School of Theatre and Dance presented works choreographed and performed by students. UH Goes to the Barn was held at the Barnevelder Theater and welcomed the public to view choreography that has been worked on throughout the semester.

“This gives them a chance to produce a concert from the ground up,” said the program’s coordinator Toni Valle. “This opportunity is for them to realize their works in a professional theatre that is open to the public and will give them a real life experience of what working in theatre is really like.”

Part of being a dancer is to show your sense of style and skill. The dancers not only produced the choreography, but also the costumes and played music that went with their work.

Environmental science and dance major Marcela Acosta was one of the first dancers to perform. Her piece “Rouge” featured Acosta dancing quickly but with grace while the music helped her connect with the audience.

“I’m hoping that the audience understood the story and were moved by it,” Acosta said. “I want them to know why dance is so beautiful and how we can connect with everyday people.”

The program featured a rare dance that is used throughout the dancing classes. Known as the chance dance, this type of structure helps the dancers during competition class to learn dances between the beats of music. The sound “ta” is vocalized on every notated rhythm in a 4/4 time.

“Rhythm Study” was choreographed and performed by students with the “ta-ta” structure. After using the structure, the dancers separated into two groups and performed the work using the music chosen by the chance procedures. Dance junior Michelle Largent performed and used her structure to create her own moves but to also connect with the others.

“The chance dance helps us learn different ways to make up choreography. That’s how we utilize this structure to help us put in different moves for the dance,” Largent said.

As each work ended, the audience applauded. Communication sciences and disorders junior Ariel Rawls was amazed on the hard work the dancers put into their performances. Rawls knows some of the dancers who come to her class and teach them dance moves.

“I was in a trance while watching the performance,” Rawls said. “It’s really cool seeing that side of the students.”

A passion for dance has been part of these students lives. The program-helped students shape up moves and finish works that will help them choreograph and work together to get the job done.

Dance senior Bryan Peck has been dancing since he was a toddler in his mother’s studio. As Peck performed “Among Heavenly Waters,” he gallantly danced the stage and followed the choreography of a different dancer.

“I want to perform different styles and taste that the choreographer sees and wants to do,” Peck said. “That’s what it’s all about being a dancer: performing.”

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The artists whose work was featured represented the five departments of that make up the UH Masters of Fine Arts program which include graphic communications, photography and painting. | Isabella Serimontrikul/The Daily Cougar

Artists and art lovers came together Friday to celebrate the 12 graduating Master of Fine Arts candidates and their works at the 35th UH School of Art MFA Thesis Exhibition.

The School of Art presents an exhibition each spring for their graduating students as a commemorative send-off at the Blaffer Art Museum.

This year’s talented group of artists includes Megan Badger, Christopher Cascio, Erica Ciesielski Chaikin, Fiona Cochran, Carrie Cook, Stacey Farrell, El Franco Lee II, Elicia Garcia, Jessica Ninci, Stephan Paré, Jasleen Sarai and Katelin Washmon.

A diverse and refreshing showcase of art, the MFA Thesis Exhibition represents works from the five departments in the UH Master of Fine Arts Program: Graphic Communications, Interdisciplinary Practice and Emerging Forms, Painting, Photography/Digital Media and Sculpture.

The exhibit features a variety of works, including personal photographs by Stacey Farrell, capturing the changing role of women in families with her four daughters. In painting, El Franco Lee II experiments with historically and racially charged real-life crime incidents with actual security camera footage and fantasy scenes among athletes, rappers and other African-American figures. Megan Badger, who applies paint to photographs, uses both mediums to highlight evidence of magical realism that can be found every day.

Among the still life, Jasleen Sarai gave a captivating performance on opening night as she designed an architectural space on the floor of Blaffer using colorful tape. Sarai constructed five dwellings, intended to represent territory, security, privacy, comfort and luxury, on the grounds between Blaffer and the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture.

Coming from an architectural background, Sarai’s inspiration came from a desire to improvise with building and demonstrate how you can create your own spaces.

“In reality, most of the architecture that’s around the world is not necessarily considered architecture, but more like living spaces — they’re very improvised, they’re born out of different constraints, and so that’s why I decided to do this live performance,” Sarai said.

Another popular artist of the night, Elicia Garcia, challenged audiences to look at world issues through an American lens and engage their social memory with her cutout fabrics of front pages from various issues of The New York Times.

Garcia reveals values, patterns and unintentional photos within the cutouts by displaying only the images printed from the front pages by displaying only the images printed from the front pages.

“There’s repeating things of extreme happiness and sadness with war — this is the world, and this is what happens, and the pattern is really beautiful,” Garcia said.

Through her piece, Garcia hopes audiences will understand the connections between photos.

“To see what’s happening without somebody’s words telling you what it’s about, so you don’t have to hear somebody in your ear; you get to make your own story,” Garcia said.

Like Sarai and Garcia, many of the MFA students projected comprehensive studies of different life matters through their creations.

Artist Chris Cascio’s installation of objects, images and symbols of narcotics, entitled “Dead Soldiers,” resonated among viewers who hope to see more of his work.

“I think Chris Cascio needs to write up something really nice and try to get a grant to make those exact bags into actual bags,” said Nirvana Trey, a patron of the museum.

“We’re 20-somethings in Houston, so we can relate to it. His work is so explicit and out there; it would make great novelty bags,” Trey said.

The artists also gave audiences the opportunity to experience the art for themselves with interactive pieces including a sewing canvas and a station with individual headphones with different audio tracks.

The MFA graduate candidates demonstrate innovation, passion and vision that cannot be contained and their works are a testament of the bright creative future that awaits them.

The MFA Thesis Exhibition will remain on display in Blaffer Art until April 13.

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Massoud

Gerald Massoud is a bass-playing graudate student assistant at the Moores School of Music. He has been passionate about music all his life. He sat down with The Daily Cougar to tell us about his experience at UH.

The Daily Cougar: What do you do at the music program and what career are you pursuing?

Gerald Massoud: The technical name for the degree is jazz conducting. It’s essentially a program to allow jazz students to stay in the jazz field. There are a lot of different levels in the other programs, but we don’t have all of those in jazz. I did my master’s in the same degree. This is my third year here. I think once you’ve rehearsed the band long enough, you just go up and do some gestures and get off.

TDC: How was performing with Lew Soloff?

GM: Performing with him was amazing. I spent time with him outside rehearsals and performance, and he’s like that weird grandfather, so it’s hard to explain. He probably has four or five conversations going on in his head at the same time — he thinks well in advance. He can be talking to many people at once. He tells me what he has to say without having to pull me aside for 30 minutes to say it.

TDC: How is it playing with a jazz ensemble, especially playing a less popular instrument?

GM: I think in a jazz band, people focus on it — it kind of runs the rhythm section. A joke I use all the time is that nobody cares about the bass player. It reminds them that there’s more to focus on in a band. The music wouldn’t exist without the bass. It could work without any of the other instruments, but if you take the bass player out, the music doesn’t work.

TDC: What made you decide that this was your instrument?

GM: I heard a bass player named Victor Wooten, who plays an electric bass. He’s the one who got me interested, and right after I finished high school, I got myself a bass. I got into college and they said I’d never make it as a bass player. At the University of Arizona, the bass teacher accepted me as a beginner and was very happy I was passionate about playing the bass. I had to only learn classical and did jazz on my own.

TDC: What is the best part of your experience at UH?

GM: It’s kind of flexible. I can do what I want, within reason. (UH doesn’t) have many jazz players, and you’re always playing if you’re one of them. If you go to a school with 500 jazz players, you’re not playing, so why are you in school? UH gives me the environment I need to grow. I feel like I can still cut it in New York. I go out and play with New York guys, tour and do all these things. I’m not prohibited by being a student musician. I have a home base by being here. That’s why I’m doing all these big things in Houston. If I were in any other city, I wouldn’t have this opportunity.

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Dancers rehearse Monday through Friday and attend technique classes where the main focus is to rehearse the performances they are currently working on. | Courtesy of The School of Theatre and Dance

The art of dance is not just about moving across a stage or wearing pretty leotards and tights; it is a way for dancers to tell a story without having to say a word.

The movements of the dancers show not only their physical strength and technical ability, but also a strong variety of emotions.

Karen Stokes, head of the Dance Division at the School of Theatre and Dance, said, “At the University level, I look for dancers who are fully engaged in the rehearsal process, who have a sense of humor, demonstrate a strong work ethic and usually, I try to pick dancers I have not worked with before.”

Teresa Chapman, director of the pre-professional group Dance Ensemble, seeks similar qualities.

“I look for a dancer that has potential, passion, commitment, strong work ethic, dedication, performance ability and a higher level of technical ability,” Chapman said.

Watching a dance performance can be an exhilarating experience. The final piece is rewarding for the dancers and choreographers who have been rehearsing and straining their bodies for numerous hours and countless days in the studio.

“Most importantly, potential Ensemble members should possess the ability to work as a team and be a leader in the dance program,” Chapman said.

For the fall, students are encouraged to create their choreography and pick their cast for the student-choreographed works. These works are given three showings for faculty to give feedback and constructive criticism. On the third showing, the faculty selects the works that will be shown in the emerging choreographers showcase.

Bryan Peck, a senior dance major, talked about how a rehearsal works for the Ensemble Dance Works.

“Learning and setting new choreography on the dancers while nailing down spacing, formations and patterns. Right before show, we have to fit costumes. Then you have your lighting and spacing rehearsal on stage,” Peck said.

The spring dance concert is cast by Chapman in coordination with the choreographers. Students who wish to be part of the Dance Ensemble audition during the spring semester for the following season. Some of the decisions are based on the dancers the choreographer is interested in working with, but under equal consideration is the number of dances each dancer is cast in and the overall composition of the show itself.

Dancers rehearse Monday through Friday and have technique classes and times where their main goal is to rehearse for the performance they are working on.

Each choreographer has a different teaching style, so each rehearsal is different.

Katey Tidwell, a senior dance major, weighs in on what a typical rehearsal is like.

“First, we usually go over what we have previously learned and clarify questionable areas. Then the choreographer will begin teaching new material. Sometimes their ideas work and sometimes they don’t,” Tidwell said.

“Not everything works out how you imagine it will in your head. Some choreographers will ask for your input. They might ask you to make up a phrase yourself to contribute or just make variations to movement phrases they have already taught you. It all depends on the choreographer and how they put together their own dances,” she said.

Jerrica Mark, a dance and mathematics senior, loves expressing herself in dance.

“My favorite thing about dance is that I can express what I want to say through movement,” Mark said.

“It drives me crazy — those moments that you can’t find the right words or the right way to say something. I find that movement gives me a greater range of vocabulary and possibilities to give a voice to my thoughts and feelings that I could not find with words.”

The Dance Ensemble Works concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. April 5 and 6 and 1:30 p.m. April 7 at the Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre.

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Electro-pop Canadian artist Lights performed Thursday night at Frontier Fiesta. The crowd welcomed her onto the stage and sang along to its favorite songs. | Maritza Rodriguez/The Daily Cougar

As many sudents roamed around the tents and food trucks at Frontier Fiesta, many made their way to the Bud Light stage to get a glimpse and hear the artist who was performing that evening.

Electropop singer-songwriter Lights performed during this year’s festival and was welcomed by a crowd of roaring fans. Coming from Toronto, Lights was prepared to bring a different type of music to the audience, which included many of her fans and also students who had never heard of her before.

“I thought it was cool the way the school organized the event. It was the first time I heard of Lights, and she threw an amazing show,” said advertising junior Bryan Salas.

Lights performed music from both albums “The Listening” and “Siberia,” exciting the crowd by rocking out her keyboards and synthesizers. Most of the audience brought glow sticks and neon bracelets Lights is known for having colorful lights during her shows.

Lights played “Heart of Glass” by 80s dance- and punk-rock artist Blondie. As the music went on, Lights stopped for a couple of minutes and told the audience how thankful she is for coming down to the University.

Many students who were already fans, such as construction management junior Darcy Gomez, were excited that the school managed to get an artist like her. Gomez said that Lights seemed comfortable at UH.

“She’s awesome for coming out to play for the University,” Gomez said. “I love her even more for doing that, and she is very caring and loving to her fans.”

As Lights and her band members walked off stage, the audience chanted for an encore. They came out and performed again for the audience.

“Thank you so much University of Houston, you guys are awesome,” Lights said.

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Creative writing senior Joy Lester demonstrated to the group how to properly use a condom. | Anthresia McWashington/The Daily Cougar

Sexually active women are in danger of two things: sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.

“I think the job is even more on us to make sure that we can prevent pregnancy. Right now, there are things that we can do that can forestall that or make sure that we can prevent unwanted pregnancies,” said  Women’s Resource Center program coordinator Malkia Hutchinson.

“I don’t want it to be a burden for women to think of these things. I want them to know that they have options out there.”

The WRC hosted its first Gender Talk since Spring Break on Wednesday. This week’s topic revolved around contraceptives, birth control and the issue of consent when it comes to sexual activity.

Gender Talks are held weekly in the WRC, Room 279A of the University Center. The talks, which are open to both men and women, are designed as a safe space to discuss gender and female-related issues. Talks in the past few weeks have ranged from everything from interracial relationships and revenge porn to “Fifty Shades of Grey” and this week’s talk, which discussed how to have safer sex.

“We usually just talk about whatever is in the news, the media, sometimes if there’s nothing really going on we have a standard topic. But if there’s something major that happens, we focus more on that,” said history senior Lyndsie Harris.

“I like that women can get together … and men sometimes, too … we can all converse, it’s good to talk about topics that affect women and both genders.”

Hutchinson led the talk as she discussed different forms of birth control such as copper intrauterine devices, cervical caps, diaphragms and hormonal medications, shots and implants.

She explained how each method is inserted, how it is possible to obtain them and their advantages and disadvantages. Proper usage of both female and male condoms was also shown.

With recent losses in funding of family planning clinics and more and more laws coming up to shorten the window of time in which abortions can be held, if they can be held at all, Hutchinson believes it is important to know about safe sex.

In the wake of the recent Steubenville rape case that is setting the media on fire, the issue of consent during sexual intercourse was also brought up. Exactly what consent means was discussed, as was the concept of rape culture or the thought that modern society dismisses, or is even accepting of, sexual assault.

“I think it’s important for specifically women to have a space where they can go to to speak up about things, talk about things that may not be open to talk about in either their friend groups or in relationships at home with their families,” Hutchinson said.

“I like the idea of having different topics to talk about each week so that … maybe if you have friends who are not like-minded, or if you’re feeling kind of like you have no other support … things like this give people the space to (receive help).”

In the weeks to come, the WRC will be hosting more Gender Talks as well as a Salary Negotiation Workshop on April 5, where women can learn how to negotiate for equal pay with their male colleagues. The center will also be presenting The Vagina Monologues, a play exploring women’s issues and sexuality, on April 19.

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Daniel Bernard Roumain Q&A Part II: “En Masse” and working with Marc Bamuthi Joseph.

1. What inspired “En Masse”?

It was an invitation, actually. The idea came from the brilliant Karen L. Farber. We met in New York during a conference. She approached me, and we started talking about a piece for a marching band — but actually, the idea was about defragmenting the marching band. The original idea was taking the individual players and scattering them all over the city. So you might go into an office building or into an elevator, and there’s a player in full uniform doing their thing. That evolved into something site-specific.

2. You are working with the previous Artist in Residence Marc Bamuthi Joseph. What has his role been in “En Masse”? What was it like to work with him?

Well, this is our third project together. Marc Bamuthi Joseph is just brilliant. He’s directing the piece. He has real ideas about placement and how it should unfold. I don’t want to say too much because it really is his work, but he’s great to work with. He brings a certainty and comfort to the project because it’s so big, so all-encompassing. It really needs someone to give it direction, overall perspective and scope and vision — and he does just that. It’s just great to work with him because he gets it just effortlessly, and he’s very creative. He’s very good at taking big ideas, organizing them and making them real and manageable. We’ve worked together a few times now, and he’s just on point. He’s the perfect person because he obviously knows the campus, he knows the park, he knows my music and he’s a very good director — in his own work and others.

3. What would you like to tell students who haven’t heard about “En Masse”? What should they know, and what can they expect from this performance?

You know, they don’t have to know much. Hopefully, the title is provocative. It’s a marching band, it’s a composer and it’s in the park. It’s four hours long, but you can come and go as you want. It’s uplifting, it’s even spiritual in some ways but it will be a good, important time. It’ll be fun but it’ll be important in that you get to see these musicians in a completely different way than you normally do, and you can get really up-close and personal with them. And it’s free; I think in some ways that’s the best part. There will be — I’m assuming — access to food and drink. I may very well bring my son if I lived here and certainly bring my family; it’s something for and about families. Marching bands really care about each other and look after one another. As the name of the park implies, it’s about discovery. It’s about seeing and feeling and hearing something completely new. I think the music is pretty good too.

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If there’s one thing that causes people to pull their hair out in frustration, it’s relationships. And the Internet has been a mixed blessing in terms of dating. We can meet people from around the world and create long-lasting friendships, but taking it to the next level is a difficult step if you live in different states.

That’s the situation I’ve been in for the last four years. My boyfriend lives in California, and as difficult as it is trying to get your life together as a college student, being in a long distance relationship provides a new level of problems. As wonderful as it is to video chat with him, it’s painful to see Facebook posts of events you won’t get a chance to go to. It’s fun to talk about the future, but how can we build a future together if we don’t live in the same state?

Like any relationship, it’s all about compromise. It’s a little difficult to do that when you can’t physically be with the other person, but it is possible. Even if it seems a little cheesy. If it’s been a busy week for us, we’ll set a time for us to have a date night. We’ll pick a movie, get some snacks and watch it together while being on the phone. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s something to look forward to. We share a Netflix account, so we’ll add movies to our queue and watch them on our dates.

One thing that does take a while to accept is that you won’t meet their friends. This brings issues of trust to a new level. You don’t know who those people are, but keep in mind your partner doesn’t know your friends either. There isn’t one thing you can do to make it easier, but a few smaller things really matter: answering the phone around friends, adding the closest ones on Facebook, giving a little bit of background information on new friends goes a long way.

Another thing, which seems a bit narcissistic, is taking pictures when you go out. Whether they’re of you and your friends, your food, the venue or something funny or weird, taking pictures makes it feel like your partner is there with you, sharing that moment together, instead of just hearing about it.

As difficult as it can be sometimes, it is rewarding in a way other relationships can’t be. You get to know who your partner is as a person, not just as projection of who you want them to be. You love them for who they are, and they love you for the same reasons. It’s a wonderful feeling not having to hide certain parts of who you are. It’s a level of intimacy more frightening than physical intimacy, and finding someone willing to be that open with you is something many go their entire lives trying to find but are unable to.

Every relationship takes work. A long distance one isn’t more difficult, just different. It takes a bit of creativity to make it, but when you’ve found the right person, it doesn’t matter if they are 20 or 2,000 miles away — it’s all worth it in the end.

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The Honors College commons played host Monday to the voice of opposition, in the form of an art exhibit and talk entitled, “Never Again? An Art Exhibition on Human Rights Violations and War Crimes.”

Opposition, particularly in the form of advocacy and activism, is an important facet of college life, and event organizer and alumna Lana Kesbeh says she was inspired to act by Irene Guenther’s class, “A Crime Without a Name: 20th Century Genocide.”

“My last semester of college, I took Guenther’s class, and it was a real motivator to have more on-campus educational events,” Kesbeh said.

Contributing lecturer and junior Biology major Fatima Syed concurs that Guenther’s class and especially her enthusiasm, was a catalyst for her speaking out and getting involved.

“Gunther didn’t hold back. She had no reservations about telling us about the realities about all this horrible history we’d never been exposed to before in our conventional high school education,” Syed said.

“As a class, we grew so much together, and collectively decided we wanted to be involved in some capacity.”

Guenther has stated that her class is founded on not just academic accounts of genocide, but personal accounts, in order to personalize the conflicts and wrongs and prevent students from distancing themselves. In the exhibition Monday, art played a large role in conveying the experience of the contributing students, alumni and artists for that same reason.

“Our events combine both (art and lecture) because you do have to have some background. You can look at a canvas, but you don’t necessarily know what it means,” Kesbeh said.

She feels, though, that art plays an important and special role.

“I feel like art gets people to think differently. Art is always subjective. You can look at it, and everyone takes something different from a piece,” she said.

Syed asserts that the power of art lies in the response of the viewers, and that there is a provocation specific to visual media that cannot necessarily be communicated in a talk.

“You can convey so many complex emotions through just one glance at art,” Syed said. “Even without paragraphs of description about these pieces, something just hits you. I think it’s such a unique way to convey what others try to say in articles or lectures.”

The topics of the brief lectures ran the gamut, with Syed discussing the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and consequent human rights violations and political science senior Diane Stout recounting her experiences in Srebrenica, site of the July 1995 massacre.

“Learning,” Stout said, “is the key to making a real change.”

Making a positive change is one way to characterize activism, and though that word is tinged with stigma, activism is a vital and integral part of the college’s role in society. Syed, also the president of Students for a Democratic Society, posits that activism ought to be the outcome of any liberal education.

“Activism really just is figuring out, through a process of self discovery, what matters to you and taking initiative from there,” Syed said.

“It’s not about capitalism versus socialism or about black versus white. There’s wrong and right everywhere. Your job, as someone who wants to contribute to society, is to figure out what’s right and support it and figure out what’s wrong and voice opposition to it.”

The group plans to continue to educate and voice its opposition, through future events incorporating multimedia presentations and encourages students to get involved. Anyone wishing to get involved is encouraged to contact The Honors College directly.

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Members of fraternities and sororities have been putting in a lot of hours setting up for the festivities for the past few months. | Nichole Taylor/The Daily Cougar

Social fraternities and sororities have been preparing during the last two months for Frontier Fiesta, which begins Thursday.

Each fraternity is paired with a sorority, and they spend time building and constructing a set called a “front” that is placed in front of a large white tent.

Daisy Rose Trevino, a Delta Zeta member and a mechanical engineering senior, has been working with members of Sigma Phi Epsilon on the Sigma Phi Epsilon and Delta Zeta set.

Trevino’s tent is in charge of the famous cook-off.

“This is one of the biggest events,” Trevino said. “We’ve been working for the past two months.”

Everyone on site has been putting in an astounding amount of hours.

“I’ve clocked 50 hours since (last) Thursday,” said Michael Haar, a construction management junior and a Sigma Phi Epsilon member.

Building the front is not the only work put into this event; many social Greek groups are putting on shows in their tents, which required even more effort and practice.

Tau Kappa Epsilon and Chi Omega are putting on a play called “The Tale of the Cursed Cougar,” where a curse having to do with the Robertson Stadium demolition contract is placed on the school, and four students must save the campus.

“I would say (we worked) three to four hours, two times a week for the past few weeks,” said Kyle McElroy, a Tau Kappa Epsilon member and a history freshman, who plays the main protagonist, Jack.

Even before coming to the building site, McElroy said Tau Kappa Epsilon was building it at someone’s house prior to bringing it to campus to finish it up. Chi Omega will decorate the set once it’s completed.

Each front is its own “building,” such as Pi Kappa Phi’s schoolhouse, complete with a playground.

The materials are all provided by the students. Fraternities and sororities split the cost of the front equally and raise the money to purchase the wood, paint and other equipment.

Raffles and alumni donations are some of the ways money was raised to build the elaborate sets.

“We have roughly 20 to 30 (fraternities and sororities) participating,” said Jeff Syptak, Frontier Fiesta chairman and a political science senior.

The Greek groups are putting on shows that last about 30 minutes to compete for a trophy and the Joe Koppel Award, named for the second chairman of Frontier Fiesta in 1941.

“The more hours you put in, the more likely you are to win,” Trevino said.

For a school that doesn’t have an official Greek week, Trevino said Frontier Fiesta is a sort of replacement for that.

“This is bigger than homecoming,” Trevino said. “Compared to the float we made, this is ridiculous. We want this to be constantly worked on. From the second the site opens to the second it closes, someone’s working on the front.”

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