Growing up, Irish step dancing was a staple in my elementary and middle school talent shows. Every year, there would be at least one girl wearing a wig with tight red ringlet curls, a green dress with a Celtic pattern and black shoes with white knee-high socks.
The second to last rehearsal of the week for Stage Left's spring musical was about to begin.
Senior theatre major Jada Yvonne Harris will debut her play "Same Blood" this weekend at Miami's Hamilton campus. Harris, who is also directing the production, has worked for the past year to develop her script.
In a year where April showers looked more like blizzards, MAP's annual Springfest celebrated a return to the season's more traditional weather. A crowd of students passed under red and white balloon arches to find academic quad adorned with flags and inflatables.
A black-belt member of Miami's martial arts club took to the Uptown Park stage and threw her partner on the mat for a taekwondo demonstration. Another club member broke a thick wooden board with her elbow. K-pop and American hits alternated from speakers as crowds of students, faculty and Oxford residents roamed booths lining the park. They were all there on a Friday afternoon to celebrate Miami's fourth annual Asian Cultural Festival.
The Crouton Guy sits at a table outside Cafe Lux twirling his white earbuds, a light brown backpack perched on his lap. He wears glasses, a black hat emblazoned with a red M, a grey-and-blue sweatshirt, black pants and black shoes.
"Hey, are you auditioning for 'Octets?"
"Rabbit Hole," written by David Lindsay-Abaire, will be performed at the Oxford Community Arts Center on Friday, April 20. The play revolves around a couple grieving the loss of their young son after a car accident.
Jazz was in the air last week as two consecutive concerts proved that America's most syncopated sensation is alive and well in Oxford.
Dr. Chris Tanner pulled his pair of drumsticks from his back pocket and clicked them together to silence the cacophony in room seven in the basement of Presser Hall.
"And your time begins now"
There was not one moment of silence in Wilks Theatre on Saturday, April 7.
All eyes turned to the front as D. Eric Ohlsson took the stage of Souers Recital Hall and moved into the center of the warm spotlights. Clear, bright-sounding trills from his instrument fluttered out through the intimate space of the recital hall.
One of the most helpful quick-tips I've run across for dealing with bouts of depression is to imagine yourself with a stuffy nose. You know when your nostrils are all blocked up and you'd give just about anything for the relief of a clear airway, that thing you suddenly realize you always took for granted? Well, when you're feeling hopeless, when it feels like there's no joy to be ascertained from the world, it helps to recall the agony of a stuffy nose -- maybe nothing has meaning and we're all just floating hopelessly through the void, but hey, at least you can breathe in the fresh air, right? It sounds silly, but you'd be amazed how far you can get with some basic appreciation of everyday comforts.
At 1:00 am on a Saturday, when most students were either at the bars, a house party or hanging out with friends, Miami's Capstone Pictures team was outside in below-freezing weather entering their thirteenth hour of filming.
Darkness settled over the Wilks Theater stage aside from a soft light that illuminated a single microphone. Students filled out tickets for various door raffles before taking their seats. Performers wandered upstage for mic-checks, reading bits of poetry and strumming a song's first verse.
The flyer had been irresistible.
On Sunday morning, students, staff and parents gathered in Uptown Park to commemorate the life of former Miami student and Delta Sigma Pi president, Michael Hayes. The mass of purple shirts huddled together and created an atmosphere of camaraderie along High Street. The sun radiated, combating the brisk wind, while the warm feelings of the Delta Sigma Pi family flooded the air.
The line of tweens held tote bags or wicker baskets in one hand. The other hand was for flashlights that flickered on and off with excitement, like race cars revving their engines. This was not an average egg hunt.
Will Ellis took to the stage of Pearson 128 in a striking pair of black high heels. In his unusual apparel, Ellis proceeded to delight his audience with a hilarious rendition of "Ladies Who Lunch" from Stephen Sondheim's "Company," a song originally written for a woman. This was just the beginning of a night of gender bending musical performances.