Category: Life & Arts
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Color, intricate details paint the scenes of holiday film
“The Book of Life” takes viewers on a spiritual journey through three visually astounding worlds to spread a message of self-determination for young viewers. The new animated film, written and directed by Jorge Gutierrez, is an interesting and original take on the Mexican celebration of The Day of the Dead. Although it’s targeting a younger…
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Modern form, fluid movements, strong storylines Saba’s signature
Michele Hanlon and Monica Saba had worked together in the Dancers Unlimited Repertoire, a dance company in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, for a couple of years. When a position to teach opened up at UTD in the spring of 1995, Hanlon, already an instructor at UTD, brought Saba in to be a dance professor alongside…
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Twenty years in, first dance prof proud of progress
Michele Hanlon’s first solo performance was a strange experience. She was dancing in a piece composed by a graduate student at the University of Arizona as part of her bachelor’s degree in dance. She started with her back to the audience and turned as the music started. She then promptly forgot the rest of the…
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The Art of Dance
It has been 20 years since the start of the dance program at UTD, and this year’s fall dance performance, “Score,” will commemorate the program’s success in the last two decades. Choreographed by three dance instructors, the dances are primarily contemporary style with one tap dance piece by lecturer Misty Owens. Each dance tells a…
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LGBT History Month 2014
Created in 1994, LGBT History Month celebrates the achievements of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) individuals. Unfortunately, the LGBT community faces exclusion from history education in many nations worldwide. Equality Forum, a nonprofit organization that helps advocated LGBT civil rights through education, is one of the largest proponents of LGBT History Month. Each year, Equality Forum selects…
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Graduate students display final art projects
Three UTD employees are finishing up their art degrees with the final display of their thesis artwork in a show called Reflex Soul, which opened to a large crowd Sept. 26 in the Visual Arts Building. Reflex Soul is an exhibition of a final semester of work, including photographs, sculptures and videos from humanities doctoral…
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Student starts nonprofit to help underprivileged youth
A student turned a small volunteer opportunity into a full-scale non-profit organization for underprivileged children. Rebecca Tjahja, a finance and information technology management freshman, was inspired to start her own nonprofit after serving in her church’s goodwill program, Motel Ministry, in Anaheim, Calif. This is where she realized the widespread, adverse living situations of low-income…
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Director shares stories of women’s rights struggle
When she was 9 years old, Jennifer Lee didn’t just hear about the women’s liberation movement in New York; she lived it. “The women’s movement was happening, and you absorbed it,” Lee said. “The feeling of that movement was one of incredible promise and joy.” Three decades later in 2004, she began a 10-year-long project…
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Band of Brothers
Students from UTD, UTA form indie rock outfit Duo Contra, sign with record label to release debut album Duo Contra, an alternative and indie rock band, performed for students Oct. 1 on The Plinth. The band started less than a year ago and consists of three UTD students and a UT Arlington student, who combine…
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‘Satellites’ show focuses on themes of communication
As a current guest of the UTD artists’ residency at CentralTrak, it goes without saying that Christopher Blay is someone to watch. At CentralTrak, Blay was able to create his show “Satellites,” which ran from Aug. 23 to Sept. 20. Made from easily accessible materials like car windshield covers, mylar, umbrellas and camera tripods, “Satellites”…