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The Battalion
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A&M student Aval Allen brings campus culture to life
By Dena Dizdar
in Battalion
The Battalion
A val Allen describes her dance style as free
A and uninhibited, but her weekly schedule
1 Lean only be described as the opposite.
Allen, a sophomore school health major,
balances hours of dance classes, instruction
and rehearsals with independent dance perfor
mances and Voices of Praise gospel choir prac
tices that last "as long as the spirit moves us."
Among her many roles, Allen teaches a
weekly modern dance class through Texas
A&M's Dance Arts Society. She also serves
as vice president for the organization. With
these positions comes meetings, classes and
preparation.
But Allen's 4.0 grade-point ratio has not suf-
(fered. Her three scholarships to Texas A&M are
enough incentive to make time for studying.
Allen, 18, learned to manage her academic
and artistic roles at Houston's High School for
the Performing and Visual Arts. There, she
was able to fine tune her style of dance while
getting an education. Quite a contrast to the
scientific and agriculturally-minded university
she chose to attend.
"I was used to sitting in calculus class and
hearing a string quartet playing Vivaldi in the
background," Allen said. "When I came here,
it was like walking into a cultural abyss for
me."
That's precisely why Allen said she decided
to become actively involved in Dance Arts So
ciety and the dance ensemble Fade to Black.
Allen does not have ambitions of becoming a
professional dancer after school, but she said
there will always be room for dance in her life.
It is a part of her ministry.
"I try to get people to see that there has to
be more than just moving your arms and
legs," Allen said. "When I dance, I don't
dance for me, I dance for God."
Dance Arts Society president Keith Her
rmann said it is that spirit that makes Allen
one of the most graceful dancers he's seen in a
long time.
"It's her outlook on life that makes her dif
ferent," said Herrmann, a senior management
major. "She's never unpleasant, and when
she's dancing, she's always happy."
The great thing about Allen, Herrmann
said, is that she still has time left at A&M to
build the Dance Arts program.
"I feel better about leaving, knowing Aval
will be around," he said. "Our membership
has never been like it is now and I would hate
to see it drop off."
Allen said she will continue to work with
the program and to dance for her own enjoy
ment as long as she can.
"I think if you saw me at 86 years old, I
would still be dancing," Allen said.
Texas Renaissance
Festival showcases
diverse entertainment
By Margaret Claughton
The Battalion
Where can you find human
chess matches, flaming idiots,
knights and an Asian elephant?
Try traveling to Plantersville,
Texas, home of the Texas Re
naissance Festival.
The festival recreates a 16th
century English village with the
arts, crafts, foods and costumes
of the Renaissance era. The 237-
acre festival is the largest Renais
sance theme park in the U.S. and
has been running for 19 years.
This year has been declared
"The Year of the Falcon" at the
festival. Steve Hoddy, a nation
ally known falconer, will exhibit
his birds of prey, including a
Peregrine Falcon, performing
free-flight stunts. The Peregrine
Falcon is considered the fastest
animal in the world.
"Benny", a one-year-old Asian
elephant and his trainer Bill
Swain are two more new addi
tions to the festival. "Benny" is
the youngest privately owned
elephant in the U.S.
Entertainers returning to the
festival include The Flaming Id
iots, the Ded Bob show and
Medumo's Drums of Africa.
The Flaming Idiots are four-
year veterans of the Texas Re
naissance Festival. The trio
consisting of Gyro, Pyro and
Walter, perform bull's eye
whip-cracking, remedial acro
batics and juggling feats. The
Flaming Idiots have appeared
on Fox television's "Comic
Strip Live" and "Sunday
Comics" as well as ABC's
"America's Super Showcase"
"The festival is a great place to
perform," said Jon O'Connor,
"Pyro" of the Flaming Idiots.
"It's a great place, to get an act to
gether. It's also nice because you
have total freedom and can have
fun with it."
The Flaming idiots met nine
years ago through mutual
friends at the festival and have
been performing together ever
since.
"It's fun to perform for Tex
ans," O'Connor said. "They're
always very outgoing,"
Medumo's Drums of Africa
are a traditional African music
group who joined the festival last
year.
The festival also includes
sports from the Renaissance era
such as jousting matches, chariot
races and human chess matches.
Jeff Baldwin, choreograph
er for the festival's staged
fights, said there is an average
of 20 fights per day all over the
festival.
"There are fights using the
broadstaff, the quarterstaff,
daggers and hand-to-hand
fights," Baldwin said.
During human chess match
es, players representing chess
pieces actually combat each other
for a desired square.
"The players combat for the
square using real weapons. So,
whoever wins the fight takes the
square," Baldwin said.
Entertainment for children is
also available in Sherwood Forest
playground. This area includes
the Giant Swing, the Maze, ele
phant and camel rides and the
Dizzy Dragon ride.
Throughout the Renaissance
festival, actors portray characters
of the times — Robin Hood and
his Merry Men, King Henry VIII,
Queen Anne, Don Quixote, and
Chaucer's wife of Bath. Each ac
tor has studied his or her charac
ter thoroughly in order to por
tray them correctly.
Food at the festival covers a
broad international spectrum.
For the past few years, the
Texas Renaissance Festival has
been working to provide a more
culturally diverse environment.
The food specialties are not lim
ited to English cuisine. Italian
pizza, Spanish empanadas, Ger
man wienerschnitzel, and
French herb-roasted chicken are
also served. The live entertain
ment is also culturally diverse
including performances from
Spain, Jtaly, France, Germany,
China and Poland.
The Texas Renaissance Festi
val runs from Oct. 2 through
Nov. 14, on Saturdays and Sun
days. It is located 50 miles
Northwest of Houston on High
way 1774 between Plantersville
and Magnolia. Each festival
day lasts from 9:00 a.m. to dusk,
rain or shine.
Iliiliiiiiiii’s new alhum...
Cheap Seats’ sells out to crossover country sound
By Lesa Ann King
life editor
ts editor
ports editor
The Battalion
"Cheap Seats"
Alabama
Country
RCA
Album courtesy of CD Warehouse
Country music fans that like the more
commercial sound of Alabama's recent
albums, will like their new release,
"Cheap' Seats." But for those who miss
the old-time traditional sound of Alaba
ma, the wait is not over yet.
The new release offers a few new cuts
that do justice to the vocal talents and
abilities of this well known country band.
"That Feeling" reflects back on the
old-time Alabama sound. Penned by
band member Ted Gentry along with
Greg Fowler and Ronnie Roger, the song
has some of the best lyrics on the album.
Another cut, "Angels Among Us"
takes a touching look at the concept of
living with angels in the form of friends
and kind strangers. Similar to the sound
of the Alabama song "Pass It On Down,"
"Angels" includes a chorus in the back
ground which adds to the angelic effect.
A sentimental sad song, "Katy
Brought my Guitar Back Today" takes a
look at the end of a relationship through
the eyes of a musician.
While, "A Better Word for Love," a
precious love song, also merits a listen as
one of the better album cuts.
The rest of the songs of the album ei
ther don't flow smoothly or lack lyrical
depth.
The title cut, "Cheap Seats" talks
about small town baseball games. While
it's a great idea, the song sounds choppy
and needs a more defined sound.
In addition, "T.L.C.A.S.A.P." sounds
like a big mess of alphabet soup and is
quite annoying to listen to.
Furthermore, "Reckless" reflects the
tone of most of the albums faster cuts —
erratic and noisy.
Half of the album can potentially ap
peal to old Alabama fans, while the rest
of the cuts reflect a band that is selling
out to a crossover country sound.
Members of Alabama, (clockwise from top) Teddy Gentry, Jeff
Cook, Mark Herndon and Randy Owen have released a new album.
spring
semeslefi
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Reed McDonald
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1 “ ' ’ creates thought-provoking atmosphere about South African life
By Anas Ben-Musa
Mike Steele/TnE Battalion
Rapulana Seiphemo (left), Steve
Mize (right) and Sam Levassar, Jr.
The Battalion
"Saturday Night at the Palace" by Paul
Slabolepszy
Starring Rapulana Seiphemo, Steve Mize
and Sam Levassar, Jr.
Directed by Roger Schultz
Playing at Rudder Forum
- Oct. 14-16, 845-1234
Theatre Inkululeko's "Saturday
Night at the Palace" throws the audi
ence into an environment that is gritty,
heartless and cruel at times.
Whether the characters are white or
black, the bully or the bullied, the racist
or the victim — the inability to place
them in traditional roles makes Paul
Slabolepszy's work an exceptional play
about South Africa. Set on a deserted
highway near a roadside cafe called
The Palace, the play grates on the emo
tions of the audience without enabling
them to grasp any particular character
as the protagonist or antagonist.
Many times, Paul Slabolepszy's play
leads the audience. One character
might be considered the protagonist,
the moral character that will help them
understand the animosity and hatred
that has grown between white and
black South Africans. Yet, Slabolepszy
quickly reveals the characters' flaws
and suddenly the audience again feels
out of touch.
Throughout the play, the characters
seem traditional. You believe Forsie
(Steve Mize), a white South African,
tries to respect and understand black
South Africans. In addition, you be
lieve Forsie's friend Vince (Sam Levas
sar, Jr.) is the real problem of South
Africa. He blames blacks for his trou
bled life.
Slabolepszy never justifies racism.
He focuses on white South Africans'
fear of change.
Vince symbolizes that fear, while
Forsie symbolizes the new generation
of whites who want to understand and
learn about their fellow black compatri
ots.
But, Vince's fear and distrust inter
feres with the process and Forsie cannot
let go of his friend although he tries
several times to leave him.
Left with September (Rapulana
Seiphemo), the audience believes he is
the sanity in this chaotic world
Slabolepszy creates, but September is
the victim and has little ability to con
trol or change this world. He is only a
black man in South Africa.
Seiphemo's portrayal of September
is touching and intelligent. His pres
ence on stage and charisma makes "Sat
urday Night" an exceptional play rather
than just a good play.
In addition, Levassar's portrayal is
terrifyingly real. His character's bitter
ness and hatred toward blacks is un
comfortable to watch at times. So un
comfortable, that leaving the theater or
screaming at Vince's ignorance and cru
elty would be the only relief.
Mize's character tries to sympathize
and comfort both, but he could never
decide what to do. Mize has a difficult
part, but he is able to pull it through.
"Saturday Night at the Palace" cre
ates a thought-provoking atmosphere
for the audience to experience and real
ize what South Africa is about.
■ '