Final Thoughts

Even though this wasn't your standard sit down take a test and study course I would have to say I still learned a lot. Maybe it was learning by doing and repetition, but those methods have both been effective for much longer than schools have been around.

I learned about a story that has a greater impact on a larger percentage of the worlds population that most books that have ever been written with the exception of the Bible or Quran. I learned that this story was and still is much more than just a story. It has become to many a religion, where no man is worshipped, but his character is. They worship his goodness, his generosity, and all the other good characteristics that Rama came to embody. For many, who are less religious, the ramayana is a way of life.

At first I honestly had no idea that his was a dance class and my first response to finding out was "uh oh i should definitely go drop this asap." However, after listening to Francis talk about the legacy of the Ramayana on the world and those that he had taught I decided to give it a shot. I was not disappointed. I had absolutely, zero, dance training prior to this class was feeling very exposed in front of the people in the class who had or hadn't had any training.

As the weeks went by and I got to know people in the class I became more comfortable and enjoyed coming to class much more. Also as I read more of the Ramayana I began to understand what the goal of the class was in my own interpretations and and decided to continue with the class and see where it would lead. I'd have to say I stayed with the class, mostly because of the fun I was having and the people I was meeting. On top of that learning about the story and its culture was very interesting.

What I got from this class was quite honestly a new view on what has been going on around me. Since we've been studying the Ramayana and relating a lot of what is goign on in our real lives to it, I often find myself doing it outside of class. I like especially the idea that there are no genuinely bad people in this world, that they are all playing a part of a bigger scheme. I also like the idea that people pray for neutrality, that there should be an equal amount of good and evil.

Unexpected maturity

During our final performance at the Middle School I was schocked for several reasons. One reason was because of how willing a majority of them were willing to participate in the exercises at the end of the performance. Several of them were very shy yes, but I'm pretty sure all of them were on stage in the middle of the circle participating as well as they could. Of course there were a few that were acting nothing, but their own age. There were a few young boys sitting along the circle that were behaving childishly, but I must admit, I thought it was very funny. Towards the end when we were all participating in the circle the entire group seemed to be having fun and enjoying the moment. It felt like they had forgotten about being embarassed and shy and were just enjoying the chants and dancing.

Final Performance

I thought that this performance went a lot better than I thought it was. I was nervous and thought that we could've put a lot more into the development of the performance than we did. I felt that we could've put more into it and made the actual performance longer, but what we had turned out to be amazing. I was glad and sad when it was over because it was really fun.

western (US) interpretation of ramayana!!!

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=ramayana&rls=com.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7RNWN_en&um=1&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title#

Ramayana videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T880ah7clnA now this is a chanting circle, i like to point out the checkered sarongs and the flowers behind the ears. Also, with this many more people than we have it's much easier to notice the layering of the chants. regardless of how confusing it might seem it's amazing how organized it really is.

been a while

Dear Class,
After several weeks in this wonderful class I have come to appreciate what it and all of you have to offer in unique ways. At this point in time I see myself becoming more open with the people in this class and I hope to expand on that in the near future. I feel like I can start to trust the people in this class and coming from me you should feel special. It isn’t in every class that you get the chance to just sit around and talk. To many that might seem like a waste of time, that they don’t have their face crammed into a book or listening to a professor drone on and on about something they most like won’t remember years later. I see this as another way of learning, of expanding my character and experiences which is a vital part of the college experience and education.
Over the next few weeks I would like to see myself to get more involved with our community than I am now. I’ve always been on the shyer side of the social scale, and I’d like to work on that. I’m also quite a reserved person. I think a lot of this comes from my upbringing and I just have a lot of trouble sometimes acting, like what many would think, silly. People who have known me best have always said that I need to lighten up and take things less seriously, I’d like to strive for that.
Shy on the inside,
Brian

ICAP 333 post #1

So today was the first day of my intro to east asian performance class and to be honest my impressions were changed. At first I was there just for the GER 6 and I still am, but now i expect much more. I think that this class will definitely be worth it and I'm looking forward to seeing what our professor has to offer. It won't just give me a ger that I don't have , but it will give me more knowledge, more skills/talents as a person, a stronger respect for east asian cultures, and on top of that all a healthier life with the workout we'll be getting each class.