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(04/24/91 9:00am)
For the first time since the Penn Band began 95 years ago, a woman will fill the role of Drum Major -- the Band's highest post. As the student conductor of the Band for the next year, Alves will be responsible for coordinating rehearsals and all Band performances. In addition, Alves will have to handle many other non-musical tasks. As the most visible person in the Band, Alves will have to be its public personality. Band members will look to the Drum Major to keep up their enthusiasm both on and off the field, according to Assistant Conductor and College sophomore Lisa Bardfeld. Alves has played the tuba for the Band for the past two years and served as assistant conductor at basketball games this past season. "I got a taste for it, which is why I tried out for Drum Major" she said. "You're completely in control of things. Everyone expects you to know what you're doing." Alves said that she is very excited about her new position. "I still can't believe it," she said last week. "I know the past two Drum Majors and I just can't imagine being in their position. I have to admit though, the best thing about being Drum Major is that I won't have to carry my tuba." Wharton senior Brian Stifel, who will step down as Drum Major on Friday, said that he is confident that Alves can fill his shoes. "She'll do a fantastic job, that's why we picked her," he said. "She's got a great personality, she'll provide strong leadership and everyone likes her. That's what it takes." Although the Penn Band has been open to women since the early 1970s, this is the first time a woman has been Drum Major. Previously few women have tried out for the job, but this time five of the 11 candidates were women. "I think this shows that the atmosphere of the Band has changed," Stifel said. "We're really happy that so many women tried for the position." But Alves does not feel that being a woman will make her job more difficult. "None of the jackets fit me, but apart from that there won't be a problem," she said. "I don't think the people in the band think of me any differently because I'm a woman." Penn Band President Tom Eaton agreed that having a woman Drum Major would not make a difference. "Everyone knows and respects her," he said. "They'll happily follow her leadership. She has the support of the whole board." As the visible leader of the Band, past Drum Majors have tried to set their own style. Stifel was notorious for his taste in unusual hats. At the start of football games he would run to the center of the field and catch a football thrown to him. "I've been told to learn how to catch a football," Alves said. "But I think I'll develop my own eccentricities." Alves also said that she won't change the atmosphere of the Band. "We're all very spirited," she said. "That isn't going to change." But Eaton added that there may be one problem with a woman Drum Major. "There's a tradition that at the first home football game, a bunch of guys tackle the Drum Major," he said. "Then they carry him down the field and ram him spread-eagled into a goal post. I don't know if we'll carry on that tradition with Marianne."
(04/18/91 9:00am)
David Foreman, founder of the radical environmental group Earth First, had hundreds of people howling like wolves as he stressed the biological connection between people and animals in the wild. Foreman spoke yesterday to a packed Houston Hall Auditorium, making many pessimistic points but ending with the hope that people can regain their emotional connection with the planet. "We are living at a time when species are being made extinct faster than when the dinosaurs were wiped out," Foreman said. The group Foreman founded, Earth First, supports the idea of "no compromise in defense of mother earth." He has since left the group and is currently acting as an independent advisor to a number of less radical environmental groups, and his book, Confessions of an Eco-Warrior was published this year. Starting on a humorous note, Foreman commented that he had to give his talk in front of the podium, because behind it he felt "like Captain Kirk on the Starship Enterprise." He then moved on to more serious topics, apologizing for the downbeat nature of the talk, but explaining that the environmental situation was grave. Current environmental problems, he said, are due to the arrogant attitude people take that the rest of the world is just a resource to be "exploited." "The pilgrim fathers thought that the forests in New England were inexhaustable," he said. "Then people thought that the Pennsylvania forests were inexhaustable. Now they're logging on the Pacific coast, and only 4 percent of the Redwoods remain." He argued that each individual has a responsibility to protect the environment. "I've been arrested all I care to be," Foreman said. "But I still recommend it. Not everyone can do that. But you can write to your senator or congressman and protest against George Bush's energy policy." Foreman added that modern people have lost their love for the earth and the feeling that they are part of it. "We build walls in front of ourselves, and cut ourselves off from the foodchain," he said. "I'm not a machine. I'm an animal. Computers don't howl, but wolves howl, and free men and women howl." He ended the talk with a rousing wolf-howl which received a responding howl and a standing ovation. Engineering senior Andrea Ranger called Foreman's speech "empowering." "Often at Penn I feel that maybe my ideas are wrong because they're outside the mainstream," Ranger said "Foreman justified why we have to have these ideas about the environment." Graduate student Eddie Clift agreed, saying that the activist's charisma added to the talk. "Foreman was a real personality," he said. "He made an emotional connection with environmental issues."
(04/16/91 9:00am)
A collective shiver ran down the audience's spine at Friday's showing of The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Irvine Auditorium. The huge Curtis Organ shook the building as Lon Chaney acted out the tragedy on screen. The showing was presented by the Irvine Auditorium Society and the Curtis Organ Restoration Society. Members of the societies introduced the film, wearing, of course, the obligatory humps. The silent film was the first of three versions of The Hunchback, made by Universal Studios in 1923 and reckoned to be the classic version. It tells the story of Quasimodo, the outcast bellringer of Notre Dame cathedral. The only person ever to show him kindness is Esmerelda, the beautiful gypsy. Quasimodo seeks to protect her from unjust execution by a tyrannical King and from the machinations of those who wish to possess or kill her. It was accompanied by live music, played on the Curtis Organ by Kevin Chun, of the University's Architectural Archives staff. The music followed the action onscreen, adding immeasurably to the atmosphere. The suspense, humor and romance of the film were all underlined by the organ's bellowings. When the hero and his men were riding to save Esmerelda, they were given a brief burst of the Lone Ranger theme. Most memorable, though, was the feeling of grim foreboding. The lowest notes of the organ were felt rather than heard, while the higher pitched sounds echoed under Irvine's vaulted ceiling. The peal of bells rang through the building as members of the audience glanced nervously at the arches and balconies high above them. The organist said that preparing the effects required hours of work. "We sat down with a tape of the movie and selected principal themes," Chun said. "Each character had their own theme, and there were also themes for chase scenes, dances and love scenes." The music drew on classical sources such as Wagner's Ring cycle and Muzzorsky's Pictures from an Exhibition. "I reduced phrases from classical music to their simplest components," Chun said. "That way I could play themes simultaneously to show what was happening in the scene. I tell you, it's tough." After the showing, members of the audience were given a tour inside the mammoth organ, allowing them to see behind the massive pipes that engulf the building. The societies that organized the event have past experience in frightening people. Last year they held their twentieth annual Halloween showing of The Phantom of the Opera.
(04/08/91 9:00am)
Pirates is perhaps Gilbert and Sullivan's best known light opera. The show follows Frederic in his attempt to leave the apprenticeship with the world's most ineffectual pirates and start an honest life. This ambition is hampered by his overwhelming dedication to duty. For Frederic even marriage is a matter of duty. When his loyalty to his pirate comrades, his bride-to-be and his law-abiding conscience come into conflict, he is at a loss. The entire show is a blaze of action and music. The costumes are very good, and they are sufficiently gaudy to fit with the melodramatic tone of the play. The music, featuring tunes that can be recognized from countless advertisements, is always upbeat and brightly performed. The highlight of the show was the performance of David White as the Modern Major General. With just a few gestures, he effectively created the character as a weak and self-important buffoon. White's verbal dexterity was even more impressive, as he wrestled with the opera's most absurdly contrived rhymes and made every word fully intelligible. His grotesque attempt at ballet, although less than dextrous, was wildly applauded. Engineering junior David Quart was also impressive as Frederic. He was amiably geeky, trying to smile through life despite always tripping over his hypertrophied sense of duty. College senior Susan Poliniak's performance as Frederic's fiance Mabel was not so strong. One of Gilbert and Sullivan's most difficult parts, the role requires a highly skillful soprano. Although Poliniak easily handled the vocal gymnastics, her high-pitched warble obscured most of her words. Those in the female chorus were much better, perfectly portraying their roles as giggling, bitchy airheads as both irritating and sympathetic. Playing the soft-hearted pirates and cowardly policemen, the male chorus was equally good. They combined clear, skillful singing with over-the-top slapstick. The scene with a dozen Keystone Kop lookalikes with monstrous moustaches rendering A Policeman's Lot was very comical, although Wharton senior James Mendelsohn, playing the police sergeant, lacked the power for the lead part. The Pirates of Penzance continues tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Zellerbach Theatre in the Annenberg Center. Tickets cost $5 and are on sale on Locust Walk.
(04/05/91 10:00am)
Pirates is perhaps Gilbert and Sullivan's best known light opera. The show follows the protagonist Frederic in his attempt to leave his apprenticeship with the world's most ineffectual pirates and start an honest life. This ambition is hampered by his overwhelming dedication to duty. For Frederic, even marriage is a matter of duty. When his loyalty to his pirate comrades, his bride-to-be, and his law-abiding conscience come into conflict, he is at a loss. The whole show is a blaze of action and music. The costumes are very good, and they are sufficiently gaudy to fit with the melodramatic tone of the play. The music, featuring tunes that can be recognized from countless advertisements, is always upbeat and brightly performed. The highlight of the show was the performance of David White as the Modern Major General. With just a few gestures, he perfected the weak and self-important buffoon. White's verbal dexterity was even more impressive, as he wrestled with the opera's most absurdly contrived rhymes and made every word fully intelligible. His grotesque attempt at ballet, although less than dextrous, was wildly applauded. Engineering junior David Quart was also impressive as Frederic. He was amiably geeky, trying to smile through life despite always tripping over his hypertrophied sense of duty. His fiance Mabel, played by College senior Susan Poliniak, was not so good. Mabel is one of Gilbert and Sullivan's most difficult parts, requiring a highly skillful soprano. Although Polniak easily handled the vocal gymnastics, her high pitched warble obscured most of her words. Her sisters, the female chorus, were much better. They perfectly portrayed their roles as giggling airheads, being both irritating and sympathetic. Playing the soft-hearted pirates and cowardly policemen, the male chorus were equally good. They combined clear, skillful singing with over-the-top slapstick. The scene with a dozen Keystone Kop lookalikes with monstrous moustaches rendering A Policeman's Lot was very comical, although Wharton senior James Mendelsohn, playing the police sergeant, lacked the power for the lead part. The Pirates of Penzance continues tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Zellerbach Theatre in the Annenberg Center. Tickets cost $5 and are on sale on Locust Walk.
(04/01/91 10:00am)
International student leaders on campus are hoping that out of diversity comes cooperation as they organize several international student groups into an International Club Council. According to the ICC's president, College sophomore Martin Muoto, the new organization is intended to give different international groups the chance to work together toward a common goal of developing the "international character" of the University. "We aim to help the many fragmented international clubs," Muoto said. "Each one can only reach a small group," he said. "They are providing many parallel services to their members. We hope to be able to pool resources." Muoto said the council aims to increase communication between the individual groups. This, he said, will allow the groups to more effectively deal with the University administration and to co-sponsor events. "Each ethnic and cultural society adds to the cultural enrichment of the University," Muoto said. "We certainly don't intend to erase the nationality of these groups. But by working with the leaders of these groups we can collect information about events and activities that will benefit everybody." College junior Michael D'Arcy, a co-founder of the ICC, said yesterday that coordination through the council will make each group's events "more accessible" to the other groups. In addition, D'Arcy said the groups working together could figure out how to cut administrative red tape to help bring the "best and brightest" of other countries to school in the United States. The ICC has already planned two cooperative events. An International Mini World Cup, in which member groups will play soccer against each other, has attracted a lot of enthusiasm, Muoto said. He added that the overwhelming interest in soccer helps unite all the international groups. There are also plans for a culture festival where each member organization will feature presentations on dance, food and language. The groups represented at the first meeting held on Sunday responded favorably to the idea of such a council, Muoto said. Fifteen of the University's approximately forty international and cultural groups attended. "The representatives were all very enthusiastic," Muoto said. "They want to make something of the ICC. The life of the club will depend on the interest of the individual groups. We are very optimistic." The next meeting of the International Club Council is on April 14th, in Vance Hall, room B-1.
(03/29/91 10:00am)
International student leaders on campus are hoping that out of diversity comes cooperation as they organize several international student groups into an International Club Council. According to the ICC's president, College sophomore Martin Muoto, the new organization is intended to give different international groups the chance to work together toward a common goal of developing the "international character" of the University. "We aim to help the many fragmented international clubs," Muoto said. "Each one can only reach a small group," he said. "They are providing many parallel services to their members. We hope to be able to pool resources." Muoto said the council aims to increase communication between the individual groups. This, he said, will allow the groups to more effectively deal with the University administration and to co-sponsor events. "Each ethnic and cultural society adds to the cultural enrichment of the University," Muoto said. "We certainly don't intend to erase the nationality of these groups. But by working with the leaders of these groups we can collect information about events and activities that will benefit everybody." College junior Michael D'Arcy, a co-founder of the ICC, said yesterday that coordination through the council will make each group's events "more accessible" to the other groups. In addition, D'Arcy said the groups working together could figure out how to cut administrative red tape to help bring the "best and brightest" of other countries to school in the United States. The ICC has already planned two cooperative events. An International Mini World Cup, in which member groups will play soccer against each other, has attracted a lot of enthusiasm, Muoto said. He added that the overwhelming interest in soccer helps unite all the international groups. There are also plans for a culture festival where each member organization will feature presentations on dance, food and language. The groups represented at the first meeting held on Sunday responded favorably to the idea of such a council, Muoto said. Fifteen of the University's approximately forty international and cultural groups attended. "The representatives were all very enthusiastic," Muoto said. "They want to make something of the ICC. The life of the club will depend on the interest of the individual groups. We are very optimistic." The next meeting of the International Club Council is on April 14th, in Vance Hall, room B-1.
(03/01/91 10:00am)
Being sick is supposed to be awful. From sneezing to coughing to headaches to that just-all-around-lousy feeling, nearly everyone can empathize with classmates when they are sick, which is quite common this time of year. But not everyone hates being sick -- some, in fact, quite like it. "I just need the least excuse not to go to class," College junior Jonathan Barnard said. "So a major illness is great." And if missing class is not your cup of tea, other students pointed out the culinary delights that awaits the ill. "I have my own personal cold cure," College freshman Sebastian Poupon said. "You blend milk with honey and herbs. Then you mix in a lot of cognac. Drinking it makes the whole time of being sick seem worth it." Although measles has gotten the most publicity recently, cases of flu and common colds are far more prevalent on campus and have forced many students to readjust their schedules. And for most, the raw noses, the sleepless nights, and the burning fevers are nothing to celebrate. "Being sick sucks," College sophomore Dan Sacher said. "I just lie in bed waiting to get better." Sacher missed the performance of a play he was directing and was forced to drop several classes because of a recent illness. Many students said that the worst part about being sick is dealing with Student Health. They complained about the long walks and the long waits, saying these are the last things they want when they're sick. "I spend all my time at Student Health trying to get an appointment," Engineering sophomore Kerem Yaman said. Some even said that Student Health makes it more difficult to find out just how sick they are. "I phoned them when I had a rash on my face," said College senior Alara Rogers. "They refused to tell me on the phone what the symptoms of measles looked like. I had to go all the way to Student Health and sit around in the waiting room, just to be told they were bug bites." "Student Health? Are you kidding?" Engineering senior Gavin Steyn said. Despite a general displeasure with Student Health, many students said that they like to avoid taking medicine on their own. Some said they prefer to use natural remedies, while others said the expense of medicine discourages them. And some students said they have trouble keeping up with a medicine's dosage schedule. "I forget to take them," Rogers said. "I forget where I put them, I forget to buy more when I need them and when I do buy them I lose them. And when I took Tylenol, I ended up hyper. I couldn't sleep for 24 hours." Some students have more unexplainable reasons for not taking medicines. "I have a sort of irrational fear of medicines" said Steyn. "If an illness isn't serious, it will go away on its own. I just don't like them very much." And others just don't like the tastes. "For me, the excitement went out of them when I grew too old for the strawberry flavored ones," said one student. But despite the pains and aches, a lot of students said they have rather positive feelings about being sick. It's an excuse to lie in bed for days on end, studying can be postponed, and there's no need to get up first thing in the morning to go to class. "When I'm healthy I'm usually too busy studying to sleep all day," Wharton junior Paul Thurk said. "It's also a good time to catch up on watching TV." TV was second only to sleep as the means students cited for passing the time while they are sick. Graduate student A.T. Miller said he likes the restful aspect of getting sick. "I like to sleep and read when I'm sick," he said. "It's nice that you can't work, so you don't have to feel guilty about not getting anything done." And other students said the idle hours sickness brings gives them a chance to do things they usually do not get to do. "When I'm sick I go and buy a big pad of paper," Wharton sophomore Vincent Delorenzo said. "I lie in bed and crumple the sheets of paper into balls. Then I try to shoot hoops into my waste paper basket." But basketball is not the only pastime engaged in by students while infirm. "When I'm sick I have to lie in bed all the time," College junior Jonathan Barnard said. "So I masturbate four times a day." Students whose families live nearby said that being sick gives them an opportunity to return home and be pampered by their parents. "What I like about being ill is that it's a kind of return to childhood," College junior Jeff McKoviak said. "It's the only chance I get to go home and play Dungeons and Dragons with my mom." "When I'm sick I read my Legal Studies books and play Nintendo," said College junior Rob Pope. "Usually more Nintendo than reading, to be honest." And some regress so far back into childhood, they actually end up in their birthday suit. "There's no one here during the day, everyone in my suite is at class or in the library," Wharton junior Paul Thurk said. "So I like to walk around naked." But for some, the show must go on. "I've never missed a class in the last three years," said a student asked not to be named. "I quite like to go in when I'm sick so people can see how bad I feel." "It's not a neurotic thing, because I don't always go to class when I'm well," said Rogers. "But I don't like to miss class just because I'm sick." For those who don't feel too sick to do so, eating is a popular pastime while sick. Some students cited eating healthy food as a reliable cure. Oranges were particularly praised. "When I'm sick I only take natural things," said Poupon. "I don't take conventional medicines. I eat all natural foods, and I take herbal medicines." But the bottom line of sickness for many students was that it can be just plain boring. "It's such a waste of time," College Junior Paul Cyphers said. "I hate spending all that time just staring at the ceiling. I don't feel like doing anything."
(02/21/91 10:00am)
The Arts House Dance Company's annual show Fierce opened last night in the Harold Prince Theater before an enthusiastic audience. The show's broad variety of dance styles, inventive costumes, and the sheer energy of the dancers made for an exciting and enjoyable performance. The company moved through numerous styles, keeping the show lively with constant change. The up-tempo pieces were the best received, with numbers such as the humorous Baby I Got It, danced to the music of Aretha Franklin's Respect, attracting vociferous applause. In addition to the technical skills displayed, the dancers used a relaxed humor throughout the show. This was particularly noticeable in the campy Trollops on the Fringe, performed with obvious relish to the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Macavity. The lighting was innovative in all the pieces. A backdrop of drifting clouds accompanied one gentle, lyrical dance, while in Heart and Sole, an a capella dance, the dancers had only their gloves and collars illuminated. A high-energy dance accompanied by Deee-Lite's Groove is in the Heart ended the show on a high note of enthusiasm. Fierce will continue tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m. in the Harold Prince Theatre in the Annenberg Centre.
(02/20/91 10:00am)
The Arts House Dance Company's annual show, titled Fierce, will open tonight at the Harold Prince Theater in the Annenberg Center, featuring tap, modern, classical and funk dancing. Twenty-five dancers will perform in the show, the highlight of the company's year. "There's a lot of variety," said the show's costume director, College senior Christine Enemark. "We think there's something for everyone." "This is a very new company," Enemark added. "For a lot of the dancers, this is their first year. We've been practicing for this since September, so we think it will be very successful." It is the first year the Company has performed in the Annenberg Center's Harold Prince Theatre. "The venue makes a lot of difference" said College senior Stacey Lewis, the Company's artistic director. "Here we can really play out to the audience. At previous shows we've had to dance while looking out at everybody's feet." At rehearsal this week, the dancers ran through their paces with casual grace, all the while smiling and making the dances look easy. They seemed equally at home with the theatrics of a piece from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats and the more frenzied pace of jazz. But all the material was filled with energy and panache. Fierce is an entirely student-produced show. College senior Carlyn Caufield said that although the group has a professional dance teacher, "the direction, choreography, costumes and lighting are all done by students." Tickets to the show, to be performed tonight through Saturday at 8 p.m., have been selling briskly, and the weekend shows are nearly sold out. "We think we're 'extremely vexatious' and 'stylishly sexy,' " Lewis said, referring to a description given in the play's program. "Just say we're hot." "It's called Fierce because we're fabulous," she added.
(01/28/91 10:00am)
Dancers in elaborate lion costumes, fireworks displays, and arts and crafts demonstrations filled the University Museum Saturday morning to celebrate the coming of the Chinese New Year and the coming of the Year of the Sheep. About 3000 people attended the annual event, which featured a "Lion Dance and Firecracker Parade" around the museum, performed by members of Cheung's Hung Gar Kung Fu Academy of Philadelphia. Two ornate, colorful lions curled and danced amid the smoke from machine gun bursts of firecrackers. The dance, said one participant, is an ancient tradition. "The story goes that an Emperor was losing a war because his enemies were mounted on elephants," said Jerry Battle, a five year veteran of the academy. "He had a dream that lions could frighten the elephants, so the lion dance was created. The war was won, and the lion dance has been used ever since by Kung Fu academies." Upstairs in the Chinese Rotunda of the museum, a throng of people were surrounded by statues of lions, dragons and Buddhas and treated to demonstrations of traditional arts and crafts. Calligraphy, Chinese brush painting and origami were all on display. A team of origami experts from the Chinese Students Association turned out pandas, cranes, pianos and frogs with practiced ease. "I've been doing this since I was about three," said Wharton sophomore Lillian Sun. "It began just as an alternative to watching television." Volunteers taught Chinese cooking and how to play games, such as Mah Jong -- a rummy game -- and Chinese Chess. Attendees could also investigate the mysteries of I Ching -- a Chinese fortune teller -- to find what the Year of the Sheep holds for them. Chinese tradition says that people born during the Year of the Sheep, which will begin on February 15, will be elegant, wise and compassionate, but shy, pessimistic and puzzled by life. Wharton junior Tracy Kao, president of CSA, said that the group has been collaborating on the event with the museum for seven years. "We try to have the celebration a little before Chinese New Year, which is February 15th," Kao said. "That way if people like what they see here, they can go down to Chinatown and see the celebrations there." Members of Cheung's Academy also gave a demonstration of the martial arts. Backed by a hypnotic pulsing of drums and cymbals, they started a series of barehanded, dancelike movements. As they began to move through the different sequences, they started an "arms race" which included farmer's hoes, swords, spears and knives. Blades flew precariously through the air as the fighters rolled, jumped and dodged around the stage. The Flower Drum Dancers, from the South Jersey Chinese Community Center, put on a display of traditional fan dancing, which was far less dangerous than the Kung Fu school's knife, but even more graceful.
