Thursday, November 1 , 1990
The Battalion
Page 5
Latin dances
ignite passions
By YVONNE SALCE
Special to The Battalion
Imagine men with bare, brown
I chests twirling women dressed in
■ tight bandeauxs that reveal tan bo-
Isoms. And as they turn and grind
I their hips, their tiny miniskirts flare
■ up, revealing G-string panties.
If this type of dancing sounds for-
Beign, not to mention racy, then
| you’ve caught the essence of 1am-
I oada. It’s been called the Latin ver-
1 sion of dirty dancing, the dance rage
| of the ’90s and labeled the forbidden
■ dance.
Bringing men and women close
■ together, lambada is by far a sexy
■ dance. The dance, originally from
I Brazil, comes from the Portuguese
■ verb “to whip.”
Borrowing from the tango and
Imerengue, also Latin dances, it is a
1 fast-paced dance performed with
I the man’s right leg between the
■ thighs of his partner. So sensual, it
I was at one time banned in Brazil.
The dance’s recent popularity has
I been sweeping people off their feet.
I Night clubs, tapping into the lastest
I Latin rhythms, have been popping
I up all over the country. Houston, for
I example, has its own club named af-
I ter the dance itself, not to mention
I producers who have used the dance
I to market such films as “Lambada”
I and “The Forbidden Dance.”
Yet, some believe this Brazillian
S and grind is just a passing
A,
ntomo Caraballo, a
I Spanish lecturer at Texas A&M
I Univerisity, says the lambada is
I “a faddish new trend.”
“The lambada, which has
I Afro-Carribean traits, may not
I stay around too long,” Caraballo
Isays, “not just because of cultural
I and religious pressures, but be-
I cause there are other more pop-
lular dances.”
The salsa and merengue, both
I influenced by a strong Carribean
I beat, have been around much
longer, Caraballo says.
Salsa, living up to its food con
notation, means “spicy.” It comes
from Cuba and Puerto Rico. “It
I has a very strong Afro-American
Jbeat witli Spanish, African and
■ Carribean roots,” Caraballo says.
On the other hand, the me
rengue, born in the Dominican
Republic, means “to beat,” as if
igs ag»j beating an egg, Carabdllo says,
(ainstreii pj sa Castro, a junior chemical
) be KMi engineering major and president
/ant to Jof the Puerto Rican Student As-
“sociation, says Latin music and
lopted
A&M po;-
mfort isi
dances are more popular than
traditional Mexican and Spanish
her hipp| ^nces because of the body
movements.
“It’s not like Mexican music,
where you dance in a square pat
tern. You have to wind your
body, move your hips and bend
college,
because
that wei
the way
rls who i
that
Mestrovi
hese trem
itory pte
; most vii
• —tl
: not
talists ye
middle
most seas
s, assistaij
, is
former cc
rvived
ut, on tl y OUr knees,” she says.
Caraballo has instructed a
dance exhibition sponsored by
the Spanish Club and says peo
ple are excited about learning
the dances.
Caraballo, a native Puerto Ri-
|can, says the dances aren’t diffi
cult to learn.
“The beat is very much the
same in all of them,” Caraballo
say/s. “It just depends who’s tea
ching it.”
In the merengue, the steps are
basic. Both partners bend their
knees, there is very little hip
movement and the dance doesn’t
have to look so sensual.
ies like
jiman-Mi
; was wet
vest and
ce. Her hi
the ntf
aist.
different
behind f
and today
akeapoB
5. “For«'
le had aft
or raciaH
much of
latement
fference i
ling W
identity* 1
I that
y we’ve?
de are cyj
ie is fliw
a big d®
T,
he salsa takes a little
more footwork and is more diffi
cult to learn. Caraballo says the
w elaborate steps resemble those
luLiitv( from the disco era, as in the film
!thbelltK “Saturday Night Fever.”
Even though it was a box of
fice flop, he recommends the
movie l} Salsa.” The music and
dancing are choreagraphed well,
he says.
But, an even better way to
learn is to have on-hand instruc
tions. Those who missed the
Spanish Club exhibition have an
other opportunity to learn why
people are still dirty dancing af
ter all these years.
Volunteer instructors will be
helping out in the sixth annual
“A Taste of Latino” dance Nov.
17, sponsored by the Puerto Ri
can Student Association.
The live band “Cibonei” will
play salsa, merengue, lambada
ana other Latin rhythms.
Castro says the dance is open
;to everyone and serves as cultu-
0( ral points for students in the De-
r ’ ^11 payment of Modern Languages.
ma y “Anybody wanting to learn or
ent ' ^ J ust practice is invited,” Castro
• Ty iv says. We can find partners for
lie everyone.”
e lL<i Tickets are $6 and available in
llv wf R u dd er box Office. The
rea uiro: ^ ance w ill be held at the Brazos
Center in Bryan from 8 p.m. to 1
y s ^ a.m
1 fibers® • Yvonne is a senior jour-
gs.” naiism major and a member of the Hispanic
Journalists Association.
4 Palace’ houses Sarandon, Spader’s white-hot love
By CAROL GLENN
True love has no bounds. It’s rare. It’s in
describable. It has no age, ethnic or race re
strictions. It’s not about money. It’s not even
about morals or values. It’s about having a
special body chemistry with another person
so powerful that it owns up to the cliche,
“Love conquers all.”
Based on the novel by Glenn Savan, “White
Palace” takes a passionate and erotic look at a
type of love, not readily acceptable in strait
laced conservative society, between an older
woman and a much younger man.
The moyie begins with a young advertising
executive, Max (James Spader), going to the
“White Palace” to pick up some burgers and
fries before heading off to a friend’s bachelor
party.
After arguing with a fiery, forceful red-
haired waitress (Susan Sarandon) who mis-
packages his order, he ends up at the bache-
Movie Review
lor party watching slides of his friend’s child
hood.
Mistakenly a slide of Max’s deceased wife
slips into the pile of memories. Max stares at
the screen speechless for a minute. By the
look in his eye you can tell that they had true
love.
Then she was killed in an automobile acci
dent and taken from Max.
Max thinks that the love he had for his wife
is unmatchable until he meets Nora the wait
ress. After being picked up in a trashy blue-
collar country bar, Nora seduces Max and
makes love to him as no other woman, includ
ing his wife, ever has.
Sparks of passion grow between the cou
ple, until Max realizes that he can never live
without Nora. But how can he explain this to
his strict Jewish family, yuppie friends and
conservative advertising colleagues.
This movie is a common older woman,
younger man romance. The twist is that Max
has difficulty letting go and saying goodbye to
his deceased true love.
Director Luis Mandoki really plays on the
audience’s emotions when dealing with the
tragedies that Max and Nora endure before
coming into their fiery hot sexual desires for
each other.
But, unlike many boy-meets-girl movies,
this one really has some substance. The audi
ence encounters a love that is the envy of
many people, but instead of being blessed the
couple is condemned by outsiders’
judgments.
Many people today try to be more open
with their attitudes regarding relationships,
but inevitably unjust condemnations creep
into the lives of lovers and spoil their happi
ness. Maybe it’s envy, maybe it’s self-pity,
maybe it’s just plain selfishness.
OK, so maybe it’s a little hard to believe
that a 43 year-old woman who flops ham
burgers for a living, lives in a unkept trashy
house and has Marilyn Monroe for a hero is
attractive to a 27 year-old well-groomed ad
vertising executive who lives in a yuppie
world of “wanna he’s.” But hey, this is a fan
tasy for the romantic and this is what people
pay to see. Most everybody enjoys looking at
the world through rose-colored glasses every
now and then.
“White Palace,” which is rated R and is now
showing at Cinema 3, takes a fairly believable
and sensual look at a love affair between two
people who are lonely and hurting. It brings
them to a common ground sparking a lasting
relationship based on true love, not social
pressures.
Makeup designer Lanell Pena puts black eyeliner on Roy Jay, who plays the Mikado in the Aggie Players’ production. sondran. ROBBiNsn-he Battalion
Mikado plots for romance, comedy
By RUDY CORDOVA JR.
The Aggie Players continue their international sea
son with Gilbert and Sullivan’s hilarious musical com
edy, “The Mikado.” It’s a story set in Japan, but full of
the typical themes found in most of G&S’s operas.
A young wandering minstrel, Nanki-Poo, falls in love
with Yum-Yum. But of course, all hope of happiness is
gone since Nanki-Poo is already promised to another
woman and Yum-Yum to wed The Lord High Execu
tioner Ko-Ko.
The Mikado steps in to announce that since no one
has been executed for one year, that Ko-Ko must imme
diately find someone to behead. Nanki-Poo volunteers
to be beheaded, since life without Yum-Yum is worth
less.
However, there is one stipulatihn that he warrants
before committing to the exection. Nanki-Poo must be
permitted to wed Yum-Yum and live with her for one
month. After the execution, Ko-Ko could resume his
plans to marry Yum-Yum.
This becomes the basis to the hilarity which makes
this opera one of most loved operas by Gilbert and Sul
livan.
“The Mikado” is directed by Theatre Arts professor
Robert Wenck who has been with A&M since 1954.
This will be Wenck’s second time to direct a Gilbert and
Sullivan musical in two years, his last being “The Pirates
of Penzance” in 1988.
The set and costumes are designed by Theatre pro
fessors Jimmy Humphries and Susan Kelly, respec
tively. Rob Ward, a junior electrical engineering major
from Houston is the lighting designer.
Performances of “The Mikado” are at 8:00 p.m. to
night and November 2,3,7,9, & 10 in the Rudder The
ater. On Thursday, November 8, the performance will
begin at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $8.50 for the general
public and $6.50 for students. For more information
and reservations call the MSC Box Office at 845-1234.
Players prepare for performance
Katisha, played by Christina Vela O’Connor, makes a grand
trance singing.
SbNDRA N. ROBBINS/The Battalion
en-
By R UDY CORDOVA JR.
“If you ain’t havin’ fun, you’re
doin’ it wrong.”
Professor Robert Wenck, or
“Coach” as he is known in the
Theatre Arts Program, adopted that
slogan many years ago. And it’s no
wonder that everyone involved in
the program has fun.
When the Aggie Players prepare
for the production of a musical, the
cast and crew assume their role nec
essary for a “good show.” (That is
the traditional way of saying good
luck in the theater.) Their produc
tion of “The Mikado” is no excep
tion.
Stephany Tramel, who plays the
role of Yum-Yum in “The Mikado”
says, “I’m so excited about this musi
cal. It’s so much fun working with
him (Wenck).”
Tramel, a sophomore theatre arts
major, says that “The Mikado” is her
first Gilbert and Sullivan produc
tion. “This is my favorite musical.
The situations are very funny,” Tra
mel says. “The humor is pretty much
timeless.”
The cast consists of 29 students,
half of which are not theatre arts
majors. Mark Anthony Sterling, who
plays the part of Poo-Bah, is a senior
sociology major from Port Arthur.
He says the thing he likes most about
“The Mikado” is that each section of
dialogue adds to the story and keeps
rolling.
“A friend of mine told me to see
the musical at the library on video
cassette. After I saw it, I got all fired
up,” Sterling says.
With so many people on stage at
once, Wenck says that it’s not direct
ing as much as it is like “traffic man
agement.” As director of a musical,
Wenck has the added efforts of a
music director and a choreographer.
“It’s been a challenge of blended
efforts,” Wenck says.
With three “directors,” sometimes
the stress can feel three times as
harsh. Frank Coulter is the music di
rector and Shawnee Jones is the cho
reographer who is responsible for
the movement on stage. They both
have the task of making sure that
they go along with what the director
wants.
Christina Vela O’Connor, a junior
theatre arts major from Laredo, says
that it is difficult with that many peo
ple in charge. “It’s hard work be
cause everyone jumps on you. But
it’s still so much fun,” she says.
This is O’Connor’s first time in a
musical production. She says that it’s
different being in a musical com
pared to a drama, where only one
person is directing. “It adds to being
an actress. It’s given me so much
more experience,” she says.
Wenck likes to direct shows with
many aspects of the arts. He says
that in the future he would like to di
rect “H.M.S. Pinafore” and “The
Gondiliers.” Gilbert and Sullivan are
in a class of their own, according to
Wenck, who believes that they have
an understanding of our own prob
lems.
Gilbert, Sullivan create opera art for audience's enjoyment
By RUDY CORDOVA JR.
Gilbert and Sullivan are famous for their
contribution to opera in Britain and for the
popularity of the American musical theater.
Their influences opened many doors to the
Old World and the New. It is this kind of
feat that has made their musical comedies,
or operas as some may argue, cherished
works of art.
William Schwenk Gilbert, a Hampshire
Englishman, grew up with the influences of
his father as a naval surgeon and an Italian
opera lover. No doubt that from the day he
was born, November 18, 1836, Gilbert was
exposed to his father’s talk of opera and sea.
In school, Gilbert wrote and acted in seve
ral plays. This, however, was not his prin
ciple liking. Gilbert received his B.A. in law
studies from the King’s London College. Af
ter years of unsuccessful court cases, he re
sumed his life as a journalist. This started his
infatuation with writing. By the time he met
Sullivan, he was known as a comical genuis
of theater.
Arthur Sullivan was born in South Lon
don, May 13, 1842. In contrast to Gilbert’s
wealth was Sullivan’s lower-middle class af
fluence. Sullivan’s family knew poverty. His
father was a labor worker and a struggling
musician. This, in turn, influenced Sullivan’s
musical ability.
Sullivan was sent as a Mendelssohn
Scholar to the Leipzig Conservatory. The
rest of his life he spent as a music teacher
and composer.
This set up the meeting of these two men
from different backgrounds. By the time
they met, both Gilbert and Sullivan were
well-established in their careers.
A theater manager approached them
about collaborating on a production. Gilbert
wrote the words and Sullivan composed the
score.
The team of Gilbert and Sullivan went on
to produce many operas. Their most famous
works include: “Trial by Jury,” “H.M.S. Pi
nafore,” “The Pirates of Penzance,” “The
Mikado,” “Ruddigore” and “The Yeoman of
the Guard.”
Texas A&M Professor Robert Wenck of
the Theatre Arts Program gave his reasons
for Gilbert and Sullivan’s success. “You can
do them at any level. They are full of
mindless fun, pretty music, spectacle, liveli
ness, and a sense of mischief,” he says.