War has always had a huge impact on the arts community,
influencing productions from “Hair” during the Vietnam
era to current endeavors such as the “Lysistrata
Project,” which was performed all over the world in a plea
for peace. But even a UCLA production like “WAC SMASH!”
feels the repercussions of a society in upheaval. Though it
isn’t a direct response to the war, it has changed certain
performances in acknowledgement of the situation abroad.
“WAC SMASH!,” showing in Freud Playhouse April 11
and 12, will feature over 80 world arts and cultures undergraduates
in 19 dance performances. Organized by the World Arts and Cultures
Undergraduate Society, the dance production was designed as a way
for undergraduate WAC students to gain valuable performance
experience while also giving them a chance to learn a group of
stylistically different pieces.
“With our dances, (we) not only wanted to exhibit our
talented dancers, but also wanted to convey certain themes about
art and life,” said Emily Smyth Vartanian, a fourth-year WAC
dance student and co-producer of the event. “The situation in
Iraq has altered some of our pieces because we realize that art can
make important statements about current events and how people are
reacting to them.”
In Angela Drown’s piece “Miss America,” she
satirizes the Miss America Pageant, raising questions about
society, current events and the “American ideal.” After
the war on Iraq, Drown began to conceptualize how to use her
clothing (specifically her undergarments) to question American
ideals further, which comes out in her performance.
“While our pieces don’t want to influence an
audience member’s view on the situation, they do want to give
them a chance to see things from a different perspective and a
chance to be able to recognize that they can voice their
opinions,” said Vartanian.
Though some of the performers have altered their pieces in
response to the war, the performances remain widely diverse,
ranging in genre from Latin modern dance to swing to ballet, each
with a distinct theme.
“Each piece has its own way of expressing its
theme,” Santiago said. “There’s no linear
progression or common thread running through each piece because we
want this performance to be a place where artists don’t have
to conform but rather can create a piece that specifically tells
what they want to say.”
The pieces, dealing with topics from women’s issues and
sexuality to religion and tradition, aim to show audience members a
variety of performances as well as make them think differently
about the role art plays in our world.
One of the most popular pieces, which has been performed every
year, is the body-music piece where performers use their body to
make music as well as vocalize throughout a piece. Another popular
piece is the spoken word with text-based movement piece, where a
performer says a line and then follows it up by acting it out. In
addition to distinct and more modern styles of art, more classical
styles such as a point-balled piece and a tap piece are also
included.
“In one piece (Santiago) is in, she has to balance a
candle on my head, and then her next piece involves singing a
Turkish song about religion,” said Vartanian. “These
performances showcase the diversity of our dancers and the
challenges each one has to go through.”
With performances responding to war, Turkish religious melodies,
Pilipino dance and ’50s swing dancing, “WAC
SMASH!” is looking to keep audience members on their toes,
grab their attention and keep them thinking.
“We want our audience to think about the various
individual statements and themes represented throughout the
performance,” said Santiago. “We not only hope that
everyone will connect with some piece but will walk out realizing
the power of art and expression.”
“WAC SMASH!” will be performed April 11 and 12 at
the Freud Playhouse, Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8
p.m. The performance is free; seating is on a first-come,
first-served basis. For more information, please go to
http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~wacus.