When University of Maryland graduate Marcus Moody, 23, created Hip-Hop Orchestra in 2012, the group was struggling to even get their name noticed campus-wide. To make matters worse, HHO struggled in keeping a consistent rehearsal home, resulting in frustration after being forced to relocate to numerous halls and rooms.

As time went on, however, the group attracted the attention of more and more talented musicians, growing to the 20-25 member band as of late, and has been winning over the interests of audience members by seamlessly combining the styles of hip-hop and classical music.

HHO won this year’s Battle of the Bands competition and will be opening for T-Pain and Lil’ Dicky at Art Attack this spring.

So, I take it you guys are pretty excited to open at Art Attack!?

Marcus: Most definitely. Honestly for me, this is the big kahuna for UMD. Starting out with just one other person and trying to get the word out about us just to recruit people to have fun, and to find out that we’re something people voted on to see in front of thousands more? I’m still kind of in shock!

How did you get the idea? What made you want to start something like this?

I was in the orchestra when I was a kid and all the way through high school. I was always a hip-hop head, and I realized that they’re kind of both the same in the way that they tell and articulate stories. Of course they articulate them in different ways and different messages—instrumentals versus lyrics—but the main objective for both of them was to tell a story. For hip-hop was to expose the truth behind different neighborhoods, behind minorities and bring a community together and stop a lot of crazy shit that was happening. And classical music is notorious for being able to tell a story without saying a word.

How has the group grown since you started? Both qualitatively and quantitatively.

We started out with people who had joined because they really didn’t have anything else to do and they may not have picked up an instrument since like fifth grade. But now we have people who pick it up because they want to make it better, because they think they can actually contribute something because they really want to make it awesome and they bring that actual skill set to it. It’s attracted a lot better talent and more committed individuals.

Both with how much hard work you put into HHO and how much frustration you’ve gone through to find a place to practice, how satisfying is it when you have a performance?

It’s amazing. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. I don’t get to look at the audience. I have to wait for the reaction. It’s about five minutes of me literally spilling my heart out and then the longest five second pause between the end of the song and hopefully an applause or some kind of positive response. And when I finally turn around, and if it’s a great response, it’s just kind of like … I can’t even really explain it. It’s like confessing your feelings for somebody and they completely reciprocate it.

What is your—your as in plural to represent the whole group—biggest inspiration for the music that you make?

I aim and I try to push them to have actual substance and meaning and content in their rhymes and to be able to tell a story and not just talk shit and mumble; actually take people somewhere. It’s a process, it’s a team thing. That’s what makes an orchestra so built because it’s never just one thing that’s like “Oh, shit that was amazing!” It’s a collaboration of a whole bunch of strong individual parts, lyrically, instrumentally and even sometimes with the audience when they get involved.

Featured Photo Credit: Marcus Moody, founder, conductor, composer, and director of Hip Hop Orchestra during their performance at Battle of the Bands in the Baltimore Room of Stamp. Between songs, the recent UMD alumnus spoke on the difficulty of rehearsing with their entire orchestra on campus. (Cassie Osvatics/Bloc Photographer)

Jordan Stovka is a freshman journalism major and can be reached at jstovka@icloud.com.

Jimi Hendrix once said if there was anything to be changed in this world, it could be done through music.

Music is a powerful force, a universal language that speaks inclusively to all who choose to partake. Lyrics can empathize with a listener, expressing thoughts they so badly wish to put into words, while instrumentals can take them to a another place, practically transcendentally.

The power of music is a living, breathing phenomena carefully articulated and matured by the loving devotees who are responsible for its growth and the extent of its impact. During the week of March 21, ambitious bands and artists alike competed for an opening spot in this year’s Art Attack! in SEE’s annual Battle of the Bands competition.

Each performer took the stage with a different sound, different inspiration and different objective.  Despite these differences, they each performed with a common goal in mind: to give their audience something one-of-a-kind. To give them something memorable.

We had the opportunity to speak with four of the performers.

Todo Mas: Semi-Finalist

Sophomore jazz performance major Dean Emerson strives to push boundaries with his band Todo Mas, to create sounds never before heard and lyrics that resonate with their listeners. Inspired by the Beatles’ George Martin, Emerson prefers to take the behind-the-scenes approach to music making to take a focus on production.

A new album is currently in the works, complete with some covers of pop songs amongst other surprises:

How long have you been making music and what made you want to start?

Pretty much since fifth grade. I’ve always been writing, but I didn’t really get serious about music until my junior year of high school. I was playing in bands from eighth grade to pretty much now, but it wasn’t until about this time last year that I kind of started to realize that instead of trying to pull together a band, what I really liked was just writing the songs. So, I started writing music as a solo project and took it from there.

What musicians or groups have influenced the kind of music that you like to play?

I could go for hours on that. Musically, one of my big influences is Bombay Bicycle Club; however, the band Washed Out started to get me into more electronic music just because I really liked their sound and I started exploring more electronic music after them. I stumbled upon more “chill wave” artists. Since then, I really like Jamie XX, but I really love his production style. The way that he uses space and stuff like that, I’ve been trying to emulate that in one of the songs I’m mixing right now.

Lyrically, I am heavily influenced by both Steely Dan and Alex Turner of The Arctic Monkeys.

What do you hope to achieve through your music?

Lyrically, I kind of have this tendency to play devil’s advocate in a way. I can’t really agree with people in general because I always feel like there’s always more to a discussion than what is actually being presented. Nothing is as simple as it seems. So, I always like to muddy those waters, be a little jerk about it.

But honestly, musically is more where I like to try and convey my message. I like to push boundaries, and I like to experiment and create new sounds that aren’t so far out that it is hard to digest.

You had said that performing is not your favorite thing, but what did you think of Battle of the Bands and performing for that?

I think it’s a great opportunity for local Maryland talent to play — and shout out to Marcus and Hip-Hop Orchestra for winning the whole thing. They blew me away. They were absolutely amazing. I personally hate the term—I hate the whole concept—of a Battle of the Bands. Music isn’t a competitive sport.

The Radiographers: Finalist

Junior mechanical engineering major Mike Houser met junior computer science and linguistics major Devin Ganey in Honors100 freshman year. After discovering a common passion for music, the duo formed the indie rock group The Radiographers in 2014.

The group has since grown to a four-member band, and after touring and playing countless local shows, the band recently released their first studio album. “Talk with Transparency”  is a collection of songs ranging from topics about anything from social issues to schizophrenia, and was both recorded and mixed at this university’s WMUC radio station.

How long have you been making music together? When did it start?

Devin: I played a lot of music in high school, and Mike, as he was introducing himself [in Honors100], was like “I liked to play a lot of music in high school, too.’ So I was like, ‘You know, I should talk to this guy.”

Mike: So we met up in CSPAC [Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center] and jammed a bit, and then jammed acoustically in the dorms, found a drummer through our mutual friend—he played the cajón and we jammed as a three piece for a while, and then we met Drew last year. We met him at the end of spring semester, but he didn’t officially join until this past fall.

Are there any musicians groups that influenced the type of music that you play?

Devin: To be stereotypical and say The Beatles … they’re definitely the biggest influence, but I don’t want to just say that. Me and Kevin especially like Radiohead, and I’m really into the Smiths. I’ve really been getting into this band Foxygen who uses experimental music styles and progressive, compositional styles, but implements a lot of catchy melodies and harmonies within the music, too, which we really like to implement.

What inspires your lyrics the most?

Mike: In the beginning it was definitely a lot more just writing about the female gender, but now we definitely try to incorporate some more, I don’t want to say deeper issues, but things that are less superficial. A lot of the stuff I write about in my songs has to do with mental health, kind of like what’s going on in my brain. I’ve had some schizophrenic tendencies for a little while, so that’s been interesting to put that into a song.

Is there a theme with this particular album, or is it just a compilation [of songs]?

Devin: It’s basically just a collection of songs we’ve written within the past year or two.

Mike: We wanted it to be very … all encompassing in the genre spectrum and pretty accessible so that our first thing [album] was able to reach a large audience. So we’re hoping in later releases to kind of hone in on our particular sound. In the beginning of the album, you have a lot of pop-y songs, and then in the middle there are a lot of genre changes. It goes from punk to folk to reggae real quick, and then towards the end you have the sound we’re trying to go towards for our next album.

How would you describe your Battle of the Bands experience this year?

Mike: It was really cool being voted into the final round. It was nice knowing that the general public really dug our sound, which at the end of the day, is the most important thing. And the two other bands we actually know really well. Because I’m the sound engineer at the radio station on campus, I recorded Hip-Hop Orchestra’s two singles that they’ll be playing, and we also play shows with Tomato Dodgers all the time. We’re super psyched that all the bands we’re playing with are good friends of ours.

Tomato Dodgers: Finalist

A side joke before their first show in 2013 created the temporary (or so they thought) band name, and Tomato Dodgers have been jamming ever since. Inspired by all things supernatural, lead singer and guitarist Asher Meerovich, a senior philosophy and Jewish studies double major, alongside his fellow band members, bring together unique tastes to create a compilation of talent and musical experimentation.

How did this current group get together?

Asher: The lineup was in flux for a long time because it would be me and then whoever else. People would come in and out. I met our drummer Pete outside on the mall at UMD. I was playing guitar outside and he just came over with a djembe. I met Joe at a party, actually. They needed a jazz band to play and there was no jazz band, so I just played guitar and Joe played bass so then we were like “Hey, that’s kind of cool. We should keep doing that.” And then Tera I met at a philosophy class, actually.

How did you come up with your band name? It’s really creative.

That was actually [from] the first drummer. Before our first show, we still didn’t have a name and he was like, “Well, shit, we’d better get ready to dodge tomatoes.” And it stuck. We thought, “Oh, you know, we’ll probably change that later,” but we never did.

What musicians, artists or other groups influence the kind of music that you make?

Part of it comes from the fact that we all listen to different kinds of music. Pete and I share a strong love for funk and dance-able kind of groovy music. And then Joe, our bass player, listens to a lot of like, I would say like Indian music and some pop and some folk and some classic rock and stuff like that. He brings a more songwriter element to it. And then Tera is really into electronic music, and she writes lyrics based on all sorts of stuff.

What most influences your lyrics?

I think there are more things that we write about, rather than things that inspire us. We evidently lean towards space and supernatural occurrences and like, conspiracies. Like, lizard people running the world and being teleported and time travel and all that shit.

Have you guys had any standout performances or memorable experiences happen to you yet you can think of off the top of your head?

We played a festival in western Virginia this past fall called Gypsy Fest and the promoter built us an obstacle course; and before our set, we ran this obstacle course while the crowd threw tomatoes at us. We were literally dodging tomatoes. And that, that was just great. There’s a video of it on Youtube somewhere. If you look up Tomato Dodgers Dodging Tomatoes on Youtube we are definitely there. It’s pretty good footage.

What are the biggest positives and negatives from tour?

Tour is the best. It’s what I want to do all the time. You get to play shows, meet people, meet other musicians, people pay attention, which blows my mind. We spread our message. It’s like being on vacation where you are doing work that you love. It’s great. It’s very physically demanding, and you’re not making money and it costs a lot. It’s just whether you can do it or not. And we’re in it.

Could you describe your Battle of the Bands experience?
I had a blast. It was a great time. I love The Radiographers. I love Hip-Hop Orchestra. They’re amazing and it’s great to be even around them. And I love all the bands that played, even in the first round, it was just so cool to be a part of that. It’s fun to play for people who don’t usually get to see us play. Maybe now they’ll be like, “Whoa, there’s this whole other thing going on that I didn’t know about and I should learn more about it. I should go see these bands and get more involved in the local community.”

Featured Photo Credit: Asher Meerovich, Lead guitar and vocals for the Tomato Dodgers performing at Battle of the Bands in the Baltimore room of Stamp. Asher is a senior philosophy and Jewish studies major. (Cassie Osvatics/Bloc Reporter)

Jordan Stovka is a freshman journalism major and can be reached at jstovka@icloud.com.

Editor’s Note: In previous copy, emcee Eitan Zecher’s name was spelled incorrectly. Our copy has now been updated to reflect the proper spelling of his name. Additionally, a quotation by Alyssa Gabay has been properly attributed where in our previous copy, her quotation was improperly attributed due to a typo. Our publication sincerely apologizes for the fore-mentioned egregious errors.  

“We wanna hear snaps, we don’t want it to just be silence, just the person up here. [For] a lot of people, it’s their first time so they gotta hear it from the crowd!”

Sophomore psychology major and emcee of the night, Eitan Zecher, told this to the crowd at Sermon Slam: Redemption, stressing the importance of audience feedback in slam poetry.

Ten poets, including Zecher, took the stage in the Prince George’s room in Stamp on April 3. The night’s theme was redemption in honor of the approaching Passover, a holiday celebrating redemption from the exodus in Egypt.

LAVI UMD, a student government association focusing on discussing and defining Jewish identity, hosted the event. LAVI “hopes to foster a safe space for the exploration of personal identity and of what it means to be Jewish in the current day and age.”

Sophomore history major and LAVI member Alyssa Gabay said events allowing Jewish students to have open, honest and sometimes difficult discussions on campus are crucial.

“It’s challenging for many American-Jews to identify … it’s important for people to come together and figure out, ‘How do I identify?’ or ‘Why is it important for me to identify? What does this mean to me?’” Gabay said. “Just like any other ethnic group on campus it’s important to have that discussion and outlet.”

Slammers got quite personal, delving deep into their struggles both in and outside of the religion. Shira Neuman, Maryland Hillel’s Jewish Learning Initiative Torah educator, spoke candidly of her struggle to define herself as a feminist while still practicing Orthodox Judaism.

She described herself 10 years ago, saying in her mind, “the words Jewish and feminist met as often as milk and meat did: never intentionally, and, if ever, always a shocking mistake … feminists were those angry man haters who disregard our holy Torah because they think Judaism oppresses women.”

After taking a required Sociology 101 class in college, she said her mindset changed and she came around to identifying as a feminist, especially under the idea that it simply stands for equality.

Although she said she still wrestles with balancing feminism and religion, she continues to “seek and study progress with tradition as my compass. There is only one man I answer to and it’s the big one upstairs.”

Other slammers grappled with different issues surrounding Judaism, such as doubting faith after a loved one dies or dealing with parents who expect them to practice Judaism the same way they do, rather than define it for themselves.

The common concern was how to make Judaism work for each individual, rather than having the religion and its guidelines be defined collectively.

Senior communications major Jake Steiner performed a poem beginning with “being Jewish sucks.” He went on to describe what he felt he was missing out on by going to Hebrew school twice a week or remembering scriptures he didn’t even understand. He would repeat “being Jewish sucks” every couple of lines.

Steiner said he only truly discovered who he was and where he belonged when he arrived at this university and embraced the Jewish community here, joining Jewish a capella group Rak Shalom and taking a birthright trip to Israel. He joined a fraternity and tried “a million” other clubs before realizing the religion he resented actually offered solace for him.

He ended the poem with the same phrase he repeated so many times, but this time, as a question he says he asks himself, “being Jewish sucks, right?”

This university had the third highest Jewish college student population in 2015, and the Jewish community here is thriving with 23 Maryland Hillel groups on campus.

Max Cohen, a Maryland alum, said many people might not feel comfortable talking so bluntly about topics like questioning religion or your parents in everyday conversation, so outlets like this are a good step in starting a dialogue.

“They are important topics of conversation but they don’t necessarily always come up and I think this is, at the very least, a conversation starter, but even more for the performers, a chance to really get up and share their feelings and understand their feelings more through the writing process and preparation leading up to it,” he said.

Featured Photo Credit: Sophomore Psychology Major Eitan Zecher emceed the event, as well as performed his own poetry at the Sermon Slam in Stamp on April 3, 2016. (Jack Angelo/Bloc Reporter)

Kira Sansone is a sophomore journalism major and can be reached at ksansone@terpmail.umd.edu.

Jasmine Everett, senior family science major, said, “I’m really excited to teach kids in Baltimore and I feel like I chose Special Education … because a lot of people exclude them … they have a special place in my heart so I’m excited to teach Special Education.” 

“I grew up in Baltimore, and I was privileged enough to go to the best schools but I don’t feel like it should be a tokenizing system, we shouldn’t be picking people we see as the best and brightest, everyone should get the same attention. I started in high school, we had the Maryland Teacher Academy and then I thought, ‘I don’t want to teach,’ so I started here in government and politics. And somehow, someway, I ended up dropping that and I am in family science now and I will be teaching. So I think it was always meant to be, honestly, I ended up where I started in high school.”

Samantha DeSilva, sophomore neurobiology and physiology major said, “This past spring break I went on an alternative breaks trip … and over that trip you get immersed in the community and you really get to learn why you’re doing the community service and their story and how they ended up in the positions they’re in. And you also learn a lot about each other and I think it’s very interesting… all the little things that happen to people that make them who they are and what contributes to them. And I think a lot of the problems in the world happen because of not understanding each other and not understanding where people come from.”

Max Balagtas-Badoy, junior psychology and philosophy major, said, “So when I saw this board I immediately thought of my roommates, I live with six other trans people in a place off campus and I thought about how we only feel like we can be our authentic selves within the house and not necessarily on campus or the world beyond that. And I want to kind of imagine a world where I can be my authentic self in all my spaces because to not do that makes me feel like there are pieces of me that are cut off and I’m not a whole person.”

Suhayla Ahmed, junior finance and government and politics major said, “I am a female and it’s kind of frustrating to know that women get paid 77 cents per every dollar that a man gets paid. And I feel like I’m no less qualified or no less intelligent than a lot of my male peers in my classes and it’s really … annoying to know they will get better job offers and they will be taken more seriously than I will based off of how I look and how we dress and just who we are-that is entirely based on genetics.”

Grace Toohey, senior journalism and government and politics major, said “With the current political climate and so many different views being expressed in America, which is awesome, diversity is great, but I feel like there’s been a lot of misinformation and intolerance which is kind of frightening for me. I’m a journalism major so I really want to educate people through journalism, through real journalism, that is well reported. And I feel like that could make a difference because when I talk to people who are educated on the issue, it’s a thoughtful conversation so that education is a really important aspect of it.”

Featured Photo Credit: A wall where people entering Stamp Student Union can write about the world they want to live in and what they will do to help create that world (Gabe Fernandez/Bloc Reporter)

Allie Melton is a sophomore journalism major and can be reached at alliehiesmelton@yahoo.com.

Hope—a small word for something that unites us all. Having hope is not always an easy feat, but it is one thing that makes the journey for Syrian refugees easier.

Public Health Without Borders (PHWB) hosted a benefit concert supporting Syrian refugees March 31 in the Nyumburu Multipurpose Room.

The concert was free, but donations to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees were accepted throughout the night.

Campus a cappella groups Kol Sasson, Ethnobeat and Pandemonium, as well as dance group Afrochique, each took the stage to foster hope and unity among nations and refugees.

In between performances, members of PHWB read Humans of New York narratives from Syrian refugees. Their testimonies were accompanied by their photographs projected on the screen.

During the event, PHWB Vice President Mitch Rock also delivered a short speech about the Paris attacks and the power of fear. He said people cannot let refugees be forgotten and they cannot allow “fear to turn into blind hatred.”

Hope is what unites us, Rock said, and the testimonies show we are similar to refugees because we share hope.

As the audience listened silently to each story, a few attendees teared up.

Christina Memmott, a senior public health science major, was one of them. She said the  stories were necessary to remind everyone refugees are human too.

“At first the refugee crisis was a really big deal, but now we don’t think about it as much. [These testimonies] just show they’re still out there and they’re still here, even if they’re not in the media as much,” said Memmott.

Danny Mackey, a senior civil engineering major and member of Pandemonium, said the concert was a good balance of having fun and being reminded of the seriousness of the refugee crisis.

“It was unique because we don’t usually perform for a cause like this, so that was cool,” Mackey said. “It was definitely exciting to be part of something that was raising attention for a good cause.”

Mackey said he was particularly touched by the last testimony of a Syrian inventor who wants to use his inventions to improve the world.

“Just because they’ve been through traumatic events and they’re from a war-torn country doesn’t mean they don’t have anything to offer,” Mackey said. “There’s a vast pool of knowledge and ability there that we can tap into, and if we really help them, they can contribute in large ways.”

Sophomore public health science major Tanjila Rahman, who’s also a member of PHWB, said she was pleased with how the event turned out.

“I’m really glad people came out to support Syrian refugees. It was great to have these campus organizations come out and do the concert for us.”

Rahman also said she found the testimonials inspiring and encouraged other students to attend similar events.

“As students, we are so busy with our lives, with our exams and homework,” Rahman said. “If you could just take a little time out of your day to show support and to learn more about the issues around your world, that makes your college experience. College is all about knowing and understanding the world around you, and this event was a way to help you with that.”

Featured Photo Credit: Members of PandemoniUM, a co-ed a cappella group on campus, performed three songs. They sang American Boy, by Estelle and Kanye West, and then sang Rollercoaster by Bleachers, and finished with Cake By the Ocean, a song from Grease. (Julia Lerner/Bloc Reporter)

Rosie Kean is a freshman journalism major and can be reached at vrosekean@gmail.com. 

“Find your voice and perform it in your own way,” urged Rhys Hall, senior sociology major and co-host of Friday evening’s Take Back the Mic Against Hatred and Bigotry event.

The open mic, organized by United Muslim Advocated for Humanity, provided a safe space in Stamp’s Benjamin Banneker room for students to voice their concerns against hatred and bigotry, covering topics of race, ethnicity and gender often in the context of the upcoming election.

The evening opened up with Hall and co-host Sadiyah Bashir, a business student at Prince George’s Community College and six-year performing poet, taking the floor to ease the tension in the air, spitting bars and sharing pieces of original poetry.

To Bashir, the content of this art form directly reflects the mindsets of the youth who deliver them. When taking this election into account, this would translate to mean that the concerns and fears of America’s youth are revealed in their self expression.

“To find out the mindset of the youth, look at the art. That’s what youth go[es] to as a way of freeing themselves about what’s going on around them,” said Bashir, whose own poetry reflects her emotional growth, in addition to topics of gender and race. “If you realize that your art is being more socially conscience, and its topics are going into Donald Trump and this election and stuff like that, that’s how your youth are feeling.”

Attendees were then encouraged to stand in front of the intimate audience to share their voices, the first being senior behavioral and community health major Katie Landry who shared a personal poem about the struggles of femininity in her Korean culture.

Landry explained that the inspiration for her poem was rooted in her observations of societal roles from her mother and grandmother’s interactions with men.

“In Korean culture, we have a different set of rules—this is much more old school than modern day. There are different words we have to use when talking to men. There are different ways that they come first, and very much so in society. They [men] are supposed to be the forerunners,” Landry said. “I really wanted to combat that, to go against cultural norms.”

Some performers chose to present another author’s work, such as Maya Angelou’s “Do I Rise,” as opposed to original content. For some, this was their hundredth time being in front of an audience, whereas for others, this was their first.

Nonetheless, each performance was received with applause, the snapping of fingers or a resonating verbal appreciation.

In context of the numerous derogatory comments that have taken center stage to many candidates’ campaigns, many students feel that open mic opportunities such as Take Back the Mic are one of the best ways for those who feel oppressed to get their voices heard.

Sophomore computer science major and member of United Muslim Advocates for Humanity Semiat Aina said she feels that events like these bring awareness to the “people out there who care that they are being victimized” and who want to actively do something about it.

“They don’t have to combat these types of things on their own. Rather, they have a group of people supporting them and reassuring them that they do matter and that their voices are heard,” Aina said. 

“I think it [Take Back the Mic] went well. It allowed people to voice their opinions given all the hatred and bigotry we see on social media, television networks, and things like that,” Aina continued. “I think it’s very important to have a space where people can express their opinions from time to time.”

Featured Photo Credit: Prince George’s Community College business student Sadiyah Bashir shares one of her poems. (Sammi Silber/For The Bloc)

Jordan Stovka is a freshman journalism major and can be reached at jstovka@icloud.com.

The crowd roared with laughter as performers twisted about on stage and moaned—the “diva moan,” the “tortured zen moan,” and last but not least, the “triple orgasm moan”—during The Vagina Monologues performed by students from this university Friday night.

It was a show of hilarity and horror.

Each piece in The Vagina Monologues is a real interview collected and carefully edited by playwright Eve Ensler. The subject matter ranges from self-discovery and accidental orgasms at the gym to genital mutilation and the metaphorical transformation of the female body into a warzone.

By performing these monologues, the actresses were a vessel to raise unheard voices. It was clear the performers were aware each word they said on stage were words from real interviews conducted with sex workers, rape victims and vagina workshop participants.

Ensler still accepts submissions, so even though the first productions ran in 1996, modern voices are still heard. The last piece of the performance, “Words” performed by Dani Gisselbeck, is an example of this. It expressed the multiplicity of identity and examined bisexuality and genderqueer identities.

One monologue, performed by junior multiplatform journalism major Amber Ebanks, was from a woman who was raped by a man who had “all the charisma that is a knife.” Horrifying pieces such as these alternated with those of empowerment and humor.

All proceeds from the show go to the Victims Assistance Fund at the CARE to Stop Violence office on campus. CARE is a resource and platform for students to learn how to confront and overcome trauma from sexual violence, relationship violence and stalking.

It is evident that, though the play is meant to inform the audience, it drastically changes the lives of the performers. Briana Downs, a vocal performance and English major, performed the piece titled “The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could” about the emotional aftermath of sexual violence and the long process of learning how to be touched again.

“I was the shiest person when it came to sex,” Downs said. “I’m still a virgin and I was like ‘how am I going to talk about sex if I’ve never experienced it?’“

Downs said she used to blush at the mention of sex and worried about being on stage shouting about her clitoris. She said she auditioned for the Vagina Monologues because she wanted to feel liberated.

When she had doubts about whether or not she could portray her character, she said she sought refuge in the reality of the voice she was carrying. She told herself: “You are their voice. You are that woman’s voice out there. She’s been raped and she feels like she can’t tell people … you speak out for her. Inspire her.”

Downs said she now feels like she can champion sex positivity and not be afraid to talk about it.

Lucy Harrelson, a senior society and environmental issues major, was inspired to be more in touch with her sexuality. She said once she started practicing her script, she made a pact with her friend that they would try to masturbate every day.

Why is it important to be open about female sexuality?

One possible answer was posed after the performance when the actresses were all sitting on stage answering questions from the audience during a “talk back.” The talk wandered to the possibility that open discussion about female sexuality creates a safer world for women. When it is easier for a woman to talk about her body, it is easier for her to own and value it.

Featured Photo Credit: Sierra Decker (Senior, Community Health major) embodying the strength, frustration and aggression behind her piece “My Angry Vagina.” (Joe Duffy/Bloc Reporter)

Raye Weigel is a sophomore multiplatform journalism and English major and may be reached at rayanneweigel@gmail.com. 

Featured Photo Credit: Sun Club performs their hair-moving finale at Terpstock 2016. (Gabe Fernandez/Bloc Reporter)

The art gallery in the Stamp Student Union is usually quiet, echoing only with the footsteps of visitors looking at artwork displayed around the small room. However, on Friday evening the room echoed with the voices of student poetry performers.

The event was held in honor of the Asian American/Diasporic experience focusing on Asian American women. Some performers were from a spoken word collective on campus called TOTUS, others  never performed before.

Jagjot Battu, freshman biology major performed a few short pieces at the event, revolving around women’s rights issues. Battu has been writing poetry for only a few years now, but she said it  helped her work through hardships. “It’s really been a good way to heal,” she said.

“I feel like I have grown up with a lot of the stigmas and stereotypes associated with Asian American families,” Battu said.

Elizabeth Kim, sophomore government and politics major, helped develop the ideas surrounding the event. She is an Asian American and Pacific Islander student advocate intern at the MICA office, the vice president of external affairs for the Asian American student union and is the vice president of UMD Feminists.

The event was about “using art as a tool for reclaiming our voices, reclaiming our bodies that are so often shamed or told what to do … and reclaiming our history, our culture, our experiences that are often reworded for us,” Kim said.

The prevalence of being silenced both in history and in present day classrooms was present. One student shared the story of when she was forced by her teacher to pick a new name for herself because the teacher could not pronounce her name. Kim said the art showcased here can be a form of resistance and combatting this omnipresent silence.

The poetry was not the only art showcased here as there were multiple art pieces by students. One was two long planks of wood, both riddled with puncture marks from screws that were staged side by side. They were meant to be walked between.

Another piece covered the wall next to the performers. It was by an MFA Candidate at the university and was titled “The pattern of the Thing Precedes the Thing.” It consisted of index cards marked with lines of red and blue.

The event centered on the concepts of intergenerational traumas and healing while performers explored concepts from love to domestic violence to a love letter to their mother.

Toward the end of the performance, attendees were shaken by a stillness created by a guitarist who interrupted the poem to play “Take Care” by Beach House. Everyone shifted sideways to face her as she sat near one of the art pieces on the side of the room. Her voice was eerie and comforting, it seemed to relieve any remaining nervousness that any of the performers still felt. After her piece, the room seemed thoughtful.

Featured Photo Credit: Andrew Mayton, a University of Maryland alumnus, speaks in front of a small crowd inside The Stamp Gallery. (Josh Loock/Bloc Reporter)

Raye Weigel is a sophomore multiplatform journalism and English major and may be reached at rayanneweigel@gmail.com. 

Dim lights and a quiet atmosphere set the stage in the Grand Ballroom of Stamp April 21 for Queer Monologues. The accepting crowd offered a welcoming space for members of the LGBTQA+ community at this university to express their experiences and feelings through spoken word, music and essays.

Topics ranged from coming out stories, growing up gay in rural areas and acceptance—whether that acceptance comes from within or from family and friends.

Emotions ran high as performers recounted their coming-out experiences in Hispanic families and in more traditional countries like Sri Lanka. They discussed breaking the mold of the heteronormative society we live in and how breaking free of  assumptions has helped them find themselves.

Many of the performers said since coming to the Washington, D.C., area, they’ve found a community and acceptance.

“I got to learn a lot about other people’s experiences, but during that I got to reflect on my own,”  Tyler Clifford, a senior English major, said.

Midnight Madness funked up the night with their original jazzy songs. Their passion for the music was evident in the way they played off of each other. Their loud presence livened the night and cut the tension.

Other performers utilized hand drums, acoustic and electric guitars, basses and even a trombone.

Shaina Destine, MICA’s graduate coordinator for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Student involvement, hosted the night. She praised each performer, knowing how difficult it can be to pour your soul into a crowd of people.

Destine’s wife took the stage, reading a poem she wrote a few hours earlier about meeting Destine, their relationship and being saved by their love.

I don’t know about the rest of the crowd, but I couldn’t help but tear up listening to the depth of love the two women shared.

“It was taking bits and pieces of everyone’s work and applying it to different sections of your own life,” said Phil Evich, a sophomore horticulture major. “I think that’s the cool thing about identify, it’s such a personal thing but you can pick from other’s identities and learn more about yourself.”

The event offered a safe space for students in the LGBTQA+ community and a creative outlet for emotions and memories.
Pride Month will continue with Pride Prom April 30 in Stamp.

Featured Photo Credit: Senior Sociology Phd student Rhys Hall reads Nas lyrics during Queer Monologues in College Park, Md. on April 21, 2016. (Jack Angelo/Bloc Reporter)

Katie Ebel is a sophomore English major and can be reached at katieebel@gmail.com.

Editor’s Note: Scot Reese is a professor with TDPS -not the director. The story has been updated to reflect this change.

The art of performance is something appreciated and celebrated all over the world in many different cultures and in many different ways.

With that being said, it is of growing importance to broaden each of our world views and expose ourselves to cultures unlike our own, and theatre students at this university will be doing just that.

For the 25th anniversary of the Kennedy Center’s New Visions/New Voices festival, the University of Maryland will be collaborating with the Kennedy Center for a special celebration: for the first time incorporating an international component by inviting playwrights and producers from South Africa, Korea and India.

University theatre, dance and performance studies students, actors, dramaturges and designers will be working with the playwrights for a one-of-a-kind experience, having the opportunity to learn from these mentor figures and gaining experience in the field while also stepping into cultures from around the world.

The project begins two weeks prior to the upcoming shows at this university. Students research and learn about the cultures that will be presented, all before meeting the playwrights in person to work toward editing, tweaking and adjusting the performances to best convey their messages to the audience.

“They’re getting the international experience without leaving the University of Maryland,” said School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies professor Scot Reese.“It’s like studying abroad without leaving the comfort of the school.”

Jonelle Walker, a theatre history and performance studies masters student, will be a dramaturg at the program, an uncommon term outside theatre conversation.

“A dramaturg serves as an advocate for the audience. We work with the playwright and help them to realize what their audience will get out of it,” Walker explained. “We’re a coach for the playwright and help them bring their plays to reality.”

The themes for the performances range from serious to lighthearted and offers audiences with an “array of new plays that come from a vast variety of cultural experiences,” according to Walker.

Walker will be working with the play The Other Side, which takes place in India. As Walker describe, it is a “beautiful play about friendship and love” that can easily be relatable to the audience even if they don’t know very much about the Indian-Pakistani conflict.

“Playwrights and students alike will benefit from the partnership—playwrights will have the ability to workshop their plays in a world-class setting with some of the best students in the country, and students will be exposed to theater and theater artists from a variety of cultures, leading them on the path to understanding and empathy,” Reese said in a director’s note.

After the two-week period at the university, the performances will commence at The Clarice April 29-30, and then excerpts from the nine shows will be compiled into hour-long performances at the Kennedy Center May 2-7.

The nine performances scheduled for this upcoming weekend are geared toward young audiences and families from a wide range of backgrounds. The student-actors will conduct staged readings during Maryland Day this Saturday.

Audience members can expect to be plunged into the cultures and traditions of these countries through the talented performances and hard work of not only the actors, but all those involved behind the scenes.

“They’re [the audience] going to get a cultural experience that is immersive [through the] words and stories of these wonderful countries,” Reese said.

Featured Photo Credit: Scot Reese (Courtesy of TDPS)

Jordan Stovka is a freshman journalism major and can be reached at jstovka@icloud.com.

Stereotype (noun): a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

When one thinks of stereotypes, many different types of people may come to mind. But what if, on top of being commonly thought of as alcoholic, unemployed and lazy slobs, the country you live in was also stolen from your ancestors by rich, white men whose children are now taught as heroes?

This is the life of Native Americans. Some of the most pervasive stereotypes still in American culture today are those aimed at this group. The American Indian Student Union is working to combat these over-generalizations on campus and beyond.

The organization discussed this and other aspects of Native American culture at Native Revival Tuesday in the Benjamin Banneker room of Stamp Tuesday.

The event started with every attendee getting an index card with a word like appropriation, mascoting or stereotype on it and writing what the word meant to them. This set the stage for the conversation, which was led by executive board members of the AISU.

AISU joined the the Office of Multicultural Involvement & Community Advocacy umbrella recently, and has since worked on building up an organization that was once made up of only a few people. Their main focus, according to President Kimberly Whitley, a senior community health major, has been Native American Heritage month.

During the month of November, events were held on campus to highlight and open the eyes of those unaware of Native American culture through outlets like monologues and performances.

Whitley said she believes next year will be the year the organization extends beyond heritage month because it has been growing little by little every year. She also said she understands while the Native American population on campus is less than one percent, this does not make representation any less important.

“We are still here, not just a part of history that’s just ended,” she said. She shared a time when someone told her they thought Native Americans went extinct. This, she said, is why getting a dialogue going is crucial.

Junior anthropology major Delia Dreher pointed out the university should take their respect for Native Americans a step further by acknowledging whose land this used to be and educating students about it.

“Especially with an institution that is so historical like the University of Maryland, we kind of have a lack of education around … the history of slavery and … especially on the East Coast, we definitely have a mindset like, ‘Oh Native American people just weren’t here.’”

She went on to say events like this “foster a lot of education components but … also kind of brings us outside of our regular bubble and makes us be more critical of our everyday culture and the things that we’re reinforcing.”

Freshman Emelia Gold, one of four students who spoke about their alternative break trip to Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, shared a story about how the negative views many have toward Native Americans took a nasty turn.

She said in the high school on the reservation, if a student gets three A’s, they get to go to a hockey game in Rapid City, South Dakota. As they sat down in their seats to watch the game, the people in the balcony above them began pouring their beer on them, yelling racial slurs and saying, “You should be used to this, your parents are all alcoholics anyway.” They endured the harassment for as long as they could, but eventually could not take it anymore and went home.

Although this sparked controversy and protests in Rapid City, the end result was one man getting charged with assault without conviction.

“Kids that really try their best to escape the system still face a lot of problems when they’re off the reservation,” Gold said.

Incidents like this are common. According to FBI data, 4.6 percent of hate crimes in 2014 stemmed from anti-Native American or Alaska Native bias.

Despite this, sophomore multiplatform journalism major Karla Casique stressed the love Native Americans have for their culture.

“I know that there’s a lot of poverty and statistics that say a lot of really horrible things … but I also want people to know that there’s great pride … of indigenous cultures everywhere,” Casique said. “So, yes, that suffering and that genocide is obviously really important to know about, like what’s going on right now … but then I want people to know there are other sides, there’s not just that side of pain.”

AISU thinks education is the best way to change the negative stigma attached to being Native American and is working to get an indigenous studies minor established at this university.

Casique said the university currently offers two classes geared toward specifically learning about Native Americans and creating the minor would allow for more. Casique said the only issue right now is funding and finding professors.

“Our motto for American Indian Student Union is ‘we’re still here’ because it’s sort of like, face-to-face, we have survived,” Casique said.

Featured Photo Credit: Feature photo courtesy of Flickr user zachary o.

Kira Sansone is a sophomore journalism major and can be reached at ksansone@terpmail.umd.edu.

A semester’s worth of work culminated at the Maryland Filmmakers’ Club Film Festival in the Ulrich Recital Hall in Tawes Hall Saturday.

Students presented 11 films, all completely made and starred in by members of the Maryland Film Club.

Senior film studies major and vice president of the Maryland Filmmakers club Ruby Nitzberg described the semester-long process students went through to get their final product. The club matches experienced filmmakers with “people who have never touched a camera before in their life” and places them together on crews to make short films.

Between pitching the story ideas to other members of the club, getting approval, writing it, shooting and editing, Nitzberg said the films usually take three to four months to complete, all to be presented at the festival.

Nitzberg said this is the festival’s sixth year. She also said the film festival gives people who usually don’t have the opportunity, to dip their feet into film production and what goes into it.

“I think as much as I love our major, there’s not really any other opportunity for production experience on campus and so I think a place like this for people who are interested in film as an art or an industry to grow and learn and then to celebrate themselves at the end of the semester, I think, is really valuable,” she said.

This year’s festival featured the first ever documentary. It focused on the story of two rape survivors on campus. The ten other films ranged from a comedy called The Guy Who Leapt Across Time, a film about a man who time travels from an alternate universe to save his friends from an avocado-eating murderer, to Six Sessions, a film about a man going to therapy to cope with his missing wife, only for the audience to later find out he is keeping her tied up in their basement.

Psychology and theatre major Shuping Yang said seeing her first film Grammar Ain’t No Grandma on screen was “amazing.”

“Everyone is so supportive, my friends, my crew members,” Yang said. “I could never be here without their help … and I loved when people laughed, my goal was achieved.”

She said her film was inspired by an academic advisor she had who said he always wanted to make a film about a grumpy advisor being rude to a foreign student, but later needing to pass a class taught by the same student and learning how have humility again.

Yang said the festival gives fellow filmmakers a chance to see, build off of and be inspired by each other’s work.  

“I learned so much from watching other people’s films and it’s so exciting,” Yang said. “It’s so nice we have the chance to do this.”

The winner of audience choice award for the night was Inhale/Exhale, which detailed two addicts who become dependent on each other during an attempt at sobriety, only to go back to square one. The movie also won the award for best editing and score.

“Events like this are important because I think film is really important … the film major is really new here and appreciation of film as something really powerful is new here,” Nitzberg said.

Featured Photo Credit: Film Festival Judges and Alumni of the class of 2015 Theatre major Aidan Walsh (center) and English and Film Studies double major Zack Burkett laugh during the Film Festival in Ulrich Hall on April 30, 2016. (Jack Angelo/Bloc Reporter)

Kira Sansone is a sophomore journalism major and can be reached at ksansone@terpmail.umd.edu.

In the student-made documentary Lunch With The Homies, three girls are out to eat when they begin discussing homelessness, its causes and the stigmas that surround it.

The documentary screening was held on May 2 in the Grand Ballroom Lounge in Stamp.

Eden Daniel, senior theatre major; Kiauna Freeman, junior economics major; and MaBinty Bangura, a senior criminology and criminal justice major, created the film along with two other student videographers.

Retji Dakuma, a digital art graduate of the College of New Jersey, edited the film.

The film was made for their capstone project under the Rawlings Undergraduate Fellowship Program. However, the students wanted to focus on a social issue that was not only relevant but also something they could work whole-heartedly on.

Before the screening, Bangura said, ”Homelessness and poverty is something that is near and dear to all of our hearts, so we wanted to really showcase something that we could really put all of our passion [into].”

She said, “Our mission for this project was … to start a campaign that would break the stigmas against homelessness and homeless people … that would allow homeless people in our area to have a voice.”

The documentary focuses on homelessness in Washington, D.C. It features a woman who has been struggling with homelessness for several years but still has her faith in God. The film discusses stereotypes surrounding homeless people, like laziness and addiction.

The students speak with the homeless and homeless advocates to prove these stigmas don’t hold true to every case. Some people become homeless because they come out as an LGBTQ person and their parents throw them out. Some people become homeless because they can’t afford the medical care they need and end up disabled and on the streets. No matter the circumstance, a homeless person can be anyone.

In the panel discussion after the film, Steve Thomas from the National Coalition of Homelessness said, “Homelessness can happen to anyone. No one is exempt.”

Thomas was also featured in the film. He grew up in Washington, D.C., and is a veteran and formally homeless. He got involved with drugs and alcohol at a young age but has been sober for 10 years. Thomas has been working with the National Coalition of Homelessness since 2007.

The film seeks not only to break down the barriers between homeless and non-homeless people, but also find solutions.

They also featured Maryland delegate Mary Washington, who is also co-chair for the Joint Committee on Ending Homelessness. She spoke about how 50,000 people in Maryland become homeless each year, while Maryland still has some of the richest counties in the country.

While some people can’t work because of physical or mental limitations, often homeless people work but don’t make enough to pay for housing, she said.

Washington said political change is needed, and that is what she aims to achieve. She mentioned raising the minimum wage to $15 and implementing rent control so people can make more and live in more affordable homes.

She also discussed government programs like Housing First. The first step of the program is to get the person or family in a stable home as soon as possible and then provide services that promote long-term housing, like assistance in finding a job.

At the end of the film, the students facilitated a discussion. Daniel said, “The truth is that people who fall into homelessness are not just losing a home, they’re also losing their voice.”

“It really is our job as people who have homes, who have shelter, to advocate for those who don’t.”

The panel included Thomas and Candi Darley, who were both featured in the film and from the National Coalition of Homelessness. The two discussed their own experiences and the things they want people to know about homelessness.

Darley said she found homelessness to be a struggle but also a humbling experience.

“Most people look at the things on the outside to make them who they are, when you lose your things, you have to really look inside to find out who you are. Now it is the successful homeless person that achieves this,” she said.

Darley advocates everyone to speak to each other and the homeless, even if it’s just a hello. She said she never knew how much a conversation with someone on a bus could mean until she became homeless herself.

Thomas said everybody, especially young people, regardless of socioeconomic status should rally for ending homelessness.

“I’m getting more encouraged about people being concerned about people,” he said.

“People need to come first, then worry about the damn whales.”

Featured Photo Credit: Courtesy of Forsaken Fotos’ Flickr Account.

Allie Melton is a sophomore journalism major and can be reached at alliehiesmelton@yahoo.com.

The relatively weak hype for this year’s headliners did not stop hundreds of students from witnessing Lil Dicky and T-Pain dominate the stage at Art Attack XXXIII. Students sat right with their backs to the stage up to two hours before anyone took the stage. When Battle of the Bands winner The Hip-Hop Orchestra took the stage, the crowd stood up, and the party began.

After DJ Elz enticed the crowd, he introduced Lil Dicky, the Philadelphia rapper whose 2015 album Professional Rapper hit number 7 on the US 100, as well as number 1 on the rap, comedy and independent charts. He performed excerpts from that album as well as his mixtape So Hard released in 2013.

After a long wait, T-Pain danced his way on stage and performed a long medley of his mid-2000s hits, taking much of the crowd back to their grade school days. Afterward, T-Pain did the Running Man with Terrapin basketball players Jared Nickens and Jaylen Brantley, fresh from their appearance on Ellen, before performing more of the singer’s own songs and hit features.

Featured Photo Credit: Lil Dicky took time to speak to the crowd about his past relationships, 90s nostalgia and even gave hummus and tuna out to some members of the pit at Art Attack XXXIII in the Xfinity Center on May 6, 2016. (Jack Angelo/Bloc Reporter)

Jack Angelo is a senior broadcast journalism major and can be reached at JackMAngelo@gmail.com.

Despite the chilly, dreary afternoon happening just outside the window, the students and faculty within 3200 Knight Hall were buzzing with enthusiasm.

Those present shared one thing in common: an interest or love in writing about the arts.

A panel held on May 5 discussed the evolving relationship of arts and journalism in the digital age, amongst an intimate audience.

The panel consisted of four writers and critics in the arts and theater beat: John Stoltenberg, avid theatergoer and critic for a column in DC Metro Theater Arts; Rebecca Ritzel, freelance dance critic and theater communist for The Washington Post, as well as a professor at this university; Robert Bettmann, an artist, art writer and founder of the magazine Bourgeon; and Sarah Kaufman, a University of Maryland alumnus and Pulitzer Prize-winning dance critic for The Washington Post.

After light refreshments, each panelist discussed his or her personal role in the arts-journalism world, all before delving into questions of the changing roles of arts writers in an age of ever-growing technology and dependence on social media.

Several topics were discussed under the umbrella of the digital age, such as the relationship of journalism and marketing (referred to as the “blurb industry”), the increasing freedom of online contributors, centralizing writing for specific audiences, consumerism and the unknown future of journalism as a whole.

“The panel offered diverse perspectives on arts journalism and the role of social media. It was a great opportunity for UMD students to hear from working journalists about the changes they’ve seen and the way they approach their writing,” said Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center communications manager Sarah Snyder via email.

In today’s society, the internet supplies limitless platforms for self expression and opinionated pieces, both professional and otherwise, proving to be a competition and challenge for arts journalists and the significance of their work.

“I appreciate that everyone is a critic these days. I think that we have to be more savvy as an industry about understanding how some traditional forms of arts, if we want them to be preserved, need to be supported in new ways,” Bettmann said.

The panel also brought to the surface the issue of the “blurb industry:” the act of advertising and marketing agencies taking or tweaking lines from reviews to sell tickets to shows and performances. Differing opinions were shared during the discussion.

“We were talking before about the line between marketing and criticism, and there is a sense in which they blur, especially in the digital space,” Stoltenberg said. “I’m writing it [a review] that way because it’s a true thing, but I’ll sometimes look back at it and say, ‘Is this quotable?’ because I want butts in seats, too. If I think that it’s an important piece that people should see, then I don’t mind helping out the marketing folks to let people know about it.”

Ritzel then shared a few situations in which she had been contacted to change a blurb from her review to benefit one party over the other for advertising purposes, in which she declined, as well as the frustrations she felt after the popularity of one of her pieces featured on a billboard overshadowed the piece itself.

“When I write reviews, I go back and I look for phrases that could be blurbed, and I change them so they cannot be,” Ritzel said. “There definitely is a blurb industry. The blurb of mine that has been most high profiled was a review I wrote about Cirque du Soleil. It ended up on billboards—in fact, one on 295—and the amount of people who were all of a sudden sending me photos of the ad from Cirque du Soleil… it was like ‘Why doesn’t this happen when I write something?’”

One of the most recurring topics of the panel was social media changing the platform in which journalism is popularized. Twitter, for example, has made its way into theater and the arts, surfacing the controversy over its appropriateness in this setting.

Bettmann shared an anecdote in which he was seeing a performance where “Tweet Seats” were offered for those in attendance with a significant number of Twitter followers to sit and live tweet the performance.

“I totally think that Twitter is prominent, especially in this type of writing. I think it also has a marketing aspect as well,” said senior criminal justice major Maria Menges, who attended the panel. “I would have a Twitter, but I don’t think that what I have to say is that important, but these are critics. Whatever they do say, people hold it true and relevant.”

The presence of social media plays a significant role in the ever-changing nature of journalism, as well as the ambiguity of its future, often leading to the assumption that journalism in this form is on its way out.

For those who still wish to pursue arts-journalism, Kaufman offered words of encouragement:

“No matter how small a niche, there is going to be a passionate following: for dance … for visual arts, for music, for whatever it is that you love, that’s your interest, what you go to for entertainment for artistic fulfillment,” she said. “You know that if you’re a follower, you’re going to want to know the stories behind it. That’s going to continue to feed arts-journalism.”

Featured Photo Credit: Courtesy of Jon S’ Flickr account.

Jordan Stovka is a freshman journalism major and can be reached at jstovka@icloud.com.

Intensifying energy surged within the walls of Ritchie Coliseum Friday night, the source being a collection of thundering drum beats, strobing lights and satisfyingly shrill vocals.

Electro-pop artist BØRNS, led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Garrett Borns, provided dreamy mystification, self-reflection and free spiritedness with lovestruck lyrics and an entrancing stage presence for Student Entertainment Events’ annual back-to-school concert—despite the breaking down of his tour bus in Nashville earlier that day.

Opening the night was University of Maryland electronic duo Todo Mas, compiled by junior jazz studies major Dean Emerson and senior jazz performance and music education major Joey Antico. The pair prepared the audience for the powerful bass and drums to come with mixes from their latest EP “Good Night And Joy Be With You.”

The naturally confident stage presence and passion the two exuded was well received by their fellow students; hands were clapping, raising and swaying upon command as Emerson and Antico pounded away on keyboard, soundboard and drums. Though Emerson stood the entirety of the performance, Antico, too, was rarely seated behind his drum set.

The 30-minute set effectively baptized the crowd with the upbeat energy in which BØRNS would further elaborate.

BØRNS, whose wardrobe consisted of a leather jacket over a white t-shirt, black skinny jeans, high socks and sneakers, causally and yet intriguingly meandered across the stage, circling his territory, twirling the microphone stand and all the while pulling each and every eye to his every move.

Neon stars illuminated the venue in accordance with the opening track, “Seeing Stars,” and then just as suddenly as they appeared, the cool color scheme was replaced by warm shades of yellow, red and orange for “Dopamine.”

The 24-year-old psychedelic idol had his audience feeding from the palm of his hand by his Elton John cover of “Bennie and the Jets,” of which they banded their voices together to create an anthem overpowering even the heaviest bass drops and electronic beats.

As BØRNS wandered to and fro across the stage, his fans followed suit and lost themselves in his music: hands raised, smiles spread across faces, heads gently shaking in time, eyes shining with the reflection of awestruck wonder.

The vibe of the show was vividly clear, clearer than the stunning lighting and twinkling electronic effects: relieve your mind of worry and stress and instead pursue the very depths of musical bliss.

BØRNS carried eager ears through 2015’s “Dopamine” album and prematurely ended the show with the hit “Electric Love,” a faux finale that momentarily interrupted his fans’ trances, all before returning to the stage to perform the mellow track “Clouds” and a cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes” as tribute to the late musical legend.

Many people strive their whole lives to attain an indescribable aura— one that changes the atmosphere around them simply as a result of their presence—yet BØRNS has that natural gift. He brings with him a charisma that begs for a following beyond his musical capability, one that connects with listeners at a transcendent, euphoric level.
As he descended the stage after “Heroes” to grace fans with his gentle touch and voice, he curated both screams and tears of disbelief, love and awe, concluding the night on a note of elation.

Featured Photo Credit: BØRNS performs at the back to school event hosted by SEE at Ritchie Coliseum. (Cassie Osvatics/Bloc Photographer)

Jordan Stovka is a sophomore journalism major and can be reached at jstovka@icloud.com.

Worlds merge and create new realities at NextNOW Fest, featuring some of the most talented and intrepid artists from almost every corner of the world. Drenched in the growing map of the human soul, the performing arts festival ignites The Clarice Performing Arts Center with dance, music and theatre performances that challenge audiences to lose their expectations.

All acts are free and open to the public. Events start at midnight with Living Umbrellas on Friday, Sept. 9 and end at 9 p.m. with Silent Disc-Glo, in partnership with Student Entertainment Events (SEE).

“The line up is super diverse,” said NextNOW Fest’s curator, Megan Pagado. “That was one of my main focus that there’s a variety of voices and that we were bringing artists that were really giving voice to their own stories and their own experiences.I’m really really proud of this line up and I can just imagine where we’ll go in the future.”

The Clarice has partnered up with a lot of departments on campus, such as the Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy office, LGBT Equity Center and WMUC 88.1 FM radio station.

“There’s not that much collaboration between student and administration settings and that’s really important to start building it to make it more relevant to the students and the university,” said Christopher Bugtong, senior computer science and film double major and the general manager at WMUC. “I think it’s a really important thing to foster diversity in the community.”

“We want students to discover us and experience the creativity by the students, the music and theatre. But also, the creativity of those across campus,” Pagado said. “The festival can be about putting acts on stages, but to me it’s really about creating experiences and building community.”

Mitski

In partnership with WMUC 88.1 FM, the DIY indie rock artist Mitski Miyawaki will once again tear the fabric of normalcy with her vulnerable lyrics and unprecedented vibes. This isn’t the first time she has performed in College Park—she visited WMUC almost two years ago and since then, a handful of students at this university have become loyal fans.

The partnership between the station and The Clarice started when “WMUC really wanted to get involved with the MilkBoy+ArtHouse project, which is set to open in March 2017. We essentially polled the radio station and asked what they wanted to see in terms of availability and popularity; it ended up being Mitski,” Bugtong said.

One of the reasons why Mitski is a great addition to NextNOW Fest is that she has broken barriers by being an Asian-American woman artist.

“Mitski is a half-Asian, half-white female on stage and that’s something that you don’t see often and it gives a lot of people — a lot of Asian people, women, people who don’t really have idols in that scene which is a white male dominated setting. It gives them outlet to really look up to,” said Bugtong.

She will perform on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. in the Kogod Theatre. She will return to the D.C. area on Nov. 18 at the Black Cat.

Bandaloop

The definition of limitless, Bandaloop is an aerial dance company that combines spectacular choreography with a strong dose of fearlessness, using any and every surface as their canvas. There’s nothing left to the imagination as dancers possess buildings, historic sites, museums and many more structures showcasing the art of vertical dance performance.

The main focus of Bandaloop is to warp people’s perception of space, to use their surroundings and see what their connection is to it. They have brought their passion to over 17 countries, from the Americas to the Middle East.

Todo Mas

After their success as BØRNS opening act on Sept. 2, the electropop group will end their summer tour at NextNOW Fest on Friday, closing the first day of the festival. After seeing their contagious set and obvious chemistry shine on stage, I’m sure I am not the only one who is interested in experiencing the talented students dominate and captivate the audience. Songwriter and singer Dean Emerson is also a part of WMUC 88.1 radio station.

Make sure to check them out at 7 p.m. at the Grand Pavilion. Their music is available on Spotify and Soundcloud.

TOTUS Spoken Word Showcase

Collaborating with the Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy (MICA) office, TOTUS students will perform their spoken word pieces revolving around identity and social justice. The class, which means ‘whole’ in Latin, has been a great opportunity for students of marginalized communities to express their art and challenge each other to see the wide spectrum of their peers’ experiences and enhance voices that are often silenced.

TOTUS alum Opeyemi “O-Slice” Owoeye will perform during this program.

Other performances are Forrobodo: All-Brazilian Dance Party, Kelly Colburn: Legacy & Liveness, Benjamin Graney Green: Soundware, The CooLots, Chargaux and many more!

Featured Photo Credit: Joey Antico of Todo Mas during their opening performance for BORNS at Ritchie Coliseum. Joey is a senior jazz performance and music education major. (Cassie Osvatics/Bloc Photographer)

Karla Casique is a junior journalism major and can be reached at karlacasique@hotmail.com.

72 Hour Composition Project

Lindsey Collins

Spotlights shone on the wooden stage of a small theatre. Stage hands expertly set up music stands for the awaited performers. A murmur passed through the crowd as a trio of violinists entered the stage.

On Friday, Sept. 9, TEMPO New Music Ensemble, a graduate student-run organization that presents concerts featuring new classical music, held “The 72 Hour Composition Challenge.”  This was a  concert featuring compositions created by these students in only 72 hours.

Composers were assigned at random to a group of performers, whose instrumental skills ranged from oboe to xylophone, 72 hours before the competition. The composers and performers had to work together for the next three days to produce a two-to-three minute piece worthy of a performance. This year’s guest composer featured in the finale was Dale Trumbore, who is an alumni of  this university  where she majored in music composition.

“I got the commission two months ago, that’s a very quick turn around,” Trumbore said.“Getting to come back to the university, it’s been great. Being in this place again and being able to work with the ensemble as well as other alumni musicians has been the best part.”

“The 72 Hour Composition Challenge is a cog in that machine, where anyone who wants to attend can hear, quite literally, the newest classical music being composed today,” said Bradley Stuart Green, a graduate assistant at the university who aided the project. “There are so few opportunities for the average person to really experience new classical music, and TEMPO has always strived to perform this music for as many audiences as possible.”
The “72 Hour Composition Challenge” has paved the road for young performers and has added an unique feature to the yearly NextNOW Fest.

TOTUS Showcase Speaks Truth

Rosie Kean

In the darkness of Kay Theater, an audience sat transfixed as they viewed a short film that captured the reality of being black in America.

Opeyemi Owoeye, or O-slice as she’s commonly known, showed her video to kick off the TOTUS Spoken Word Showcase for NextNOW Fest in The Clarice Friday night.

A recent graduate of this university and an alum of TOTUS, Owoeye used film and poetry to powerfully convey racism, and more specifically, police brutality.

“In life, you’re not allowed to say certain things, or at least it makes people uncomfortable when you say certain things, but all of a sudden if you make them rhyme or you say it in a clever way, people are more inclined to listen,” Owoeye said.

Zack Mindheim, 21, from SiIver Spring, said that spoken word is one of the most powerful ways to get a message across.

“I know I don’t experience police brutality in the same way, so it’s refreshing, it’s new,” Mindheim said. “It’s a new experience and it’s always something I pride myself on to learn more, to understand where [people of color] are coming from.”

Another performer Breonna Massey, a junior government and politics major, read her piece “Black Girl Magic,” an empowering poem about black women’s strength.

Other performances were about the loss of a loved one and feminism.

Orthobox

Jordan Stovka

As the sun descended behind The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center Sept. 9, NextNOW Fest was just kicking off for the weekend.

The outdoor stage on the Front Plaza anxiously awaited talented performers.. The first would be University of Maryland graduate Joshua Leviton, otherwise known as “The Orthobox.”

Fresh off of America’s Got Talent, Leviton combines Eastern culture—rooted in Orthodox Judaism with Western Culture,often associated with hip-hop,—with his beatboxing and a cappella vocal technique.

“I try to be the fusion of East and West,” Leviton said. “Beatboxing represents that fusion.”

Dressed in a white button down and black pants with tzitzit strings hanging from his shirt tail and a kippah on his head, Leviton humbly impressed his audience with renditions of Meghan Trainor’s, “All About That Bass,” Lorde’s, “Royals,” Bastille’s “Pompeii” and Ed Sheeran’s “Wayfaring Stranger” amongst other pop hits, while only using his voice.

Leviton demonstrated his loop pedal—a device that continuously repeats a recorded sound—during his set, allowing him to layer his vocals and create melodies, harmonies and percussion. This kind of stage presence was well accepted by the crowd of onlookers seated before him.

“I enjoy listening to different types of music, and I’ve heard of him before and seen a few of his videos,” sophomore studio art and theater major Rina Goldman said. “I thought it was a lot of fun. I love how he mixes it on stage for you and that he records it as he goes along with the show.”

Leviton, whose interest in beatboxing began when he first saw it in a Youtube video in 2005, has since created his own YouTube channel with beatboxing tutorials, believing the talent is not innate but learnable to anyone when given the proper resources.

“People assume it’s like singing: you either have it or you don’t,” he said. “It’s all hard work and perseverance.”

Chargaux 

Allie Melton

When I think of an orchestra or violinists, I tend to think of white middle-aged men in tuxes. On Friday night at the Kay Theatre during NextNOW Fest, Chargaux defied all those stereotypes.

The black-girl duo, made up of Jasmin “Charly” Charles and Margaux Whitney, is based out of Brooklyn and brings both hip-hop and contemporary music, as well as lyrics about love, self-identity and struggle. What makes Chargaux so eccentric and captivating is their ability to bring lyrics and different beats to an orchestra.  

Before the concert, though I hadn’t listened to them extensively, I knew about Chargaux through a video I saw on Facebook. The two, not widely recognized in the public eye, have most notably worked with Kendrick Lamar on “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” and with J. Cole.

The two girls talked to the audience as if we were not just there to listen, but to be apart of the show.. The hundred some people in the seats were captivated by each piece. I wouldn’t say the duo sang or played, rather continuously created an atmosphere of music and passion.

The music was heard: the strings of the violins working together in harmony, or when Margaux hovered over the laptop to create the beats and melodies of a piece.

The music was seen: the duo working their arms up the violin or playing the instrument as a guitar.

The music was felt: the shivers sent up your spine as they hit a high note or the vibrations of the song coming out of the speakers.

The composition and vibe of each song varied. The two played violin the entire piece while one was all vocals. Margaux used the keyboard while Charly fiddled the violin. They previewed their upcoming project, “Meditations of a G,” a melody mixing hip-hop, bass drops and symphony. My personal favorite piece was their cover of Kanye West’s “Wolves,” bringing their female vocals and unique harmonies to a popular song. They ended with their most popular song on Spotify and Soundcloud, “Lullaby,” followed by several rounds of applause.

What intrigued me most about some of the anthems was how they used their violins as guitars — something I had never seen before. The connection between the two musicians―how they looked at each other for inspiration and guidance―was something unfamiliar to me in a concert setting. The duo isn’t only a band, but a bond of two souls who want to share that love and kindness with an audience.
Margaux spoke to the audience in the most honest tone. What she said stuck with me because it is something simple but often forgotten. She said, “Pay your rent, take care of your college loans, eat three times a day, eat some fruit, say hi to people on the street.” They were real, transparent and filled with soul―just like their music.

Bandaloop

Raye Weigel

Ethereal cello music echoed throughout the grand pavilion of The Clarice as the aerial dance group Bandaloop suspended both their bodies and the audience’s disbelief.

More than 50 people gathered Sept. 9 in the grand-pavilion-turned-concert-space for NextNOW Fest.

Two dancers dressed in black and seafoam blue- climbed into the air on a single cord. Each dancer was attached to one end of it, and it acted as a scale balancing one against the other.

They climbed up and down, mirroring one another’s bodies and twisting around each other, each movement accentuated by sharp shadows imitating them on each wall.
Finally, descending from the sea of blue lights on the ceiling, the performers bowed to ecstatic cheers.

Featured Photo Credit: Orthobox performs his set at NextNOW Festival. (Gabe Fernandez/Bloc Photographer)

Mitski

Karla Casique 

An altar for the hurt, the dreamers and the romantics were built by Mitski’s voice on the last day of NextNOW Fest. Performing at the intimate Kogod Theatre, Mitski poured her spirit into every corner of the space, tying the hearts of the audience to her acoustic guitar.

I have never seen so many University of Maryland students in an event at The Clarice Performing Arts Center, which makes sense because Mitski was chosen through a poll the university’s radio station, WMUC 88.1 FM, sent out in late spring this year.

During the night, I could feel everyone’s connection to her. Each one pulsed differently, hooked onto her lyrics and her songs that unearthed feelings that were fresh or were long forgotten until now.

Kevin Kim,  a third year doctoral student at the American Studies department and teacher of a course on the Material Aspects of American Life, said, “I have a pretty complicated relationship with my own personal identity, and I am a bit of a nomad so I’ve traveled around a lot.” He paused and added that, during an interview with NPR, Mitski “talks about the genesis of her single Your Best American Girl’ and about sort of wanting to be something that she knew she wasn’t but she still kind of forces herself to be.”

Her music blends themes of heartache with celestial bodies, bringing forth the pressures created by family. Mitski opened the gate wide open to her struggles, the line, “I’m not going to be what my daddy wants me to be,” brought me to tears, along with others in the crowd.

“‘Bury Me at Makeout Creek’ is one of my top 10 favorite albums,”said Jane Lyons, a junior economics major. “Makes me want to tear my soul apart. When you think of the world in a big way and think about your own existence and vulnerability, and the sense of your place in the universe and how you relate to people, I think she’s the queen of baring it all.”

If you missed this ethereal performance or want to see Mitski again, she will be at the Black Cat Nov. 18.

Around the World in 60 Minutes

Samantha Pitkin

The Maryland Community Band took over Dekelboum Concert Hall for The Clarice’s annual NextNOW Fest this past weekend. The 80-person wind ensemble played under the direction of Bill Sturgis, a former first trumpet in the band, who made his NextNOW debut as the new conductor.

Sturgis boasted a seven-medley program, including hits from popularly recognized movies Fiddler on the Roof and The Lion King. The largely alumni-based ensemble kicked off the concert with Jan Van der Roost’s “Flashing Winds,” a 1989 concert band piece, before tackling Hans Zimmer and John Williams later in the show.

Each medley was accompanied by a set of slides. They ranged from fun facts about the piece’s composer to pictures of Rafiki lifting up Simba during the band’s performance of “Circle of Life.” The slides were timed according to each piece, and were created by Craig Carignan, a third trumpet and Maryland robotics-engineering professor.

“We try to do something different, and we like to incorporate a little more of a multimedia approach,” Carignan said.

Last year was the band’s first attempt at incorporating a multimedia aspect into their performance, according to Carignan. While they tend to attract a larger non-student audience, the overall feedback of the show was very positive.

“We never take for granted the fact that we get to play in a place like The Clarice; it’s just an amazing opportunity,” said Carignan. “Most community bands will be lucky if they can practice in a high school gym … so the fact that we get that opportunity to play is just something.”

Heavy Metal Parking Lot

Jordan Stovka

The very essence of the genre can be recounted and passed along generation after generation, preserved in vintage band t-shirts, dusty vinyls, word of mouth—and bootleg documentaries.

One such film is “Heavy Metal Parking Lot,” the 1986 creation from University of Maryland graduate Jeff Krulik and co-producer John Heyn, in which the duo filmed crazed fans tailgating in the parking lot of the late Capital Centre before a Judas Priest concert.

The 17-minute film was screened in the Gildenhorn Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 10 before an intimate crowd of students and adults, all united in heavy metal fandom and big-hair appreciation.

Thirty years later, the nostalgic film is considered a cult classic by many, having accumulated a global following of both fans and musicians alike, one of which being the ‘90s grunge icon Nirvana.

After the screening, the audience had the opportunity for a Q&A session with Krulik, where he provided insight as to how the film came to be, what he expected from its initial creation and commentary about the overall production process.

“We could never have had a clue that it would have the shelf life or have any interest or that people were enjoying it as much as they did nationwide,” Krulik said during the discussion. “I had no clue, and I’m still very grateful.”

“And it was all by accident,” he added. “Everything about this film was a happy accident. We were lucky to capture what we did.”

Junior vocal performance and English major Karah Parks attended the screening with her father—a friend of Krulik—whom she knew would take interest in the film. After seeing it for the first time herself, she knew  it was something one-of-a-kind.

“It was a really cool film. It’s unique,” she said. “I don’t think you could replicate it. You wouldn’t be able to do it now.”

The Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library will be hosting an exhibit commemorating “Heavy Metal Parking Lot” through May 2017, featuring a collection of items donated by Krulik.

“It tells the story of how ‘Heavy Metal Parking Lot’ came into existence; how it became a cult sensation; how it went viral before going viral was a thing,” said Laura Schnitker, Acting Curator of Mass Media and Culture in Special Collections at Hornbake Library.

“It’s a historical gem. It’s part of Maryland history and University of Maryland history.”

Silent Dis-Glo

Naomi Harris

The lobby of The Clarice grew louder as students, adults and children walked in with headphones in hand and energy buzzing as the DJ booth at the front announced the “Silent Disc-Glo” for NextNOW Fest.

“It’s almost like a silent rager; it’s completely quiet when you enter the room until you put your headphones on,” said Deena Rosenblatt, the special events director for SEE.

Indeed, this past Saturday with the dancing bodies, flapping hands and general atmosphere of a large dance party did not fit the classical tunes playing from the speakers. But for participants of the Silent Disc-Glo, the environment is entirely different.

“I’ve watched videos about it,” said freshman letters and sciences major Diya Bhandarkar. “I’m just wondering if it’ll be really awkward to dance with other people or do you dance with yourself?”

Her questions were answered minutes later as the two DJs from Headphone Disco started to play their separate sets for people to start dancing. Each person not only received their own headphones for a personalized experience, but they also could change channels.

Throughout the night, the DJs-one on the red channel and one on the green-played mashups, classics and new popular songs while they made sure to maintain the energy of the room.

Energy that might be a great experience for students like Sarthak Chandra, a second year grad student.

“It should be something very different from a normal disco. It’s all about new experiences,” Chandra said.

Experiences might include dancing with a giant robot made up of balloons, as the classic decoration for NextNOW made an appearance on the dance floor and created another dance circle crowd with students reaching closer to snap photos.
Regardless of which channel you tuned in to, the same amount of excitement was clear in the crowds as they immersed themselves in the music, flashing lights and dancing.

Soundware

Gabe Fernandez

Among the music and dance-filled hallways of The Clarice Performing Arts Center, university student Ben Graney Green, a junior engineering major, found a space for art and augmented reality to collide.

Green created Soundware, a project with the intention of combining meditation and music technology. The iteration that was at The Clarice on Saturday was an extension of his honors capstone project which he completed his sophomore year. There were two devices available for use.

The first device was a large dome helmet that was placed over the user. Green played ambient noise through speakers within the helmet from his computer. He would then record sounds happening outside of the helmet, add effects to the recordings and remix them. Throughout this whole time, the user would be unable to see anything outside of the helmet-surrounded by darkness-creating an augmented reality experience.

John Kos, a junior marketing major, described the experience as an “accidental schizophrenia simulator.”

The second device was much smaller and looked like headphones attached to a metal box. This is called the Soundware AT-1. AT stands for “audio tour,” according to Green. The device is a microphone that amplifies sound around the user to capture as many details as possible. The device is paired with guided meditation pamphlets to help the users think about what they’re hearing. Users were encouraged to sign out the device and walk around the festival.

Green has his sights set on further advancing his year-old project to larger settings.
“I want to do more installations in a controlled space to bring out the sonic capabilities of a space instead of focusing on me,” he said. “I think the best way to add to this is to have many installations in one area so multiple people can experience it or just have one large installation that a lot of people can enjoy at once.”

Featured Photo Credit: Bandaloop perfromers Damara Vita Ganley and Rachael Lincoln tumble and dance through the air inside the grand pavillion at The Clarice. (Josh Loock, Bloc Photographer)