LB Dance club travels to Portland

The audience buzzes with electricity, then hushes as the house goes dark. The music begins, the curtain rises and the lights come up on some of the world’s greatest dancers.

The stage was alive with sound and excitement. Live pianos were practicing in the orchestra pit, lights were dimming and flashing. The dancers on stage were stretching in all angles and positions, warming up to soft music or music of their own.

All is calm in the beginning. Even without a full audience the energy of the performers never cease. The company even on dress rehearsal night are still perfecting every little detail of a dance. Whether a dance move is on beat, or a leg is lifted higher.

When the dance ends the curtain rises, the dancers take their bows and a thousand people shower them with applause.

This is the magic of a Paul Taylor performance.

The LBCC Dance Club took a trip to Portland with ten members of the club to watch a once in a life time backstage performance spectacle.

“Paul Taylor was great it was a really great experience and it was fun to see a professional company,” said Tiffany Johnson, a LBCC dance club member.

The Paul Taylor Dance Company is a New York bases international performing, modern dance company. Paul Taylor is widely known for uncommon musicality and catholic taste, Taylor has set movement to music so memorably that for many people it is impossible to hear certain orchestral works and popular songs and not think of his dances.

Taylor has made 138 dances since 1954, many of which have attained iconic status. He has covered a wide range of topics, but recurring themes include life and death; the natural world and man’s place within it; love and sexuality in all gender combinations; and iconic moments in American history.

Elizabeth Pearce, the LBCC Dance Club adviser

 has seen the Paul Taylor Dance Company perform three times, but this was the first time to see them behind the scenes and see them rehearse.

“Seeing them in rehearsal you got to see individual personality and styles of dancers,” said Pearce, “it was really once in a life time experience even for someone who has seen them in performance before.”

Taylor has set works to an eclectic mix that includes Medieval masses, Renaissance dances, baroque concertos, classical symphonies, and scores by Debussy, Cage, Feldman, Ligeti and Pärt; Ragtime, Tango, Tin Pan Alley, Barbershop Quartets and The Mamas and The Papas; and telephone time announcements, loon calls, and laughter.

“I would have loved to have been on stage dancing with them,” said Johnson

The LBCC Dance Club was invited to come sit in on a dress rehearsal of dances that were to be performed by the group later in the weekend.

The dance company rehearsal three of several signature pieces choreographed by Paul Taylor himself including “Brandenburgs,” “The Uncommitted,” and Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rehearsal)” set to two piano version of Stravinsky score performed live by Jeffrey Payne and Susan Dewitt Smith.

“I like that they were very focused but they were also having fun at the same time,” said Courtney Davidson, another LBCC dance club member who attended the rehearsal.

“They knew how to turn it on and turn off, they knew when to have fun but also when to be serious,” said Davidson.

The performances were April 4-6 and were presented by White Bird in the Newmark Theater in Portland.

Paul Taylor himself was not going to present until April 6th of the award show, however the rehearsal director and Taylor's closet friend Bettie de Jong was present.

No doubt the lifetime achievement award being given to Taylor will be presented with love.

Graphic design students discuss changes.

People put a lot of hard work and effort into things they are passionate about. The things people go to school for, or made a career out are mostly subjects they enjoy and love being around. The Linn-Benton Community College graphic design department is no exception. They students are dedicated individuals that eat, sleep and breath the graphic arts.

Graphic design is a visual communication that happens everywhere all the time. It is the commercial application of the elements and principles of arts and design.

A graphic designer manipulates those elements and principles to solve a particular problem, or particular communication problem.

“I think one of the definitions I think of when I think of graphic design is ‘creative solution,’” said Eric Robinson, a second year visual communications major at LBCC.

John Aikman is the graphic design instructor on campus. In the first year for new students in graphic design, he uses digital imaging. Students that are motivated, and that believe that graphic design, illustration, packaging, are things that they would be interested in, take a full year of that subject.

By doing this they build a strong technical base. They have to know to use the tools, before they can actually start talking about designing.

“The computer is a tool and the applications are the vehicles, that will help you visualize your ideas,” said Aikman, “it’s a mastery of the process and a mastery of the hardware and software in that first year.”

After the first year is completed, the students move on to the next steps of learning. They start out slow to review the previous material and then move to more advanced material and start increasing their technical skills even more over the years.

Eric Robinson is a ongoing graphic design student. In the beginning of his first year he was really excited by learning on how  to start using all the tools learned in class.

“I was also frustrated that my work was not looking very good. I can do whatever you want me to do on a computer, but I did not know how to make it look good by the end of the first year,” said Robinson, “At the end of my second year I’d say my work looks nice.”

So far Robinson’s favorite project with graphic design was the “Packaging Project.” It’s a group of students who are assigned a random fruit or vegetable, something that nobody knows a lot about. Then they start designing packaging for it, such as wine bottles, or jam. In Robinson’s group they made packaging of 4-pack soda bottles for gooseberries.

For Sharon Betterton, a fellow visual communications major at LBCC, she enjoyed the packaging design. Betterton is in the middle of her second year in graphic design. She had started out wanting to do magazine editing.

“I will come a lot further in illustrating more than I ever thought I would,” said Betterton.

The graphic design department is a well grounded place that has worked with many different non-profit organizations such as Meals on Wheels and logos for Mid-Valley Red Cross Chapter. Also for the last three of the four years they created the poster for The DaVinci Days, they also did the poster for LBCC’s production of, “The Crane Wife.”

John Aikman will be retiring from teaching graphic art in June of 2013. Aikman had started working at LBCC in 1980 and has been with the college teaching graphic art for 32 years.

“I have been thinking about retiring for a while actually ” said Aikman,”there maybe be a chance of working part time at some point in the future, but that wont be for a while.”

The department will be having graphic art instructors Lewis Franklin and Frossene King help out the graphic design department by the students that are finishing up their degrees.

“I think it’s a really awful idea not to have one instructor for graphic design,” said Betterton, “I think it’s irritating to be honest, I don’t think they understand the things we students do in the program. I mean we are here all day everyday, even weekends.”

They are usually the first people on campus and the last to leave with security getting them to leave the campus because they are around so late. The students feel they need faculty who can be there that much with them.

It takes a lot of time and dedication to be a part of the graphic design department. The students and faculty feel like family, and now things will change for them with new instructors with different schedules.

“The graphic design department is not going anywhere,” said Aikman, “it’s alive and well and will be continuing, the college will hopefully hire a full time instructor, but not yet.”

If the students are interested in what the graphic design department does, the department makes sure to invite the students to the graphic design show which is a gallery present by the graphic design students. Opening night for the show is  May 13^th, starting at 7:00 p.m. in South Santiam Hall.

If anyone is interested in graphic design but does not have time for the class, can feel free to join their club, The Visual Art Club. It’s said to be probably the longest established club on campus. They are an active club, anyone is able to join, they do road trips, fundraisers, social activities.

A Cappella Festival to entertain at LBCC

A Cappella Festival to entertain at LBCC

The 2nd annual “Celebration of A Cappella” will be held Thursday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Linn-Benton Community College’s Russell Tripp Performance Center located in Takena Hall.

The concert will feature a cappella performances by LBCC’s Blue Light Special and The Sirens, the award winning Rezonate, South Albany High School Rebelation, and West Albany High School Rhythmix.

LBCC choir director, James Reddan, says that he is very excited for the performances and expects a good turn out.

Tickets will be available at the door for $7 general admission, $5 for students and seniors, and $3 for children under 12.

For more information, contact the LBCC theater box office at 541-917-4531. For special needs and accommodations, contact the LBCC Office of Disability Services at 541-917-4690 or via Oregon Relay TDD at 1-800-735-2900 at least 72 hours in advance of this event. 

LBCC presents the 2013 Winter Choir Concert

Sometimes when people walk around campus at LBCC, there is the usual sound of pattering feet, students talking, the fountain trickling water in the distance and the occasional bird chirping in the courtyard. However, once in a while the entire campus will ring out with a harmonious sound that fills the air and echos off the walls.

This would be the work of the Linn-Benton Community College choirs.

Conducted by LBCC director of choral activities, James Reddan, LBCC would like to present the 2013 Winter Choir Concert titled, Cloudburst.

The concert includes the Concert Choir, Re-Choired Element Chamber Choir, Women’s Choir and the a cappella groups that include Blue Light Special and The Sirens. Diana Hancock will accompany on piano. 

The concert will feature many different choral works celebrating different choral traditions and cultures many reflecting nature in various times and places.

The Concert Choir will be performing pieces such as Dubula (Hatfield), Sure on this Shining Night (Barber), Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen (Brahms), Laughing Song (Blake).

James Reddan had stated that this was one of the biggest repertoires that he has ever given the concert choir.

Jacob Birchard, a new member of the choir, had said that in the beginning it was difficult for everyone. “Difficult arrangements mean hard and worth while work, and the choir sounds absolutely beautiful right now,” said Birchard.

This will be Birchard’s first time seeing with a group this big, “I'm really excited! It's normal to feel nervous. But it helps to know that I won't be the only one on stage.”

The Choired Element Chamber Choir will be performing a couple difficult pieces as well  Jene Rosen (Mahler/Reddan), two versions of the Russian classic Bogoroditse Djevo (Rachmaninoff & Arvo Pärt), Il est bel et bon (Passereau), Let Me Fly (Decormier), and will finish with Cloudburst! (Whitacre).

The concert has a wide range of diversity with pieces in English, Spanish, German,

and Russian.

Elise Hermes, a member of Concert and Chamber choir, and is also a second year member involved with the women’s a cappella group, talked about the pieces Chamber choir is to perform.

“I’m really excited about Chamber! We are doing some songs that are about the same difficulty [as Concert Choir] and some that are harder,” said Hermes.

The a cappella ensembles will present a wide variety of popular favorites including Hall of Fame, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Little Lion Man, Titanium, and As Long As You Love Me!

Kyle Thrall is a member of the men’s a cappella group, Blue Light Special, had joined in the Fall.

“It’s like being part of a group of guys who’ve known each other forever,” said Thrall, “Sometimes we have disagreements, but what kinds of friend’s don’t?”

Additionally, this concert will celebrate all of the choirs as they prepare for their national festival competition in late March!

The concert will be held in the Russell Tripp Performance Center on March 14^th at LBCC and will start at 7:30pm.

Tickets are $10 general admission, $7 for seniors and students and $5 for people under 18 (with an adult).

The night will be full of music, cultural and great entertainment, so come support LBCC performing arts and enjoy the performances.

LBCC's Black Curtain Society to put on "Open Mic Night"

Theater is something everyone can enjoy and participate in. It can create many different feelings for the audience. At LBCC, the Black Curtain Society has a handful of talented people who love theater.

They are able to get up and perform, produce and inspire an audience with any performance. Now, they are stepping away from the microphone to make room for the audience to show their talents.

The drama club on campus, Black Curtain Society, is offering an open mic night to the public. It's basically a way to try and connect with other arts departments on campus, instead of just theater. They are hoping that we can start building relationships and not have things like art, theater, music, poetry, and dance be so separate.

Brandon Breiner (left) and Emma Barry (Right) in "Crane Wife"

Emma Barry is the co-president of the Black Curtain Society and along side her is Kim Willaman the other co-president. They had decided to share the title, for the reason that they work well together. Next year, Willaman will be taking over the club entirely.

Willaman explains that “Open Mic Night,” for the club is meant to be a fundraiser and bring more attention to it.

“ It’s a way to network between the performing arts students, and a vehicle by which to showcase the talent LBCC has within its walls,” said Willaman.

Open Mic Night will be open to anyone who wants to perform in some way. Anything goes, as far as acts. As long as it isn't lewd, and clothing is involved, it could be anything from singing to rapping to performance art, to poetry, and everything in between those things.

“Anything that people want to perform, we aren't asking for anything specific. We want people to have a venue for what they love and are excited about and a place to share it,” said Barry.

Another member of the club is Brandon Breiner. He may not have a defined role in the club, but he has been interested in theater arts since childhood, and wanted to participate in what LBCC had to offer in that regard.

“ I see it as a potential opportunity to share with each department what it is that makes us tick, regardless of medium. Art is art,” said Breiner.

 A sign-up sheet for the open mic will be up at the beginning, and there will be a limited number of slots, for the sake of time, so people interested in performing should come soonest.

The event will cost nothing to participate, the only purchases made will be from the refreshments that are offered throughout the night.

There has been talk about the members of the club putting on a small sketch to start the night off.

“ Some members of the club are definitely planning things to perform, especially improvisation skits, so we hope people show up to play along,” said Barry.

The goal will be to have an open mic like this once a month or at least once or twice a term, so there will be lots of opportunities for people who want to share something.

An official date has yet to be set for Open Mic Night, however anyone with question regarding participation, or questions about the club can contact Emma Barry at: blackcurtainoflb@gmail.com

To stay on top of upcoming events and meetings, check out Black Curtain Society’s Facebook page:a

https://www.facebook.com/groups/blackcurtainsociety/

Come join the theater club in a night of laughs and applause. Meet some new people, get involved with a new club and show off those hidden talents.

Discrimination is the past, equality is the future

Everyone is prejudice in some way or another. People are taught at a very young age to discriminate against others. Whether it is because of race, religion, sexuality, gender, age, personality or way of life, everyone pre-judges. Experiencing uprising discrimination lately are homosexuals.

Anti gay/lesbian discrimination tends to be particularly brutal and nasty. Homosexuals are victims of prejudice for multiple reasons. Homosexuality contradicts some religious beliefs, traditional family, and out of the norm behavior.

They run into problems with getting married, getting jobs, getting and giving education, adoption and much more. Gays getting married does not harm heterosexual marriage. Homosexuals are simply people who happen to love the same sex. It has not been proven whether homosexuality is biological or environmental, but what would it matter.

They are people just like the rest of us, no worse or better.

Taylor Mangan, a local transgender resident had said that his first encounter with discrimination was after he graduated from high school after he had announced his sexuality to the public.

“I ignored it because I don’t care what they say or think,” said Mangan.

Mangan believes that most people who discriminate against homosexuality, mostly for the reason that they are afraid  of what they don’t know or don’t understand.

Here on campus the college takes pride in having equality, and no discrimination in any form. The reality of it is, you can not always control people the way you want. Opinions are opinions and there is nothing that can change that.

It would be wonderful to have everyone follow the “comprehensive statement of non-discrimination” that every faculty and staff member on campus hands out to the students on campus, but some people just ignore it and do what they want.

Unfortunately there are still some people on campus who discriminate against people who are comfortable and open about their sexuality. In all honesty it is not hurting anyone or causing any problems.

“I don't see why someone's sexual orientation is anyone's business,” said Angie Erikson, an attending student at LBCC. “You can like whoever you want. It’s not their business.”

They are happy with what they do and who they are, everyone is on campus to go to college and get an education, this is not petty high school. There needs to be more respect for others.

Michael Redick, a Salem resident, said his first time of being discriminated against was in grade school.

Now if an 8^th grader is discriminated against, how else would they know how to handle it. Some might never go to school again. And who knows what their potential could have been.

“The only reason being gay is harmful to anyone is because of what some one who discriminates will do to them,” said Kim Willaman. “When my daughter came out as a freshman in high school, the only fear I had for her was what others might do to her for being [out].”

Discrimination is something that can impact someone in the worst ways. Some people encounter discrimination at a young age and the effect is to ignore it or even run away from it.

Being homosexual, heterosexual or bisexual is not everything that someone should judge about a person. It is one of many factors that make up a person, and no one should be judged based on that only fact.

LBCC prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, ethnicity or use of native language, sex, sexual orientation or disablitity. If anyone believe that they or someone they has been been discriminated againsted please visit the following website for further informatin on appropriate help:

http://po.linnbenton.edu/?BP1015-NondiscriminationandNonharassmentPolicy.pdf

LBCC hosts its' 13th annual College Night

Entering college can always be a stressful event, figuring out what classes to take, the over hanging thought of what major should be settled upon and how to be involved with the campus. It can be overwhelming to attend a new school and trying to find how to get into the swing of it.

There’s always a multitude of questions that are asked when dealing with a new experience as big as getting a higher education.

What is my major? Who do I talk to about taking the right courses? How does financial aid work? What is the tutition cost?

At Linn-Benton Community College, they strive to make all newcomers feel at peace with figuring out schedules and classroom locations, not to mention making everyone feel more at home when joining college for the first time. 

Every year LBCC hosts an "open house" event called, College Night.

This year was their 13th annual College Night for approaching students and their families. It is organized in a way that people can meet some of the instructors on campus. There was also a handful of tables set up for some of the clubs that are offered to join on campus.

There was free pizza offered to everyone, campus tours were given to anyone interested in learning the physical aspect of the campus, along with information sessions.

Zoe Alley, a student at Linn-Benton, attended the event, was happy to give her input on it.

"I love the energy and excitement here," said Alley, "Everyone here is so excited about pictures, dancing, singing, learning even math.  The energy is infectious."

Students and their families poured into the event. There were groups of people eagerly waiting to obtain information from all the tables in order to insure an successful transition into college. Staff and faculty waited around their tables ready to answer any questions.

Over the years College Night has become more and more popular for incoming freshman. This year was one of the biggest turnouts the college has had. However, there were a few suggestions for improvement for the location. This year it was held upstairs in the commons area. 

Juan Pattieshaw, an incoming freshman in college, wants to be a criminal justice major and he really enjoyed his first visit to the college, although it was a little crowded for him.

The Linn-Benton Dance Club even stopped by and gave a quick flash mob performance for the event. They had been practicing secretly around campus. The mob included students and even a few faculty and staff members.

"I thought it was amazing to watch," said Megan Messin, a parent of two of the dancers in the mob, "everyone in the group had a lot of energy and smiles, and it was hilarious to watch the crowds faces in the beginning."  

During College Night students and their parents learned about a wide variety of opportunites offered at the college, some including: programs of study, financial aid,  scholarships and degree partnership programs with OSU (Oregon State University) and OIT (Oregon Institute of Technology).

There was also a brief discussion over their special admissions programs and disablitlies accomodations for those who need it.

Remington Brandenburg, a former student, has been away from school for 10 years and thought this was a great opportunity to see what LBCC had to offer.  He will definitely be here next year.

Come join us next year for College Night. It is one of the best ways to meet a lot of new people, and to become familiar with the campus, the school and what it has to offer. There are lists of helpful information, friendly faces and a uplifting atmosphere.