On November 20th, I had the opportunity to attend a Leon Redbone concert which was hosted by the Stockton Performing Arts Center.  Leon Redbone is a talented singer and guitar player who combines the genres of jazz, blues, and ragtime into his performances.  Redbone was accompanied by an equally talented piano player, named Paul Asaro, who added depth to each song that was played.  These two musicians worked very well together and this concert very enjoyable.

At the start of the concert, Leon Redbone walked on stage dressed in his trademark Panama hat and dark tinted sunglasses.  He sat down on a chair in the center of the stage and began to speak to the audience as if he had known all of us for a lifetime.  Redbone had no trouble in conveying his personality to the audience.  Whether he wanted to tell the audience about a song’s significance, or simply to crack a joke, he had no problem making himself feel at home at Stockton.  Whether singing or speaking, Redbone’s most interesting quality was his voice.  His voice had a deep and smoky sound to it which made him seem both mysterious and grandfatherly at the same time.

Nearly all of the songs that Leon Redbone performed came from the Jazz Age of the 1920s.  Redbone sang popular songs of that period such as Big Time Woman by Wilton Crawley and Mr. Jelly Roll Baker by Lonnie Johnson.  An interesting aspect of the performance was Redbone’s reliance on Paul Asaro, the piano player, to choose the next song that he would play.  As a form of gratitude Redbone gave Asaro a solo during the performance and allowed him to play a song of his choice.  Asaro chose to play Blueberry Rhyme, a ragtime song composed by James P. Johnson, which fit the mood of the performance.

The magic of this performance was that it brought the audience back to an earlier time in American music.  Leon Redbone exuded a certain quality of Americana that is rare in musicians today.  Redbone waited to sing the songs that he was most famous for such as Ain’t Misbehavin’ for the end of the performance.  These were the songs that the audience knew best, and Redbone encouraged the audience to sing along with him.  For the encore, Redbone sang Shine on Harvest Moon, and nearly the entire theater was singing along with him.

George Watsky, otherwise known as “Pale Kid Raps Fast” is an Internet sensation that is best known for his incredible lyrics, rhyming speed, and poetic abilities. The students of Richard Stockton College were fortunate enough to have the opportunity of witnessing Watsky in person. The event was held October 18th at the campus center and was designed to give the audience a warm and comforting feeling. The food was served buffet style and the most complemented items were the chicken Parmesan cutlets and the cake that was served for dessert. After eating, Watsky came on stage and performed the popular poems, “Letter to my 16 Year Old Self” and “Drunk Text Message to God”. As he was reciting his poems, it was clear that the audience was enjoying the event as I saw many people laughing and when Watsky finished, the crowd gave him a great applause.
Overall, the event seemed to be a complete success as everyone enjoyed their meals and also enjoyed the humorously outrageous poems that Watsky performed. He was like no other rapper or rhymer that I had every seen. He not only spit out clever verses but he spoke them with such rapidity and accuracy that I began to wonder if he always talked that fast. Although his poetic presentation thrilled me, the aspect of his show that I enjoyed the most was his lyrics. He had an in-your-face style in which he was able to turn global issues into something that college students wanted to listen to. He took issues that young people often dislike talking about and he presented them to a bunch of college kids in a way that everyone could relate, and so at the end of the night, my friends and I walked away with a more realistic view of the world. In actuality, Earth is not the negative place that it sometimes can seem to be but rather a place built as if “god had chucked a bunch of candy into space”. I can without a doubt say that I would see Watsky again if he returned to Stockton or had a show nearby because he introduced me to a new style of poetry that I can enjoy.

On October 14 2011, the students of Richard Stockton College had the unique privilege of attending the Pop Lloyd Symposium located in the Performing Arts Center. The events purpose was to pay tribute to the late Roberto Clemente, and also to show the effects that sports and athletes have on the world around them. The guest speaker was a Puerto Rican man who has been involved with Major League baseball for years, and he was lucky enough to be able to meet Roberto Clemente. It was clear from the beginning of his speech that the speaker admired Clemente’s tremendous athletic ability, but more importantly he admired his character and heart. Clemente was described as a man who understood that his god given abilities meant more than baseball fame. The speaker describes how Clemente believed in his heart that his true purpose on the earth was to make a difference in the world by helping others and by serving the fans that gave him the great opportunity to play professional baseball while excelling in a league that still hadn’t quite accepted minorities. It was noted in the speech that although many people did not accept Clemente’s Puerto Rican background, they appreciated the way that he played the game. Clemente played the game the way it was meant to be. He went out everyday, played hard, and left everything on the field because he not only loved baseball, but also understood what he meant to the fans.
Aside from baseball, the guest speaker also described Clemente as being a true humanitarian. He took pride in his Puerto Rican roots and often times, went over to Puerto Rico to do community service and make donations. Along with his international help, Clemente eased the pain of people around him with his chiropractic skills. The speaker told the audience of Clemente’s plans to become a chiropractor, something many people don’t know about him, even building a small office by his house.
After attending the Pop Lloyd Symposium, I was taught more about Roberto Clemente the person, not the baseball player. The speaker’s anecdotes reminded me of the meaning of sports. They are meant to build character and it was quite apparent that in this unique case, I think it was Clemente that actually added character to the game of baseball. I learned that he was a good human being first, and a world-class athlete second. It amazes me that so many people reach their ultimate dream playing in the Major Leagues, but to Clemente, baseball was only a small portion of what he wanted in life. Roberto Clemente had a much larger dream for the United States, Puerto Rico, and all humans in general. Unfortunately, I learned that his dream was cut short by a plane crash in 1972 on his way to provide earthquake relief.
Meeting Clemente’s son was not only a unique honor; it was a chance for me to get a glimpse of Roberto Clemente himself. By looking at his son, I understood the joke about Roberto’s large hands and stature. I honestly felt like I was in the presence of a humble human being. He was aware of his father’s legacy, but he chose to speak more about the foundation that they created and not his father. It proved to me that Luis Clemente planned on carrying out his father’s dream, and not to stand in the spotlight of his name. I gained more respect for the Clemente family and their name by attending the symposium because I saw a family that was raised with good morals, athletic ability, modesty, intelligence, and the incredible determination to make a difference. I respect Roberto Clemente as a baseball player, but I admire him as a person.

The event that I attended was the Roberto Clemente Symposium which was held in Richard Stockton College’s PAC Theatre on Friday October 14^th. In the week leading up to the symposium, my Life of the Mind class discussed John Henry “Pop” Lloyd and his importance to baseball as well as the Atlantic City area. “Pop” Lloyd was widely considered the top shortstop to ever play in the Negro Leagues and was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977. More importantly, however, was Lloyd’s commitment to the Atlantic City community and local players, many of whom learned invaluable lessons about baseball and life directly from Lloyd. This humility and dedication to community was echoed in the discussion of Roberto Clemente.

            The speaker, whose name was Luis Mayoral, put the emphasis of his speech not on the vast span of Clemente’s achievements in regards to baseball, but Clemente’s passion for helping others. Mayoral was blessed enough to had become close friends with Clemente and shared many humorous anecdotes about their experiences together. Throughout these stories, however, there were a few elements that Mayoral continued to harp upon. The first of which was the pride that Clemente had for Puerto Rico even when he was playing in league, let alone a nation, in which he was restricted by language barriers. Mayoral also described how Clemente loved to give back to others, even going as far as to establish a Sports City in Puerto Rico so that the youth of the future were afforded just as wonderful an opportunity as he was. Finally, to end the symposium, Mayoral discussed the details of Clemente’s tragic death. Tearing up himself, Mayoral described how Clemente, who worked extensively with charity organizations, was sending aid packages to Managua as it had been hit by a devastating earthquake. However, after learning that the first few aid packages had been seized by the corrupt government and never reached the victims in need of relief, Clemente himself set off to accompany the next aid package to Managua. Mayoral, extremely emotional at this point, closed his speech by saying that Clemente died when plane crashed just off of the coast of Puerto Rico on December 31^st, 1972, with Clemente’s body never being recovered.

            For my part, I absolutely loved the Roberto Clemente Symposium. I thought that Mayoral did an excellent job telling the story not of Roberto Clemente the baseball player, but of Roberto Clemente the dedicated and caring person. After the symposium, I was able to draw important connections between Roberto Clemente, “Pop” Lloyd, and Field of Dreams which we read in class just a few weeks prior. I look forward to future symposiums and the unique insight which they offer.

The event that I attended was the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey’s 16^th Annual Osprey Ball, a part of the college’s “That ‘70’s Homecoming and Family Weekend” celebration. The ball was held on Saturday, October 15^th 2011 from 8pm to midnight in the gorgeous Campus Center Event Room. Tickets, which were in hot demand all week prior to the dance, sold for $5 in advance or $10 at the door. The homecoming celebration had events going on throughout the weekend and included such happenings as alumni sports games, the homecoming carnival, as well as theatre performances. All of these events were topped by the wonderful ball which brought the exciting weekend to a close.

Before entering the Event Room, students and guest attending the dance were able to get their pictures taken and printed for them free of charge courtesy of Stockton’s Student Senate. There was also a wide variety of food provided for those at the dance as well as sparkling apple cider in champagne glasses which gave the dance an even more elegant feel. The Event Room, where the ball was held, has already been used to house numerous college events in the short time since the construction of the Campus Center. With various strobe lights and spotlights lighting the dark dance floor, the Event Room was electric throughout the night of the ball. The DJ played a nice mix of today’s popular songs and classic hits of the 70’s which fit in well with the dance’s theme.

It was also wonderful to see students dress up in their formal attire to enjoy the evening, a welcome change from the sweatpants and sweatshirt wardrobes which are commonly
associated with college students. Even more interesting were the students who
delved into the theme of the dance and dressed up in wacky attire from the
70’s.

On my part, I had a fantastic time attending the Osprey Ball. It was so much fun
to just forget about classes, papers, and exams for one evening and simply
dress up and go out with friends and peers. I felt that the ball was organized
wonderfully and was appropriately priced, allowing all students to have a great
time. I look forward to next year’s Homecoming Weekend and Osprey Ball.

Irvin O. Moreno-Rodriguez

Professor Rodgers Jackson

Life of the Mind

November 28, 2011

Dancing at Lughnasa Blog

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, known in New Jersey as the “Distinctive College”  for its emphasizes on the arts, presented Brien Fiegal’s Dancing at Lughnasa last Thursday night at the Performing Arts Center. The event was held Thursday October 27^th, 2011 and from the very moment you entered the lobby audience members were greeted by wonderful volunteers who also ushered you into your seat. Upon entering the seating area at the center audience members were amazed at the stage that had been set up for the play, a replica Irish house that was accurately decorated with all the possessions of that specific time period. After a long week its nice to sit down and enjoy a memory play, as it was later described to us in class, however be forewarned that this play is not a walk down merry lane. Dancing at Lughnasa at times had bits of humorous material, but towards the end of the play audience members were informed of the serried of unfortunate events that occurred to the Michaels family, Michael being the narrator of the entire memory play a play which recalls past events.  Although many knew this play was not a delightfully one audience attendance that night was above average compared to the other events attended to before including Dracula. The actors that night were very captivating setting the time period and the setting with their Irish accents, and their costumes were tastefully picked for the play. The performance did have one intermission where the many audience positively commented on the visuals that were set up to ease them into the story. The play in the end was really entertaining and I am looking forward to the next time Stockton has the honor to present a memory play on stage again!

Irvin O. Moreno-Rodriguez

Professor Rodgers Jackson

Life of the Mind

October 31^st, 2011

Dracula Review Blog

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, known for its emphasizes on the arts, presented the Atlantic City Ballet’s rendition of Dracula last Thursday night at the Performing Arts Center. Starting off the night the audience was greeted with the Ballet Master, Kristaps Kikulis, who stirred the crowd with some interesting facts about the Atlantic City Ballet’s performers. He stated that repertoire for Dracula that night consisted of only four American born dancers and the rest of the crew were performers from eleven other countries, including Japan and Russia!  The event was held Thursday October 27^th, 2011 and from the very moment you entered the lobby audience members were greeted by wonderful volunteers who also ushered you into your seat. The atmosphere that night was ecstatic as many felt it was an occasion to dress up and partake in a classy date that night. Although the hall was not entirely full the crowd that night was sufficient enough to hold a thunderous applause after every performance that night. The Dracula Ballet was tastefully done with the absence of words but were replaced by extraordinary body language movements and perfectly choreographed dances. The costumes that night were beautiful and very captivating as they seemed to flow and synchronize with their every moment during their dances. Although Dracula was already a great story, the performance that night was highly dramatic only adding more to the suspense towards the end, the ultimate showdown between Dracula and Van Helsing. The performance did have one intermission where the only talk among audience members included conversations of how the dancers performed some the of the most challenging dance movements ever seen. The Ballet in the end was really entertaining and I am looking forward to the next time Stockton has the honor to present them on stage again!

This past Sunday, December 4th 2011, I saw the ChoreoProject 33 at Stockton College. The performance was at 3:00 p.m. in the Experimental Theatre. ChoreoProject is many individual dances choreographed and danced by students in The Stockton Dance Company. Each dancer choreographs a solo, duet, or trio and the ChoreoProject showcases what they have made. This was another performance I was required to see for my dance class and I am extremely thankful that I went. Stockton has so many talented students and the dancers were no exception. Seeing what they created was very interesting. They not only choreographed the dances but also chose their own music, costume, and light design. Some of the movements were so simple but were conveyed powerfully because of the intensity in either the music or lighting. The overall style of dance was modern, which is a free type of dance that is meant to express emotion and inner feelings. The dances each portrayed completely different moods. The last dance of the performance was an upbeat group number that allowed you to leave on a happy note. It was a great experience and I will definitely be seeing it the next time it comes around.

-Victoria Starner

The Honors Holiday Party was held as the Honors event for the month of December. This was a refreshing break to relax from studying for finals. It was fun to get in the holiday spirit with close friends and other Honors students. There were drinks, food, and desserts provided by Chartwells which was a nice touch as well.

It was optional to bring a gift, but to participate in the gift exchange game people brought gifts under five dollars. The game works where each person picks a wrapped gift from a pile and opens it. After each person opens a present they are given two choices of either keeping the present that they opened or “stealing” a more appealing gift from another person.

The presents that people unwrapped kept the game interesting. For example, there was a disco ball, box of pennies, and donut maker that was constantly swapped between people. Although I did not participate in the gift exchange game, I still had a good time watching other people swap presents. Overall, the game was very entertaining and everyone was satisfied with their present at the end for the most part. I am very glad that the Honors program organizes events like these every month. They are a great way to take a break from studying and enjoy time with friends while getting to know other people more.