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Emily Ma

A&E 3/8/22 11:08pm

Senior Spotlight: Grace Vincent discusses artistic performance through her own lens

By Emily Ma

Grace Vincent may be a natural entertainer. As soon as she could walk and talk, she was drawn to the world of stage performance, and, over the years, she flourished into an accomplished ballet dancer and thespian. Vincent’s love for the performing arts led her to pursue filmmaking and dance theater at Rice, with the ultimate goal of crafting meaningful stories for her audience. 

A&E 1/18/22 11:21pm

Black Art at Rice: Talking with one-man band David Ikejiani

By Emily Ma

David Ikejiani, a Duncan College senior, is a one-man band — he sings, plays instruments from the saxophone to the ukulele, and writes his own music. On top of all this, he has also forged his own community of fellow musicians and artists in the Rice Music Collective and works tirelessly to ensure that students can come together in a shared creative space. He reflects upon his own musical journey, the challenges he has faced in balancing rigorous academics with music and his advice for other Black students to find support and community. Ikejani is currently working on releasing an EP.

A&E 8/24/21 11:16pm

Rice Dance Theatre revamps their routine

By Emily Ma

The fall of 2021 marks the first semester in which Rice Dance Theatre will have professional dance teachers leading every class. Founded in 1970, RDT is the only organization on campus that trains students in modern dance technique and choreography.

A&E 3/9/21 10:12pm

Black Art at Rice: A Conversation With Milkessa Gaga

By Emily Ma

Milkessa Gaga (Martel College ’22) challenges norms within the realm of Japanese art by creating manga as a Black artist. Drawing inspiration from comics such as “Naruto,” “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” and “My Hero Academia,” he constantly integrates new techniques to refine his artistic style, and often shares his work on Instagram (@avantgaga). Unfortunately, because of the lack of Black creators in this field, manga and anime often depict Black characters with racist stereotypes. As a result, Gaga is passionate about uplifting other Black artists and hopes to someday create his own comics to reimagine manga in the image of Blackness. 

A&E 2/2/21 10:06pm

Le Boeuf en Concert: a Moo-sical and Artistic Adventure

By Emily Ma

An avant-garde multimedia film project created by McMurtry College sophomore Connor Chaikowsky and Martel College sophomore Ling DeBellis, “Le Boeuf en Concert'' is an intersection of classic Soviet cinema and Latin American music and artwork. The project weaves together Chaikowsky’s violin performance of the piece “Circus Fantasy'' with DeBellis’ artistic rendering of the 1936 film “Circus.” It will also feature pieces commissioned by Rice University composers alongside artwork from the Houston art gallery Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino. “Le Boeuf en Concert'' will stream on A440.live on Feb. 12 and 13. 

A&E 11/3/20 9:54pm

Black Art at Rice: A Conversation with Chelsea Sharpe

By Emily Ma

From performing for world-renowned classical musicians to recording music for Kanye West and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Shepherd School of Music alumna Chelsea Sharpe (Lovett College ’15) has done it all. As she reflects upon key experiences and lessons that have shaped her journey to becoming a professional violinist, Sharpe offers her perspective on the role of music in politics, representation and empowerment. She is currently a fellow at the prestigious New World Symphony Orchestra and works remotely with students from Medellín, Colombia as part of an educational outreach program.  

A&E 10/13/20 10:49pm

Student dancers leap into new challenges but keep momentum

By Emily Ma

Dancers across Rice campus are facing an unfamiliar set of obstacles as they shift online for the fall semester. COVID-19 restrictions may have brought regular rehearsals and performances to a halt, but Rice’s student dance organizations refuse to let these challenges deter them from doing what they love.  

A&E 9/22/20 11:22pm

Bakerites channel anxieties into art in new exhibit, “PANDEMIA”

By Emily Ma

Any other year, Baker College’s P-Quad would be bustling with people gathering to eat, study, and socialize. COVID-19 restrictions this semester have subdued some of that energy, but recently, students and faculty across Rice have been flocking there for an unexpected reason. For the next month, P-Quad will be home to PANDEMIA: an outdoor art exhibit featuring students’ perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic.  

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