"Dance is such an ephemeral art form," says GCC Professor Sharon Arslanian. "Once it's performed, it's no longer there unless it's recorded or documented in some way."
It has become her passion. Throughout her career, Arslanian, who is coordinator of the dance department at Greenfield Community College, has undertaken to document great contemporary dances and choreographers before they're gone. Her first effort, "Scientific Rhythm," chronicles the career and dance style of Eddie Brown, one of the classic African-American rhythm tap dancers of the 1930s and '40s. "Eddie Brown is no longer alive," says Arslanian, who produced the documentary as her master's thesis at the University of California, "and 'Scientific Rhythm' is the only video that documents his style of dance. So it's an important piece of work in tap dance history."
Arslanian has mastered the nuts-and-bolts of video production by doing it: conducting interviews, writing and editing scripts, operating the camera, and " a lot of help from people," she says. It's a process of trial and a lot of errors, but I feel that each one of them makes a contribution in its own way."
"The Enduring Essence," for example, records the dances of Isadora Duncan as they were taught by Gemze de Lappe, a professor at Smith College. Then there's another tap dance video, "Two Takes on Tap," exploring the choreographic output of two contemporary women tap dancers: Brenda Busalino and Lynn Dally. "Both of these women were creators and directors of tap dance companies which are still performing all over," says Arslanian, who uses this video to expose her students to the contributions of women tap dancers. "Tap dance traditionally was a field that was very dominated by men, so it's important for them to see that women have made these contributions. Actually, women have been tap dancing for many years, but they have been slightly ignored in terms of the historical record."
Arslanian's latest project, "Sacred Choreographies of Cuba and Haiti," was produced in collaboration with Dr. Yvonne Daniel of Smith College, a world-renowned expert and author of a book on Caribbean dances.
"These were dances that were brought with the African people to the Americas and they've continued to maintain this African tradition of 'danced religion,'" says Arslanian, who expects to use this video as part of her dance and culture class. "Dance is another way to understand a culture."
Video production is expensive, so financing is usually the first hurdle to clear in any project. "Sacred Choreographies" was made possible by a grant from Smith College. The finished product is being promoted and distributed by Insight Media, a major video distribution company.
Producing dance videos on top of a demanding career of teaching and coordinating a highly regarded community college dance department is a huge achievement, but Arslanian regards it as part of her work. "My passion is to teach about the history of dance. It's a matter of documentation of these dances so that they're preserved and passed on."
Alan Chartock, president and CEO of WAMC Northeast Public Radio and professor emeritus at the University of Albany, is the guest speaker for the fourth annual Henry Steele Commager Lecture Series on Nov. 2nd in Stinchfield Hall at Greenfield Community College. The event, which is sponsored by the Greenfield Community College Foundation, takes place from noon to 1 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
Dr. Chartock will present "An Exploration of Public Radio as an Inquiry into the State of our Democracy."
"Obviously, there are two major strains of contemporary radio," says Chartock. "One of them is commercial radio and the other is the public radio phenomena that has grown in this country. Commercial radio is, in fact, losing listeners and public radio is growing. Part of the talk will be to explore why that is. But it will also deal with the politics of public radio. We had the ill-fated remarks of Kenneth Y. Tomlinson of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, who all of a sudden began to talk about the Corporation for Public Broadcasting being an arbiter of what was acceptable on the air and what was not. What I make of that remark, and that's what the speech will be about, is why, all of a sudden, the White House, clearly, and the Republican establishment, decided that it was time to 'scare the hell' out of public radio in order to manipulate them into being less balanced than we have always been.
"What's at stake is the principle of uncensored media."
Chartock suggests that this topic is particularly appropriate for a lecture dedicated to the memory of historian Henry Steele Commager because "he was a pilgrim with a light and he believed in uncensored truth. In my mind," says Chartock, "a scholar of his ilk would be proud of the course that public radio is taking."
Dr. Alan Chartock is also executive publisher of the Legislative Gazette, the newspaper of state government. He hosts the weekly Capitol Connection series, heard on public radio stations around New York. The program, for almost twelve years, highlighted interviews with Governor Mario Cuomo and now continues with conversations with state political leaders. Dr. Chartock appears each week on The Media Project on WAMC and offers commentary on other WAMC programs such as Midday Magazine. He is executive producer of WAMC's National Programming. His syndicated column on politics appears in newspapers throughout New York state. A second column, I Publius, appears in The Berkshire Eagle each Saturday.
He is a long-time proponent of community colleges. "I have always believed that community colleges are the single most interesting and important part of contemporary education," says Chartock, "and I say that because they offer the one thing that so many colleges and universities do not, and that is access. I'm a great believer that, if America is to stay strong and great, it truly has to be a place of equal opportunity. I can't think of anything that provides that kind of opportunity and entrance into a place of economic security and promotion than our community colleges.
"Everything I do goes to a single place," continues Chartock, "and that is education. It all comes down to trying to explain the way in which the system works and how people can have access to it."
"It's not about me, it's about the subject." -- Peter MacDonald
Talk to Recorder Staff Photographer Peter MacDonald (GCC '73) about his work and that axiom comes up repeatedly, like a mantra: "It's not about me, it's about the subject. It's about photographing people and making them matter." It's the philosophy behind numerous award-winning photographs which MacDonald has taken over the years, including his latest, titled " Drawing from Life," which was the winning entry in the portrait or profile class in this year's New England Associated Press contest.
The image depicts an artist in front of a large, charcoal self-portrait, her stance echoing her pose in the self-portrait. "I positioned her to mirror the effect of what she was doing in the portrait," says MacDonald. "So when you look at the photograph, there's the girl--the artist--and behind her is the image--the art--and they're both one and the same." The A.P. judges described the award-winning result this way: "Great composition; eye-catching; not the same-old, same-old way to shoot an artist and their work."
"It's not about the photograph, it's about the subject," repeats MacDonald, who has been taking photographs full time for The Recorder since Chuck Blake retired in 1990. ("I did not fill his shoes," notes MacDonald. "I just took over from somebody who had retired, and I've been there ever since.")
Given that newspaper work is not highly remunerative, it's definitely a labor of love.
"There are any number of challenges out in the field," explains MacDonald. "There's the elements, the weather. If you're trying to photograph a sporting event (in bad weather), you have to protect your equipment, but you have to get the results."
And then there are the gut-wrenching images of accidents and devastation that photographers are called upon to document. Recently, MacDonald took pictures of the flood aftermath. "What you're dealing with is people trying to pick up the pieces," says MacDonald. "At Wedgewood Gardens, their home basically is gone. They're dealing with rotten meat, they're dealing with, 'Oh, my God, I've lost everything I own. I need my car and it's been under 6 feet of water for so long that I can't salvage it.' That kind of thing."
On the other hand, MacDonald treasures the opportunities to record the triumphs and travails of young athletes.
"When I take the photograph of a kid, an athlete, and he has scored a touchdown, that could be the ultimate pinnacle of his athletic career," says MacDonald. "So I photograph these kids as if I were photographing for Sports Illustrated."
MacDonald graduated from Greenfield Community College in 1973. It was the year of no graduation, he recalls. Anti-war sentiment and other unrest prompted the student body to forego the ceremony. "So they just mailed our diplomas to us." MacDonald's military career was in Army Intelligence, where he incidentally honed the photography skills that eventually led him to The Recorder.
"As a photographer, when you're taking images, it's not about you, it's not about your equipment, it's about the final results," says MacDonald. "I love my job (because) I make a difference."
College testing center boasts 3rd highest pass rate in the state for GED students
"GED is our largest feeder to GCC. It is important that we make their transition to the College a strong one," said Greenfield Community College President Robert L. Pura at Monday's meeting of trustees, who informed trustees that the number of test-takers for the General Educational Development (GED) diploma is increasing every year.
GCC's strong commitment to GED graduates was symbolized by a gala commencement ceremony hosted by the College on Oct. 6 for more than 70 GED graduates, ages 16 through 63, and their families. Testing Center Coordinator Jean Boucias, who is the GED Chief Examiner, helped coordinate the community-wide celebration of their achievement.
"People work very hard to earn their GED," Boucias told trustees. "It's a great achievement and we wanted to celebrate that." Boucias noted that their 83 percent passing rate at the GCC Testing Center is the third highest for a community college in the state.
Bernardston resident Anita Morris, who graduated along with her granddaughter, told trustees what the diploma has meant to her. "It just changed my whole outlook on life," said Morris, who now enjoys an office job which she wouldn't have been qualified to apply for, or had the courage to apply for, before earning her GED. "I love my job," says Morris. "I dared to do this and it's so much fun learning new things. You have to keep pushing forward."
In his report to trustees, President Pura noted progress by the legislature toward honoring a contract signed by then-Governor Jane Swift for faculty/staff pay increases at state and community colleges. Pura indicated that Governor Romney has submitted legislation in support of the contract.
President Pura thanked Harry Gaines, director of physical plant, for his role in the successful completion of the second phase of the college's three-part renovation project. "Harry has been 'a rock' for GCC," said Pura. The campus's south wing opened just in time for the beginning of classes in September. Gaines called the multi-year project "a labor of love and a team effort (with Dean of Academic Affairs Richard Hillier)."
"The work that Harry does every day behind the scenes is transparent," replied Hillier. "You can only see it by the outstanding quality of the results."
Alumni Association representative Sandra Sayers updated trustees on activities that include a new Web site for the alumni association, set to be launched by January, a mentoring program with a local high school, an on-going survey of GCC alumni in the workplace, and a call for nominations for the GCC Foundation's annual award to a Distinguished Alumnus. Submissions may be made to the GCC Foundation at 270 Main St., attention Elise Rice.
Reporting for the Academic Affairs Committee, trustee Patricia Crosson informed the board of four new full-time hires, the development of new online distance learning courses, the creation by faculty of six interdisciplinary learning communities, and in-depth reviews of several academic programs, including criminal justice, massage therapy, and the English for Speakers of Other Languages department.
For more information, please call the Office of the President at (413) 775-1410.
Greenfield Community College invites nominations for the "Living the Dream" Award, honoring individuals who have carried on the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in their community, and for the "Bright Lights" awards recognizing young people who espouse the ideals of peace and justice in their lives.
Nominations should be made in the form of a letter to President Robert L. Pura at Greenfield Community College, One College Drive, Greenfield, MA 01301. The deadline for nominations is Friday, December 2nd.
A selection committee will work with Dr. Pura in naming the successful recipients, who will be honored at a community event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 17th, 2006.
For more information, please call Herb Hentz at (413) 775-1809.
Greenfield Community College | One College Drive | Greenfield, MA 01301-5129 | (413) 775-1000 (tel) | (413) 775-5129 (fax)