Minstrel Shows and Josephine Baker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agTF2E83AUY&feature=youtu.be

These documentaries, covering what it was like to be a black entertainer in the early 20th century, were fascinating.  In a society now, we can tend to forget what life was like for people who were not the majority. It is a shame that people got looked over, or under appreciated just because their skin was a different color. While I am well aware that discrimination of all kinds still is ongoing today, the abundance of it in popular culture into the 1960s still kind of amazes me. The fact that black face was used for so long is just crazy! While I understand makeup used to cover up and change one's appearance (I have done alot of theatrical performances) that kind of "mocking" and extreme stereotyping is very shocking, especially to society as it is today (being concerned with so called political correctness). I find it fascinating that Josephine Baker had to go to France to find super-stardom. Other women, such as Bessie Coleman, the first female African-american pilot, had also escaped to France to do what they loved. It is interesting to note that the "land of freedom," The United States of America, was so far behind many other countries, and in many ways, still is today.

Madama Butterfly Animation

I really enjoyed this animation. Its slight humor, playing upon its use of dolls was very amusing. Given what I know about this opera I felt it condensed the story well and told it in a compelling way. Despite it's humorous touch, I still felt it captured alot of the emotion in the aria. I was moved by some of the simple symbolism and beauty the animator used, while still managing to keep it from being too depressing. The butterfly, used as a connecting element from beginning to end was a very nice touch, and made it very cohesive over all. The suicide via dissembling was also a nice choice on the part of the animator, because it was emotional without being violent, which may have ruined the atmosphere created by the feel of the animation.   I liked this interpretation of this aria, very creative.

Nouveau Baroque

Baroque themes are echoed in modern society. 

By John Robert Charlton ([1]) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ALady_Gaga_Government_Hooker.jpg 

The elaborate costuming of modern performers, such as Lady GaGa (seen above), echo the past Baroque era. They are large, intricate and over the top. Often the costumes utilize unique materials in order to help them stand out. Think Lady GaGa's infamous "meat dress" or Nicki Minaj's various costumes (see below). 

By Christopher Macsurak (Nicki Minaj) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ANicki_Minaj%2C_2011.jpg

The modern musical artist also often puts on an intricate show, just as they did during the Baroque Era. These performances include a wide variety of special effects and props that help the artist's performance stand out. See the image of Britney Spear's Femme Fatale show below. 

 

By tamtam7683 (Flickr: IMG_7242) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABritney_DDB_FFT_Detroit.jpg 

This elaborate "showing off" resembles remarkably the baroque era's glitzy, overdone style. The bigger and more elaborate, the better and the same still hold true today for much of the popular music industry.

Getting to Know Me :)

Hello,
I am Emily Shultz. I am a Digital Arts and Film and Media Studies double major with a minor in Business Administration (yes, quite the mouthful). I am a junior credit hour wise, but year wise I am second semester sophomore. I am taking this class as apart of my Digital Arts major. I am hoping to expand my knowledge about the subject matter examined in this class, as it is very important to my future career path.