Music enthusiasts derived from GRCC The Guitar Quartet is making
its way through the Grand Rapids
area with a twist of passion and
devotion for music. Four musicians are part of the
band that is creating music with an
aptitude for teaching at the same
time. GRCC faculty members Brian
Morris and Jason Werkema, along
with additional musicians Michael
Stockdale and Andrew Bergeron,
compose the Grand Rapids Guitar
Quartet. According to Morris, the band
formed after several years of planning
and was fi nalized to “book
concerts and see who would want to
play.” He said it’s hard to find time
to “devote to the ensemble.” However,
the audience has responded
well so far. Morris, 51, began his journey
because of a love for both rock
and classical music. Although his
immediate family was not musical,
his aunt and uncle were both young
vocalists. Morris began playing the
guitar at 12 years old. Morris said the performances
have been successful due to a loyal
audience. The Guitar Quartet has played
in Grand Rapids, as well as Toronto,
Port Huron, Indiana, other places
around the United States. Morris uses a handmade classical
guitar by Simon Mardi, built in
Australia. He also teaches guitar,
guitar ensemble, music & computers,
and music theory at GRCC.“The music is inspiring to me;
its fantastic and fun,” he said. Starting their second year, The
Guitar Quartet started as strictly
faculty and has later opened to
include other members of the community. Werkema, 36, began playing
acoustic guitar for a church praise
band in junior high school. He is
now chair of the music division at
Grace Bible College and is an adjunct
professor at GRCC. Werkema has played many
shows and has lived in Michigan all
of his life. He fi nds maintaining all
of his priorities a challenging focus.“I made a life-long commitment
to pursue music and have continued
on that path for the last 18 years,”
he said. Werkema performs with his
handmade Hauser guitar by Del
Langejans. “I have had the opportunity to
impact many people through music.
Sharing the joy of music with students
and colleagues and everyone–this is my satisfying purpose,” he
said. Werkema is approachable
towards a student’s musical career
and has faith in their choices.“I ask students early in their
musical careers, ‘How much music
is enough in your life?’ If they
respond ‘It’s everything to us,’ then
I respond, “Then give your music
everything,” he said. Morris also uses strict insight
when focusing on his musical
career. He declares music to be a“holistic endeavor.” Morris primarily has music related
hobbies such as recording.“I learned many years ago that
coordinating the whole was the key
to improving as a musician,” he
said. Werkema has advice for aspiring
musicians.“Discover what it is that brings
you the most satisfaction and pursue
this with all your might,” he
said “Then fi gure a way to support
yourself and make money in the
process,” Werkema and Morris continue as both aspiring musicians and teachers. Their lifestyles prove they are dedicated to their instrumental careers. Bop to the top Family, friends and area performers
heated up the stage displaying
their talents in a benefi t show for
GRCC student, Yessy Gomez. The sub zero weather did not stop
the show at GRCC Spectrum Theatre,
Feb. 10. A crowd of 50 to 60 people
paid an entrance fee of $10.00. The
money is a benefi t to send Gomez to
Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the “So You
Think You Can Dance” audition Mar.
20. “Since she was two years she would
go outside on the grass and dance to
get our attention, she has a dream and
is going to fulfi ll it because she has
heart,” Maria Deleon, Yessy’s mother
said. Yessy started off the show in
prayer. Then the performers “showed
out” as if inspired by the words of
inspiration. “ Dreams aren’t condoned
in this conservative area, were doing
this because everyone has a dream,”
Gomez said. As if the audience had been transported
to New York, the show was a
wide range of quality performances.
Jamal Chilton, a Duke University
graduate, opened with a spiritual song
that set the tone for the whole night.
Javon Vincent, “J-Exclusive”
played the piano while wooing the
crowd with his looks, neo-soul style
and smooth voice. J-Exclusive is only
16 creates his music and lyrics. 61Syx Teknique is considered to
be a real break dance group in Grand
Rapids. The 12-man group geared up in
Adidas jumpsuits and gym shoes awed
the audience with windmills, head
slides, flips and pop locking moves that
we only see in the big cities. Christian,
two year old, showed his skills, which
his handstands tickled the crowd all
night. KAS Jones, a GRCC student raised
in Atlanta, GA where he won three
dance competitions. KAS unique dance
style of clowning (Krumping) entertained
the crowd while performing it
to gospel music. Natalie Gomez, Gomez’s sister, a
professional singer who grew up with
a passion for the arts. She is in her
fourth year of musical theatre, vocal
training and education at GRCC.
Gomez and childhood friend Mallory
Tucker performed for Yessy. Gomez
sang, Orange Colored Sky, while
Tucker danced in a broad way theatrical
fashion to the song. “I’m in awe, Yessy is a completely
different person, if she needs anything
all she has to do is call,” said Tucker.
Gomez, a semi-fi nalist last year on
the show, was sent to Las Vegas for a
fi ve round competition. She made it the
fourth round, which is the top 75 out of
500. Upon being eliminated, Gomez hasn’t given up. Over the last year she has learned different dances such as jazz, belly dancing and break dancing. She changed her eating habits and has lost 77 pounds. She also teaches a cardio and hip-hop class on Friday’s at GRCC’s Spectrum Theatre. She plans to make the benefit an annual show and move it to a bigger venue. The king, damsel and knight Grand Rapids’ DeVos Hall
unlocked the timeless tale of
chivalry, honor, and love in the
Broadway musical “Camelot.” Lerner and Loewe’s
“Camelot,” has been nationally on
tour since September and featured
fim and Broadway star Lou
Diamond Phillips as King Arthur. Many students at GRCC
might not know Philips, but he co-starred
in Young Guns and Young Guns II with
Emilio Estevez and Kiefer Sutherland in
1988 and 1990. The Spanish musical film,“La Bamba,” starred Philips as the lead.
Although he is touring as King Arthur
in Camelot, this is not the fi rst time he’s
entertained in a Broadway Production.
His 1996 Broadway performance as
the lead role in “The King and I” received
multiple awards including a Tony Award
nomination and New York Outer Critics
Circle Award. Arrays of emotions were displayed
through the characters. When King Arthur
was running from the castle world, he sang
humorous song called “I wonder what the
king is doing tonight.” His lyrics captured
the appearance of a king’s life compared
his real life. Philips’ character as King Arthur shed
light on a silly, nervous king, who wanted
to be powerful, yet caring. He has passion
for Queen Guinevere. She captured his
affection before a word was spoken. Rachel de Benedet as Guinevere was
seductive and mischievous throughout
the play. Basically fl irting her way in and
out of every predicament, she was always
caught up in a challenge. In the May dance
scene, she exhibited charisma and more of
a social persona compared to King Arthur.
She danced and sang with the townspeople
with no care about tomorrow. Lancelot was brought into Camelot by
the king himself. He enjoyed his company
and added him as one of his knights of
the round table. His language and
style was stimulating and
desirable, catching
Guinevere’s interest. These three
characters
demonstrated the
struggles of love
and friendship in an
usual scenario. The
man’s best friend
falls for his wife
and the wife is torn between the
two. They both
have such different
qualities which,
when combined,
would be powerful. King Arthur,
although he loves
his wife, he has
an unusual bond
with Lancelot. It
is almost as if his
strengths are his
weaknesses and vice versa.
Lancelot is confident in his fighting
skills, which is one area the king is flawed.
Lancelot seems to fi ght for the right words
to communicate, an area where the king is
vigorous. The two made quite a pair. Entertainment oozed from the arguments and ambiguity amongst the three characters while trying to run a kingdom. Ask the Princess: Fresh starts and hearts Men just do not get it. They may think of Valentine’s Day as
simply a “Hallmark” holiday, but it is not
true for most women. Valentine’s Day is a day where women
expect to be shown affection by their significant other. It is the one-day out of the
year where men have no excuse to be lame.
This is a day designed for women, not
for men. Men get Super Bowl. I think
in about
every store
in the month
of February has
at least one section
in the middle
hot pink fl ashing
lights surrounding
an aisle filled
with treasures
galore. All
men have to
do is go to the
section and it is
simply a matter
of point and
grab a card, box
of chocolate, or
cuddly stuffed animal. Depending on the relationship, a few more steps should
probably occur. I will make it simple for the ladies man, just
because I am nice (and I think women deserve some attention). After three years, hopefully the engagement is in process
or perhaps married. By this time you both know each other
extremely well. All I can say is the more creative and spontaneous
the better. Most likely she is in love with you and
would not handle being let down very well. Make sure the
day is focused on her and that is the golden ticket. Women
might seem hard to please, but really all we want is attention
and affection. Any and all of these suggestions can be altered and adjusted
to fit the personal style of the signifi cant style. Really
all you need is an opened mind to your intuitive creativity
and splurge on the woman. Spend some quality time with her
and you cannot go wrong, unless of course she already does
not like you. Also, if you literally just met, be careful not to creep her
out by bluntly confessing your love to her. She may file for a
restraining order. Happy Valentine’s Day: Love, The Princess A&E Briefs for Feb. 13, 2008 Satisfy her
sweettooth:
Lovin’
Sweetcakes WHATS GOING ON
AT GRCC ON V-DAY AFFORDABLE
VALENTINE IDEAS A stage of controversy In the final performance of St
Ives Saturday night, actors Rebecca
Monterusso and Julianne Howe
brought down the house as tears were
shed and anger ensued. The audience was mainly an
older crowd, however a few students
attended. SVSU
student Forrest
Carroll enjoyed
the performance
right through to
the end. “Full of quick
wit, humor, yet
tragedy and
sadness,” he said. “Great
setting, speech was fl awless, a lot of
practice involved, fearless on stage,”
Carroll said. The play begins with Dr. Cora
Gage, Rebecca Monterusso, having
tea with the African Empress Mary
N’Kame, Julianne Howe. They are at
the house of Dr. Gage
in St. Ives when talk
of healing Mary’s eyes
over tea turns into a
discussion of death. “I want you to help
me kill my son,” said
Mary N’Kame said.
The calm way in
which she makes the request
sends the audience
into hysterics. Her face remained the
same as to explain the death wish. She
loves her son and always will, but she
could not allow people to be killed. Dr. Gage fires back with the
statement that brought controversy
onto the stage and may have been on
other’s minds. He was her son, and she
had to be mad to want to go through
with such a plan. However, the doctor
herself had a son who had been dead
for two years now. Mary N’Kame suggests
that she take out the revenge for
the little boy on her own son and give
her the poison. Finally, in a moment of
internal struggle, the doctor hands itover. Terri Beckner and Shawn Jones,
a couple from the surrounding area
enjoyed the play and were pleasantly
surprised. “Surprisingly funny, extremely
thought provoking, great music,”
Beckner said. “Excellent play, we would have
already left if it wasn’t,” Jones said.
The fi nal act brings more than one
surprise. Dr. Cora has been spending
six months trying to work on the case
of Mary N’Kame, in hopes to free the
woman of her death sentence. She
had killed her son and now was under
house arrest. Finally, after she was in the
country, Dr. Cora tried to convince
N’Kame to come with her to escape.
She just has to confess to sending a
few people to death. That sparks anger
in the other woman, for she did not kill
anyone, that is but her son. She refuses
to leave, much to Dr. Cora’s dismay
because of guilt involving the murder. The play ends in the same way it
began, over tea.
However, what it left for the audience
was more than just a story. The
play inspired and entertained the audience. Janis Murray, another member from Grand Rapids area had nothing but positive feedback. “Certainly humors, but it angered me and embarrassed me, I saw my own discrimination, pre-conceived notions of other cultures or hardships of other people.” Big Foot commits suicide While Strange Wilderness was raunchy and somewhat
inappropriate, it had quite a few
parts that just about made you
laugh until you cried. Steven Zahn plays the son
of a wildlife show host. When
his father dies, Peter Gaulke
the pothead son, and his friends
take over the show. After years
of failure, 3 am showing times,
and competition with the more
experienced wildlife show host Pierson and his
crew; Peter and his crew are threatened with the
cancelation of the show. This forces them to take
drastic measures in hopes of saving the show. After an old friend shows Peter pictures of Big
Foot, Peter and the crew pack up and
head off to Costa Rica in hopes of filming
Big Foot and saving the show. While on
their adventure they encounter several
outrageous obstacles. Problems ranging
from sharks, piranhas, and killer tribes
in the forest set back their trip to Costa
Rica. From the opening credits to the
predictable end was filled with the same
kind of jokes that you would expect from
this cast. From drugs to personal injuries,
this movie is fi lled with moments when
you aren’t sure whether to laugh or be
sick. Without a doubt, many of the comical
parts were funny enough to keep you
laughing during the repulsive scenes of
this short fi lm. The movie had quite the
shallow plot which caused it to jump
from raunchy to funny and then back
to raunchy, leaving the movie lacking
substance. Fans of movies such as Superbad,
Grandma’s Boy and Hot Rod would
find this fi lm to their liking. For a
viewer who enjoys movies with a
deep plot or a point to the movie, this
may not be the one for you. Although
they are set in different places and
with different circumstances, the jokes
and underlying themes seem quite
similar. Overall, I would say that the
movie was funny, gross and pointless
but worth the laugh, I got out of it at the end. It is
not something I would spend the $7.50 to see again,
or buy when it comes out, but if you are looking
to laugh, be sick or just do something purely for
entertainment, this is something for you. Speak Out! Have something to say? Sound off to The Collegiate at grcc_collegiate@yahoo.com for your tips or views on the current news, sports, arts & entertainment and opinion. |
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