7 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(04/13/09 4:00am)
Two years ago junior Meredith McCoy was working at a coffee shop when she got the idea for an event that would combine her love of both anthropology and music.On Monday night" McCoy saw her dream realized as she looked on from the front row of the FedEx Global Education Center auditorium during the first event of the week-long Sounds of Globalism festival.""The event focuses on ways in which community is built on arts"" McCoy said prior to Monday's festival kickoff.McCoy said each night will highlight a different region of the world and include a scholar, a student performance and an artist from the region.Monday's program focused on the culture of the Middle and Near East.Ahmed Fadaam, an Iraqi sculptor and contributor to NPR radio show The Story" opened Monday's event by telling attendees why he thinks art is a reflection of identity.Art is the face of the culture Fadaam said.Fadaam said he values art's power to represent a country so much so that he looks first at the architecture and art before getting to know the country's people.It will give me an idea about what kind of society I'm dealing with" he said.After Fadaam's lecture, UNC's Dabka Dance Team performed and taught a dance to attendees.Afterwards, sophomore Yasmeen Zamamiri showed off her silver genie pants, as she called them, and the hatta tied around her waist.It's a type of Palestinian scarf" Zamamiri said.She said the group was proud to be included in the festival.Any opportunity to spread awareness about our dance and culture is great" Zamamiri said.Lebanese musician Naji Hilal, who also performed Monday night, said he also respects art's power to reveal something about a community.I consider myself carrying a message"" Hilal said of his music before his performance.Before singing and playing the oud — a traditional Lebanese drum — Hilal spoke to attendees about globalization's effects on folk music.Laura Griest, events coordinator at UNC Global, said globalization represents the direction of the shrinking world community and also threatens it.If you lose folk songs" you lose a piece of history she said.Griest said she hopes this translation of history through music does not die with globalism.We can't just let it die and be forgotten just because we are getting engaged with other civilizations" Fadaam said.McCoy said she is excited about the festival because of her belief in the power of music to bring people together.I really believe that the arts are what people can gather around. That unity creates strength.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/04/09 5:00am)
While it is normally taboo to include outsiders in a step performance Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. will throw convention to the wind tonight when they host a step workshop to teach students how to step and unite the community.Donovan Livingston a senior history major and vice president of the campus chapter of Phi Beta Sigma organized today's event.He said the workshop to be held at the Rams Head Recreation Center" is an attempt to create an ""atmosphere where people can relax together"" after midterms.Stepping is a type of performance art that mingles traditional African and pop culture dance with drama"" chanting and singing. It is popular in historically black fraternities and sororities. ""Stepping is very rich"" said Janel Monroe, a junior communication studies major and social chairwoman of UNC's chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. It's important to black culture.""Step is often used as a promotional tool for fraternity and community events" said Lorenzo Hopper" a junior chemistry major and step master at Phi Beta Sigma.""It's a passion that we love dearly and take seriously"" Hopper said.The workshop also is a way to bring together Greek organizations.Livingston said he immediately recognized gaps between different fraternities and sororities when he joined Phi Beta Sigma. He said he is interested in other organizations, their philanthropy and how they conduct business. But he said barriers in the Greek community have prevented some of this sharing.Cherise Washington, a junior business major and step master of the Delta Sigma Theta chapter, said she likes the idea of bringing different Greek organizations together.Ultimately we all fight for the same causes"" Washington said.Hopper said he is looking forward to educating people about the art of stepping.Livingston described Hopper's title of step master as a coveted position.""Hopper said he thrives on stepping in front of an audience.""People love to watch it" Hopper said.Washington said she was appointed step master due to her dance background.Stepping allows you to exercise your creativity in a new way" she said.Phi Beta Sigma hosted a similar workshop last semester, which drew more than 60 people. Today's workshop will begin with a demonstration, and then attendees will be divided into small groups to learn short step segments.Livingston said he expects more than 90 people to attend.It shouldn't be hard for newcomers to pick it up. Stepping is fun, Washington said, and he compared it to dancing.Everyone loves to dance"" Washington said. Everybody can be a stepper.""Hopper said he is most looking forward to ""having a lot of diversity there"" and ""showing our culture.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.Time: 9 p.m. todayPlace: Multi-purpose room at Rams HeadAdmission is free with a UNC One Card.
(03/04/09 5:00am)
While it is normally taboo to include outsiders in a step performance Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. will throw convention to the wind tonight when they host a step workshop to teach students how to step and unite the community.Donovan Livingston a senior history major and vice president of the campus chapter of Phi Beta Sigma organized today's event.He said the workshop to be held at the Rams Head Recreation Center" is an attempt to create an ""atmosphere where people can relax together"" after midterms.Stepping is a type of performance art that mingles traditional African and pop culture dance with drama"" chanting and singing. It is popular in historically black fraternities and sororities. ""Stepping is very rich"" said Janel Monroe, a junior communication studies major and social chairwoman of UNC's chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. It's important to black culture.""Step is often used as a promotional tool for fraternity and community events" said Lorenzo Hopper" a junior chemistry major and step master at Phi Beta Sigma.""It's a passion that we love dearly and take seriously"" Hopper said.The workshop also is a way to bring together Greek organizations.Livingston said he immediately recognized gaps between different fraternities and sororities when he joined Phi Beta Sigma. He said he is interested in other organizations, their philanthropy and how they conduct business. But he said barriers in the Greek community have prevented some of this sharing.Cherise Washington, a junior business major and step master of the Delta Sigma Theta chapter, said she likes the idea of bringing different Greek organizations together.Ultimately we all fight for the same causes"" Washington said.Hopper said he is looking forward to educating people about the art of stepping.Livingston described Hopper's title of step master as a coveted position.""Hopper said he thrives on stepping in front of an audience.""People love to watch it" Hopper said.Washington said she was appointed step master due to her dance background.Stepping allows you to exercise your creativity in a new way" she said.Phi Beta Sigma hosted a similar workshop last semester, which drew more than 60 people. Today's workshop will begin with a demonstration, and then attendees will be divided into small groups to learn short step segments.Livingston said he expects more than 90 people to attend.It shouldn't be hard for newcomers to pick it up. Stepping is fun, Washington said, and he compared it to dancing.Everyone loves to dance"" Washington said. Everybody can be a stepper.""Hopper said he is most looking forward to ""having a lot of diversity there"" and ""showing our culture.""Time: 9 p.m. todayPlace: Multi-purpose room at Rams HeadAdmission is free with a UNC One Card.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/04/09 5:00am)
A new exhibit and today's Lunch with One event will mark the end of one era of Asian art and the beginning of another at the Ackland Art Museum.The exhibit, Sage in the Bamboo Grove: The Legacy of Sherman E. Lee" will run until Sept. 20. It chronicles the influence of a renowned art scholar who spent his last decades in Chapel Hill and passed away last year.Professor Wei-Cheng Lin currently teaches a class on Chinese art and culture and will be speaking at today's Lunch with One. He will speak for an hour about one of the exhibit's pieces. He said he is excited for the exhibit commemorating Lee's influence.Sherman is one of the most important Asian art historians of his time" Lin said.Lee received a doctorate degree from Case Western Reserve University and served in the U.S. Navy Reserve in the 1940s. His unit protected art in Japan following World War II, and Lee advised Gen. Douglas MacArthur on a mission to inventory Japanese art. Lee would eventually become the long-time director of the Cleveland Museum of Art and write A History of Far Eastern Art"" a text still considered the authority on the subject.Since the 1970s, Ackland directors have sought Lee's advice in building the museum's Asian collection, which contributed to the Ackland's acquisition of hundreds of pieces.Lee also donated Asian works from his own collection.We struck gold in building this friendship with Sherman Lee"" said Nic Brown, the director of communications for the Ackland.In 1983 Lee came to Chapel Hill and taught at UNC and Duke University.When he came to this area" Asian art in the South changed" Lin said.The exhibit is housed in four galleries, three downstairs and one upstairs.This exhibit gives us a great excuse to open up the vaults and bring out all the star pieces"" Brown said. The size and the scope of the exhibition is ambitious for a museum of our size.""The exhibit includes works from a variety of Eastern cultures. Downstairs" one can see bronze mirrors from several Chinese dynasties hanging near Indian Buddhist carvings.Upstairs" an entire gallery is dedicated to Japanese screen painting. Both Brown and Lin referred to the screens as the exhibit's ""treasures."" Lin described how the gold leaf on the screens would have added ""luxury and light to the dark interiors of palace and temples.""Ackland's dimly lit upstairs gallery makes it easy to imagine the art in its original setting.The event will be held downstairs in the Ackland at 1 p.m. It is free to students who bring their One Cards. Attendees are encouraged to bring lunch and relax.Alexandra Fulton" a junior art major" said she's excited about the exhibit and Lunch with One. ""It can somewhat give the viewer a new perspective on their world.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/19/09 5:00am)
The plight of child slavery in the world is the focus of tonight's screening and discussion of the documentary Stolen Childhoods presented by the Organization for African Student's Interests and Solidarity.The event is part of the annual OASIS Africa Week. Its theme is Unspoken Truths an umbrella term meant to cover lesser-known issues affecting Africa.The film's focus is not a distinctly African problem said junior international studies major and OASIS ACTS! Initiatives chairwoman Alexandra Zagbayou.Africa is not a continent that's isolated in the world Zagbayou said.Stolen Childhoods" a documentary directed by Len Morris and narrated by Meryl Streep, focuses on child slaves from eight countries. It includes interviews with enslaved children as well as human rights activists and politicians. The film provides solutions for the child slavery problem on an international, national and local level.The screening will be at 6 p.m. in the FedEx Global Education Center.No issue going on in the world goes on in isolation" Zagbayou said.Sophomore political science major Annie Clark said the problem of child labor is a global crisis. Clark is the legislative chairwoman of the Campus Y's Coalition Against Sex Trafficking and will be one of the panel members for tonight's film discussion.The problem is worldwide" Clark said. No country is immune.""The child labor issue is one close to Clark's heart. She has been involved in anti-trafficking policy work at both state and national levels.""Slavery" that's exactly what this is" Clark said.Senior international studies major Nora Nzau, OASIS co-president, said she likes that the film's topic spans the globe.Through this film" children in Africa are dealing with the same problems as children in other places she said.Awareness and education are the things organizers said they hope to gain from the screening and discussion.A solution to a lot of issues going on in the world is education" Nzau said.The film discusses possible solutions for the child labor problem. Zagbayou said she hopes to see awareness from tonight's event lead to awareness campaigns or rallies around campus. Ultimately, she said, she hopes participants can find a way, through their majors, future careers and passions, to make change.Clark said she agrees that awareness is important, but she also offered some insight in how to affect change.Start locally"" she said.Clark said child slavery, especially in sex trafficking cases, is a big domestic problem. Clark said in many domestic cases, child slavery or labor is often mistaken for illegal immigration or prostitution by law enforcement. When that happens, Clark said, the victims are mistaken for criminals.Clark said taking action on a local level against child labor means contacting lawmakers and pushing for law enforcement training on the subject.Eventually the policy makers have to notice"" Clark said.The screening and discussion of Stolen Childhoods"" and other Africa Week events lead up to Africa Night" an event that includes a dinner speakers" a play and fashion show.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/13/09 5:00am)
Alarm Will Sound the critically acclaimed contemporary classical music ensemble" will debut its politically charged piece ""1969"" at Duke University tonight.The adventurous ensemble is composed of 20 classically trained musicians in their 20s and 30s. Its members met while studying at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester"" N.Y. Bassoonist Michael Harley said he agrees with the criticism that the group's style is daring.""We've very consciously tried to break out of the stereotypical mold of the classical musician"" he said.Scott Lindroth, professor of music and vice provost for the arts at Duke University, said he thinks audiences might be surprised by the music of Alarm Will Sound. He said the ensemble is changing the face of contemporary classical music.There's an accessibility to it that's very exciting"" Lindroth said.Aaron Greenwald, director of Duke Performances, said one way the group is distinct is in its use of mixed media and theatrics. Some of the ensemble's strength comes from its members' ability to compose and arrange music, he said.Tonight's piece, 1969"" was the brainchild of the group's artistic director, Alan Pierson, who said he was interested in focusing on music from one year. What drew me to '69 was the ‘we can change the world' spirit"" he said.Pierson recognized the parallels between then and now, including an unpopular war. He said the '60s were also marked by the merging of classical and popular music.It was an earthshaking year in many respects"" Harley said.In 1969, German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen was scheduled to meet the Beatles in Manhattan. A blizzard prevented the meeting, but the prospect of it stayed with Pierson and strongly influenced the new composition.The performance begins with two actors as Stockhausen and John Lennon. It becomes apparent early in the performance how different but similar these two influential musicians were.The show also focuses on major political figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, combined with sound clips of their famous speeches.Alarm Will Sound will be at Duke for a weeklong residency. The group has been providing feedback to composition students in Duke's Ph.D. program for the past week.Lindroth described the residency as mutually beneficial to both Duke and the ensemble. Students receive valuable feedback from a renowned ensemble while the group members, who live in different parts of the country, get the opportunity to use Duke's performance space while working on new material.Greenwald said he is excited about how the audience will react to Friday's performance. Duke Performances traditionally host about 65 percent community members and 35 percent students, he said.Duke is offering UNC students tickets for $10 each with a limit of two at this price. Tickets would usually cost $28.These performances are a great opportunity for community members and students to rub shoulders, Greenwald said. He hopes this interaction leads to rich conversation.""Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(02/05/09 5:00am)
Ascella Vega started as a typical high school band. But the group stuck together through college and this weekend will get the chance to take a big stage.The group a rock band composed of five UNC and N.C. State University students will perform Saturday night at Memorial Hall. Ryan Wooten a UNC senior" plays guitar and performs backup vocals for the band. He said the band felt privileged to perform at the well-known venue. ""We saw Ben Folds there" Wooten said. To become a part of that legacy" we are honored."" Since forming in 2005"" the band has built a strong identity and fan base while dealing with the rigors of attending college.The astrological name was dreamed up by Wooten and N.C. State senior Gray Henderson. Henderson plays guitar and contributes backup vocals for the band.N.C. State senior and drummer Reaves Greer said he thinks the name means something more now. Greer said the name makes him think of ""some of my best friends."" Ascella Vega claims influences from classic rock bands such as Led Zeppelin but emphasizes that the band's sound is constantly evolving. ""We like organic sounds"" said Mark Voller, bassist for the band.Fans appreciate this. UNC first-year Reed Turchi said he likes the polished sound of the band and the fact that they don't over-distort.""A commitment to these instinctive organic sounds is central to the band's identity.In 2006 the band recorded in Nashville and was told that they should make some changes — like shortening their songs — to gain broader appeal.Lead singer and N.C. State senior Adam Newson said the band decided to take all advice with ""a grain of salt."" Band members said it has no formula for its songwriting"" with each member approaching it differently. ""All of us know exactly when something's right"" Greer said.The band performs covers and original songs but tends to play covers — which tend to be crowd pleasers — more frequently at college shows and more original songs at other venues.The band started out playing at a lot of fraternities and sororities, and later began playing at local festivals. Chi Phi fraternity is presenting Saturday's show.The more stuff they write the better it gets"" said UNC senior Mac Stewart, who has been to at least 15 of their shows.Lauren Ellis, a junior at UNC, has been a fan of the band since high school and is impressed by the members' dedication.I really respect how hard they work"" Ellis said.While they've performed at other notable venues like Raleigh's Lincoln Theatre, Saturday's Memorial Hall show is going to be different. Saturday's show will include new covers and original songs as well as some surprises. It will be the largest venue they've played. They also will include horns and a female vocalist for the first time.If you like music" you'll enjoy it" Newson said. HEAR ASCELLA VEGATime: 8 p.m. SaturdayLocation: Memorial HallInfo: www.ascellavega.comContact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.