FMX211/DeCurtis/Roundtree

    When I was younger I saw a production of A Christmas Carol in NYC, and while I don't remember specific details about the set, cast, and costumes, I remember the feeling brought by the environment. The anticipation as my family made our way to the seats and then the growing tension prior to the start of the show. The way each of the cast members so whole-heartedly played their parts filled me with a sense of inspiration. The unity brought about through the audience experiencing the story and the performers telling it. I found that to be a beautiful thing.    Angel de Quinta's Stage Door blog provides a look at some of the best broadway plays and performances to date. Of the excerpts available I took interest in the performances of Hair, Grease, and Sunset Boulevard. In Hair, the 60s vibe is clearly present through the costuming of the cast along with the songs they sing. They sing of astrological connections and the power of love. The movements of the cast are ...

Nicholas DeCurtis Art & Technology Professor Roundtree 23 September, 2018 The Barber of Seville - Gioachino Rossini (1816) In 1816, Gioachino Rossini composed his version of the story that was originally written as a play nearly one-hundred years earlier by Frenchman Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais under the title “Le Barbier de Séville ou La Précaution Inutile”. The four-part play was the perfect libretto to later be adapted into an opera by Italian composer Giovanni Paisiello in 1782. Yet Rossini’s composition of the opera in 1816 for an Italian arts festival became the one that has been reproduced and adored for hundreds of years. The Barber of Seville is a comic opera that tells the story of two lovers separated by circumstance and how through their passion for each other along with the assistance of a friend they are able to thwart opposition and be together at last. Figaro, the “jack-of-all-trades” works to help the hopeless romantic Count Almaviva who see...

       Pjotr Sapegin's claymation film adaptation of Madama Butterfly tells a tale of misplaced love, hope, and commitment. The American sailor and Japanese woman are from two very different cultures, but they are caught up in the passions of "love". This is clearly shown in the first few minutes of the animation as they share pieces of each other through music, laughter, and love-making. The literal butterfly seen in the piece symbolizes her unwavering love and commitment to the sailor whom she believes loves her reciprocally. She believes that the sailor is pledging himself to her as he gives her his hat and gramophone to her prior to his departure. But there is something else he has given her that she is unaware of until after he has gone.        Madama Butterfly remains on the island, gazing out to sea, awaiting the return of the man she believes loves her. The butterfly leaves with the sailor, symbolizing again her dedication. Upon discove...

Reaction to CREATIVITY              Raul Cuero's interview on creativity provides insight to the mind of a man with a truly inspiring story. He was born into a poor class Colombian family, experienced true poverty. During the interview he recalls "playing with the cockroaches" for entertainment. He pointed out he specifically targeted the lone ones. Then his experiences with racism, prejudice, and societal norms as he grew up. Yet all of these obstacles inspired him. He saw them simply as challenges to overcome through the power of creativity. Through originality. Actively engaging with the world through one's observations, interactions, and experiences; always seeking to further knowledge and understanding.               Cuero focuses at one point in the interview on people's expectations and while it saddened him it merely drove him to shatter those expectations. He did this through his intellectual ...

       Hello my name is Nick DeCurtis. I am from New Jersey and I enjoy skating, climbing, hiking, camping, and outdoor activities. I am pursuing my BFA in Film and Media Arts and would like a career as a cinematographer or editor. I am inspired by the productions of National Geographic, the Discovery channel, and the History channel. I've always been interested in exploring uncharted and unknown places, and would love to be able to document some of our world's natural treasures.       Nevertheless, I am also interested in fictional television and movie production, so I would be more than happy working on studio productions. The power of motion picture's ability to capture a story, event, or place in time for everyone to see is truly magnificent to me, and with digital technology always advancing the possibilities are endless. Art is such an instrumental part of people's cultural, personal, and communal identities, and we would be nowhere without it. ...