F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, is a cautionary tale of glamor and debauchery. Set in the vibrant 1920s in New York City, the tale has become emblematic of early twentieth-century America and the subject of countless reproductions.
Read moreCreativity at its Pinnacle: 2024 Senior Coda in Dance
The Skidmore College Dance Department's annual Senior Coda showcase premieres on Saturday, March 30, and Saturday, April 6. The Senior Coda is a course available to all performance- and choreography-track and research-track majors, offered annually by the department. The class and participation in the showcase are prerequisites to earn honors. The class is taught by Jason Ohlberg, Associate Chair of the Dance Department, but the semester is primarily student-led. Professor Ohlberg’s teaching philosophy is giving the class independence and autonomy in the process of producing their first concert.
Read more96th Academy Awards Best Picture Roundup
On March 10, the 96th Academy Awards (Oscars) will take place, honoring the best films of 2023. As usual, the public eye is primarily focused on the prestigious Best Picture award, which has attracted additional attention due to a particularly strong crop of films.
Read moreThe Day the Music Died: The TikTok and UMG Debacle
TikTok, the popular video app, has been a hub for musicians and music lovers alike since it appeared in app stores in 2016. Through the platform , users can lip sync to their favorite songs, create video edits of their favorite films and shows, participate in dance trends, and keep up with new music releases. Music is a fundamental feature of the app. What happens when artists can no longer promote their music with TikTok? What happens when users can no longer engage with popular artists?
Read moreRoaming, Writing, Slouching: Skidmore Alumnus Publishes First Book
Slouching is a collection of personal essays, anthropological observations, illustrations, and collages of found objects. Squire, who graduated from Skidmore in 2021, was one of forty recipients of the Creative Research Impact Centre Europe Fellowship (CIRCE), which awards young academics and budding scientists funding to complete a creative project. Funding from CIRCE enabled Squire to spend the summer of 2023 writing, walking, and drinking wine — among other things. Their project tackled the grand concept of geography, considering how spaces facilitate our interaction with them, and in turn, how humans leave evidence of their interaction — whether that landscape is urban or rural, literal or digital. Towards the end of November, the author made time to speak with The Skidmore News about Slouching. We chatted about talking to strangers, compulsive collecting, the qualities of a perfect notebook, and entrusting our writing to others.
Read moreUpbeat New Orleans Sound Upstate: Tank and the Bangas Take Zankel
On Friday, November 10th, Tarriona “Tank” Ball sauntered onto the Arthur Zankel Music Center stage like she owned the place. And that night, she did. Tank and the Bangas’ one-of-a-kind sound swelled to fill the space. Tank was backed by a four-piece band and trio of back-up singers, and the ingenuity of each individual was evident. Altogether, though, the group was amplified. Tank and the Bangas’ commanded the attention of their audience. Under their spell, the concert hall came alive, coaxed by robust rhythms and breezy beats. Tank and the Bangas’ on-stage symbiosis and infectious energy made for an impressive show distinguished from the classical- and jazz-oriented music events that the space typically hosts.
Read moreTension by Kylie Minogue: A One Of A Kind Storyteller
Are you feeling in the mood for some dance floor bangers? How about some rock, pop rock, indie-pop, country, or even disco? Whether you’re walking to class, working out at the gym, heading to a party, or are all in your feels, Kylie Minogue’s Tension could become the new soundtrack to your everyday life.
Read moreNapoleon Film Review: From the Sublime to the Ridiculous
Ridley Scott’s Napoleon (2023) shows occasional glimpses of potential but falls under its own weight, failing to tell a compelling story about one of the most compelling men in world history, ultimately winding up nothing more than a cinematic farce.
Read moreAlbum review: Taylor Swift reinvents herself again in 1989 (Taylor's Version)
Back in 2014, Taylor Swift was “reinvented for the first time” (according to herself) when she released 1989 in 2014, as this album represents her foray from country into pop. I was in fifth grade, on the cusp of middle school, when I first listened to “1989.” When I listened to “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” in 2023, the same emotions that I felt listening to 1989 in 2014 rose to the surface. This album is not just music; it recalls childhood memories that live in the back of my mind.
Read moreSkidmore student choreographers' fall showcase set to dazzle
The Skidmore Dance department’s Choreography II showcase will premiere this Saturday, November 18, at the Dance Theater, located in Williamson Sports Center, at 2:00 pm and 5:30 pm. This annual event is the culmination of Choreography II, a course required for the performance and choreography track of the dance major. Taught by Erika Pujic, the class is meant to incorporate skills students have learned from their first two years in the major—like individual and group work, choreographic tools, leadership and collaboration—into a space with other students. The 12 upperclassmen began the fall semester by holding open auditions which welcomed any Skidmore student with a background, or even an interest, in dance. From there, the students casted and held rehearsal processes with showings that included feedback from peers and professors alike.
Read moreSkidmore welcomes Mongolian Folk artists
On September 23rd, Zankel Music Center launched listeners into a captivating cultural experience with The Tuvergan Band; a Mongolian folk group complete with an array of beautifully unique instruments and vocals. The Chicago-based band debuted in 2020 and has since toured countless venues including performing at The Chicago World Music Festival, The Chicago Cultural Center, and of course, our very own music center. Students and faculty were lucky enough to attend the performance free of charge, relax into a wonderful musical experience and gain new insight into music from other cultures. Music plays an integral part in Mongolian culture and the performance was a compelling and unforgettable experience. The folk band’s lead singer Tamir Hargana is also using this week to visit student’s classes, asking music students around campus to indulge in exciting new sounds and engage in conversation with new faces. He gave demonstrations and explanations of the vocal styles and instruments, led throat-singing workshops, and even let the students ask him questions and prompt discussion about the music.
Read moreThe Creative Arts Shape Creative Lives
Formed five years ago, the Arts Quad Party was initially intended to incentivize students “who had never set foot in the building” to come check out the JKB, and it has since evolved into a social event which helps members of the Skidmore community destress, socialize and get in touch creatively before beginning the academic year.
Read moreBottoms: A Box-Office Hit
This year has seen an uptick in mainstream LGBTQIA+ films. The summer began with a second season of Good Omens, a mythical love story. Next, season two of Netflix’s Heartstopper, based on a series of young adult graphic novels, premiered on August 3rd. Days later, Prime Video released Red, White & Royal Blue based on a book in which the first son of the United States and a young British prince fall in love. All of these pieces of media have one thing in common — they feature men. It’s about time that queer people have a film with queer women, and director Emma Seligman (known for her 2020 film Shiva Baby) delivers with her new comedic film Bottoms. Bottoms is a film that finally focuses on queer women instead of the endless (albeit important) films featuring queer men.
Read moreROOM•MATE Living with Tang Art
Photo Credits: Ana Sherwood ‘22, Morgan Sickles ‘23, Stella Piasecki ‘23, and Matt Grega ‘23 at home with Max Bill’s Geometrical Construction 1, 1970, color lithograph, Tang Teaching Museum Collection, gift of the Roberts Cugno and Logan, Media Gallery.
On September 9, 100 works from the Tang Teaching Museum’s collection were loaned to Skidmore students on a first come, first served basis as part of the Tang’s annual art loan program known as “ROOM•MATE.” It is tradition for many students to camp overnight in front of the Tang in order to get a good spot in line, much like at any Taylor Swift or Harry Styles concert, thus starting a line outside the Tang on Friday afternoon, long before the museum doors opened on Sunday morning. These students carried tents, snacks, blankets, and more to make the wait comfortable and bide their time throughout the night.
Read moreFilm Review : New Frontiers and Old Farces in “Asteroid City”
Until now, Anderson has been a master of reinvention. The director has walked, gracefully, the narrow line between consistent and repetitive. But “Asteroid City” is so self-referencing that it ceases to be captivating or clever, and misses the mark of annoyingly-but-tolerably-cocky. Instead, the film feels altogether redundant.
Read moreA Celebration of Movement and Growth for Dance Seniors
Skidmore College senior dance majors have just come off of an amazing weekend filled with joy, sweat, and tears. The annual Senior Coda class, taught by Associate Chair of the dance department Jason Ohlberg, has come to a head with the final showing for the dancers before their graduation. This celebration included seven pieces in a variety of styles and showed a range of different talents from choreographers, lighting designers, and dancers.
Read moreShadow and Bone Season 2: It Doesn’t Treat the Books as Bible, But It’ll Do
Released on March 16, 2023 on Netflix, Shadow and Bone has eight episodes each ranging from 56 to 64 minutes. It’s been a huge hit so far - the show currently ranks #1 on Netflix’s Top 10 Shows in the U.S. and boasts an 86 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Due to the show’s popularity, showrunner Eric Heisserer “is ready to launch [Six of Crows] as its own story,” according to an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Read moreSkidmore Group To Perform Sondheim Revue: A Journey Through His Remarkable Career
On Sunday, March 5, Skidmore’s Musical Theater- Opera Workshop will be performing a Stephen Sondheim revue titled You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow. This powerful medley honors the career of the late composer and Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim, showcasing some of his adored classics as well as his more obscure masterpieces.
Read moreThe Banshees of Inisherin: Martin McDonagh’s Mournful Ode to Irish Folklore
Well-established as one of the most exceptional writer-directors in modern cinema, Martin McDonagh tackles daunting existential questions with unmatched grace. McDonagh’s films pair slick comedic wit with a kind of philosophical weight, and one quality never obscures the other; they seem to feed off of one another, only illuminating the absurdity of our existence. These grave yet laughable bits of human experience are as potent as ever in McDonagh’s newest (and most unmistakably Irish) film, The Banshees of Inisherin (2022), which reunites Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson from their unforgettable In Bruges (2008) performance.
Read moreFilm Review: "The Menu" Bites Off More Than It Can Chew
The Menu, directed by Mark Mylod, is poised to be a cinematic feast. Its narrative is ambitious, its cast is impressive, and its cinematography is simultaneously delicate and striking. Ultimately, however, the film tides viewers over more than it fills them up. Though gripping and provocative, a few too many questions remain unanswered when the credits roll.
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