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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 1996)
By Liza Holtmeier Intolerance hinders art community I love the excitement the night of a performance, both as a per fumer and an audience member. The lights, the music, the smell of perfume and makeup and the whis pering voices all lend to anticipa tion the moment before the curtain rises. These same emotions of excite ment and anticipation can arise from 100 different sources fin* 100 dif ferent people. People can feel ex citement before a sporting event, about a hunting trip, over a vaca tion, about teaching or a million other things. Though I wish every one could share in my joy for the ater, I’m glad people can experience these emotions through other areas. We preach tolerance for the arts community every day, to the point where many people in the arts feel they are against the rest of the world. While I agree the art com munity faces major opposition ev ery day from outside sources, I’ve come to realize there is a high rate of division within the art commu nity as well. How many times have I heard a theater or dance major say “Music majors have it so easy”? How many times have I heard a dance or mu sic major say “theater majors have it so easy”? I have heard it one too many times. And if you think dancing is easy, forget about it. 1 m tired of the pretentiousness many artists exhibit when they say “Dance is the oily true way to ex plore the human experience,” or “Sculpture is the only true medium that enables us to understand man kind.” As a lover of all of the arts, I have a hard time believing that one art form is the “end-all-be-all.” That’s not to say that I am never indisposed to favor one art form over another. For instance, classi cal ballet is my first true love, but if I only went to see classical ballet, I would have missed out chi a plethora of exciting experiences. After seeing various modem, jazz, tap and hip-hop performances, as well as taking classes in some of these areas, I have tremendous re spect for nonclassical ballet danc ers. These other types of dance re quire incredible technique, stamina, grace and talent, and I thoroughly enjoy being an audience for all. While it’s important to feel pride for one’s craft, we as a society of both performers and audience mem bers need to realize that each art form has its own elements to offer its audience. Each area provides insights and creates emotions in a different way. So all those who have been say ing, “I only like modem dance” or “I only like classical music,” need to begin trying new things. Artists need to begin blowing more respect few colleagues outside their me dium. The truth is, the art community has enough opposition without in tolerance from its fellow members. Holtmeier is a freshman news editorial major and a Daily Ne braskan staff reporter. Dance troupe brings tradition to lied Center By Joshua Gillin Dance Critic Every American Indian tribe from the Assiniboines to the Zuni was rep resented in a splendid fusion of tradi tional dance and music at the Lied Cen to* Monday night. The American Indian Dance The atre, a collection of more than 12 American Indians from separate tribes across the continent, performed inter pretations of more than eight different styles of dance. Performances ranged from the Northwestern-style opening sequence, laden with allegories about birds and spear-hunting, to the eagle feather-clad Plains dancing near the end of the show. All were done spectacularly, ef fectively capturing the old-style dances of the tribes of North America. Soon after the lights in the Lied Center went down, the audience was transported to a realm thousands of years old. Gad in the decorative robes of the Makah tribe and carrying oars, several dancers meandered across the stage, walking perfectly in time to the drumbeat. After “rowing” off the stage, two performers wearing similar robes and donning bird-like helmets hopped warily across the stage, transformed by their motions into the creatures they were attempting to represent. Following soon after were dancers representing eagles, deer and buffalo, recreating the dances of the Hopi and Jjj Zuni Pueblo tribes. The eagle dancers ■ glided effortlessly across a smoke-cov- * ered stage, mimicking the dip and rise Please see DANCE on 10 Works at Joslyn reflect artist’s spirituality Modern shadowboxes mix technology and religion By Fred Poyner Art Critic The personal icons of Betye Saar provide a mystical vision of how one artist incorporates both the worship and the physical nature of technology to day into her work. Through a mixed-medium shadow box style that combines objects such as Egyptian deities, circuit boards, ani mal carvings and electronic compo nents, Saar presents each piece to us as a part of her subconscious enshrined. While reminiscent of Catholic, Buddhist, Chinese and Portuguese shrines, these delicate works reflect Saar’s own spirituality independent of all these religions, as well as religious definitions. A sense of timelessness is another common thread all of these works share, as in “Lost Dimensions of Time,” where the image of a Buddha sits in the lotus position atop a circuit breaker. Technology, memory and dreams all serve as our links to both the past and future, captured for a mo ment in Saar’s time capsules. Other pieces act as visual puzzles, with clues that may or may not illumi nate the feelings of Saar at a particular moment in her life, such as “Sojourn,” which uses the image of a bird in flight with a raised fist and a ball and chain. One piece set apart from the oth ers, in both size and function, is an in stallation titled “Wings of Memory.” For this work, the artist has used the space of the gallery itself to form her “shadowbox,” while a lattice of branches and collection of objects left by passing visitors along one wall dedi cates the memories of lost family and friends. Such stark imagery and personal ■ ity make this soul-searching, provoca tive exhibit worth seeing. “Betye Saar: Personal Icons” is exhibited at the Omaha World-Herald Gallery of the Joslyn Art Museum un til Sunday. “SOJURN,” by Betye Saar, is on display at the Joslyn Art ^^Museum until October 13. ,J[