Kun-Yang Lin Dancers

I had never heard of the Kun-Yang Lin Dancers before I went to this showing of theirs. Being an ex-dancer myself, I was interested to see what I would take out of their performance.The type of dance that I mastered for about 10 years was classical indian dancing, or Bharathnatyam. The differences I saw in the two different art forms was that Bharathnatyam was a more rigid and distinct type of dancing while the performance that the Kun-Yang Lin Dancers put on was most definitely something that included more flow that I was used to. In Bharathnatyam, we usually focused on the movements themselves, making sure they were poignant and precise, while the Kun-Yang Lin dancers focus point for their dancing was the emotions included with the dance. That is what really drew me into their performance. I also liked how they expressed the effort they were putting into the moves by a subtle grunt or moan. It really made the audience relate and sympathize with the dancer's movements. All in all, I'm really glad I got to experience such a unique showing. 

I would have to say my favorite part within the show itself was any of the dances that they did as a group. The interactions between the dancers in their movements really showed the audience how comfortable the dancers were, not only with dancing, but with each other. You could tell that these dancers have been dancing with each other for an extended period of time and they've formed a special creative bond. 

After Kony: Staging Hope

This movie was absolutely beautiful; in fact, a couple times, I had to hold back tears. I tend to get really absorbed into the movies I watch, and I tend to sympathize with the main characters. With that being said, the stories of the 14 Ugandan teenagers made me have so much respect and love for them. The story of the girl who was raped really moved me. They captured her and abducted her where she was raped and sexually abused. I aspire to be a therapist of some sort when I get older, therefore psychology and matters surrounding the mind have always interested me. It really took that girl a lot of courage to be able to participate in the theatrical program that was offered to her with so much enthusiasm was touching. I only say this because rape victims are often left with psychological trauma that usually needs some sort of therapy. Living in the camp grounds that she was, she was always surrounded with the stresses of struggling for food, water, and many other basic needs, while quietly suffering inside of her psychological traumas. That theatrical production was a sort of therapy for her. Seeing the happiness and laughter in her eyes during their theater practices only proved that this opportunity was more than just that, but it changed her life. She was given the assurance that life is cold without hope, and that message was well-played throughout the movie.