Haley Zawitoski

CPSA

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On Thursday, April 26th, I attended the final Avengers movie with a group of friends. It was opening night, so we had to get there extra early to secure a good seat. Without any spoilers, this movie wrecked me. I liked that it tied up many different plot lines, even if they were sad at times. To be honest, I don’t know if there was a single dry eye in the audience by the end of the three hour film. Avengers Endgame was epic on all proportions and it would be interesting and helpful to go back and rewatch them to look for hints or foreshadowing to the ultimate film. It was also bittersweet because it is the last marvel film that will feature a cameo by Stan Lee.

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On Friday, April 19th, I went to go see the movie Us in theaters. It is the second horror film that is directed by comedian Jordan Peele, so I was interested to see where he would take this movie. Peele did not fail me, as I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. There was a huge twist at the end that made me rethink the entire movie, and afterwards my friend Kate and I spent the rest of the evening psychoanalyzing and looking up theories to the plot online. It would be interesting to see the movie again to pick up on what I missed the first time. I think I liked this movie better than Get Out, but both are so different that it’s hard to really compare them.

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On Sunday, march 31st, I had the pleasure of attending a high school production of Shrek the musical with some of my friends. It was all in all a good show and it made me nostalgic of my own high school’s drama program! The costumes were very well done and The actor playing Shrek had an accent just like the original. Lord Farquaad was very funny and they even had a giant dragon that they brought onstage.

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On Tuesday, March 5th, I attended a Battle of the Bands event at Stamp. There were 6 bands total that performed, including the one pictured here. One band in particular really caught my attention. They are called Tennis Shoes, and they are very jazzy but with a modern twist. There was a lot of raw talent, between rapping, background vocals, and uncommon instruments like the trumpet and saxophone, along with guitar and drums. I really hope they win, because they will be featured in Art Attack in May as the opener.

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On Thursday, February 7th, I attended a swing dance info session/beginner lesson. (Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture while I was there, so a Facebook notification will have to do.. sorry!) I learned basic steps to West Coast Swing and the Lindy Hop. West coast is a lot more smooth movements, while lindy hop is more bouncy and energetic. I liked both styles and met some nice people, so I think I will be going back again in the upcoming weeks, and maybe bringing my friends along with me!

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On Sunday, December 2nd, I attended a sketch comedy show hosted by the on-campus sketch comedy group Sketchup. I have never seen one of their shows before, but some of my fellow art scholars are in the group, so I thought I would check it out. All in all, it was a really funny show with a lot of relatable humor surrounding UMD culture. There were some scenes that made me cringe, but I think that was the point. I would definitely see one of their shows again!

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Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting the Water, Wind, and Waves Dutch Seascape Painting exhibition in the National Gallery of Art. At first glance, all of the paintings appear to be very similar. However, after looking more closely I realized each artist has a unique portrayal of the Dutch coast. A lot of the paintings displayed stormy settings, while others were more calm depictions. It was a really cool exhibit, and after being in art history this semester, I have found myself better able to understand what I am looking at and develop a deeper appreciation for art as a whole.

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On Friday, November 2nd, a group of friends and I went to see the new Halloween movie. The original from 1978 is my all time favorite horror movie, so I was interested in how the new one would measure up. I realized there was a lot of parallels between this and the original which was really cool to see. I also will forever be spooked by the music, and I think that is a part of what makes it a classic.

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On Thursday, October 11th, I had the opportunity to go see famous comedian Ali Wong for SEE’s annual homecoming comedy show. I had not really heard of Ali Wong before and was there more for my friends than for myself, but I’m glad I stuck around. Wong was very crude and real about her experiences in life. Some of the things she said were eye-opening but very funny nonetheless. She was dynamic and unexpected and very entertaining. Overall it was a lot of fun and i am interested in watching her Netflix specials if I ever have the time!

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On Monday, October 1st, I attended an introductory salsa dance class with a few of my friends. Though I have been dancing for nearly two decades, I have never been exposed to Latin dance styles outside of the Americanized Zumba classes. There was a guest instructor and the event was hosted by the Latin Dance Club. It was a lot of fun and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

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On August 25th, I attended a concert in DC at the Anthem. The band is Beach House, an indie rock group centered out of Baltimore. One of my friends from home is actually related to the guitarist, and she introduced the band to me a few years back. Since then, Beach House has become my favorite band. They have a dreamy, ethereal feel to both their music and their show, and it felt like such a dream to experience it live. It also made me appreciate lighting design And special graphics that go into the performance.

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On Saturday, March 3rd, I was lucky to be able to see Hamilton on Broadway for the second time! It was surreal even the second time being back at Richard Rodgers Theater and seeing new actors bring the roles to life. The show is truly amazing, and it really lives up to the hype. Between the powerful voices, content, catchy music, lighting and set design, it is no wonder it is so hard to get a hold of tickets.

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On March 1st, I went to SEE’s sponsored “Inside the Office” with Angela Kinsey in the Grand Ballroom in Stamp Student Union. It was set up like a talk show, so a girl interviewed Angela about the making of the show The Office. Later, questions were opened up to the audience. It was very cool to learn more about the making of one of my favorite shows.

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On February 24th, 2018, I went to a comedy show at DC Improv to celebrate a friend’s birthday. The headliner was Nimesh Patel, who is best known as a writer for The Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live. There were three other comedians that opened for him. There was a lot of politically and racially charged humor, which makes sense because that is a topic of discussion forever and always. All of the comedians were so calm and composed in front of the crowd, and I can only wish to be that carefree as a public speaker. It was my first comedy show, and overall, I really enjoyed it.

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On Sunday, February 11th, I attended a free dance class at the Clarice. The class was a jazz class and was put on by the Delta Chi Xi dance fraternity and taught by former Arts Scholar Brianna Nelson. Overall the class was challenging but also really fun, and I would definitely take one again!

[haleyzcpsarts-blog]

The Greatest Showman-1/31/18- Last Wednesday, I attended a showing of The Greatest Showman at the local theater in Hyattsville. I had wanted to see it for a long time after hearing so many good things about it, and I was not disappointed. While certain parts of the plot were predictable, I deeply enjoyed the soundtrack. The songs are still stuck inside my head, but I'm not complaining. It was nice to see Zac Efron going back to his earlier days of singing and acting (loved growing up watching High School Musical with him). Overall it was a high quality movie that I would definitely see again!

[haleyzcpsarts-blog]

11/15/17-early screening of Justice League On Wednesday, November 15th, I saw an early screening of Justice League at Hoff Theater on campus. In general, I thought the movie was good, but it wasn't anything special. I still prefer Christian Bale as Batman over Affleck. I thought that the characters were likable and there was plenty of action and a good amount of humor, but it was not worth all the hype in my opinion. To be honest, I have always preferred Marvel movies over D.C. films, because there always seems to be a perfect recipe for action and humor with complex characters.