Archives for July 2011

For the past 11 years my passion for dance, has led me to see numerous companies perform through out New York City. However, from a young age I have found ballet to be most enticing compared to other genres. With manhattan housing two world renown ballet companies American Ballet Theater and New York City Ballet, one may be uncertain when having to pick a favorite. However, Since my first viewings of the Nutcracker and Swan Lake at an early age, I have been entranced by the striking beauty and grace possessed by the New York City Ballet dancers. Since the conclusion of the New York City Ballet 2010-2011 season, I have long awaited to receive their new program schedule for the upcoming 2011-2012 season. Its pages overlayed with veteran soloists and principal dancers such as Rebecca Krohn, Ana Sophia Scheller, Sara Mearns, Robert Fairchild, Amar Ramasar, Benjamin Millepied and many more. This season has a promising future featuring four world premiering ballets, one NYCB premier and three commissioned scores including Ocean’s Kingdom, featuring the music of Sir Paul McCartney. Despite these delightful new addtions I personally look forward to George Balenchine’s Jewels, a childhood favorite. Inspired by a trip made my Balenchine to Van Cleef and Arpels, the dancers gracefully glide across the stage to scores of Stravinsky and Tschiakovsky. Their costumes coated in Emeralds, Rubies, and diamonds mesmerize the audience, reflecting Balenchine’s regal Russian heritage. Rest assured that I will be a regular visitor of the Koch Theater (the home of NYCB) to see other favorites including The Four Tempermants, Concerto Barocco, Apollo, Romeo and Juliet, and of course the annual Nutcracker. 

    For the past 11 years, my passion for dance has led me to see numerous companies perform through out New York City. However, from a young age I have found ballet to be the most enticing compared to other genres. With Manhattan housing the two world renown ballet companies American Ballet Theater and New York City Ballet, one may be uncertain when having to pick a favorite. However, Since watching my first performances of the Nutcracker and Swan Lake at an early age, I have been entranced by the striking beauty and grace possessed by the New York City Ballet dancers. 
    Since the conclusion of the New York City Ballet 2010-2011 season, I have patiently waited to receive their new program schedule for the upcoming 2011-2012 season. Its pages are overlayed with veteran soloists and principal dancers such as Rebecca Krohn, Ana Sophia Scheller, Sara Mearns, Robert Fairchild, Amar Ramasar, Benjamin Millepied and many more. This season has a promising future. This season is featuring four world premiering ballets, one NYCB premier, and three commissioned scores including Ocean’s Kingdom, featuring the music of Sir Paul McCartney. 
    Despite these delightful new additions, I personally look forward to George Balenchine’s Jewels, a childhood favorite. Inspired by a trip made my Balenchine to Van Cleef and Arpels, the dancers gracefully glide across the stage to scores of Stravinsky and Tschiakovsky. Their costumes coated in Emeralds, Rubies, and diamonds mesmerize the audience, reflecting Balenchine’s regal Russian heritage. Rest assure that I will be a regular visitor of the Koch Theater (the home of NYCB) to see other favorites, including The Four Temperaments, Concerto Barocco, Apollo, Romeo and Juliet, and of course the annual Nutcracker. Even if you are not a dancer yourself, I highly recommend going to any of NYCB’s performances, because they are guaranteed to leave you eternally enchanted.

I know I should be mad, furious, and disgusted by the look of John. The nerve of him to live under the same roof as his family without confessing to anything after the despicable act he has committed with Abigail Williams. If his meetings with Abigail were nothing, then why hasn’t he mentioned them to me? I know I am not able to be the perfect wife to him, but by doing so he has placed me in an all time low. He has committed adultery in the eyes of society.
     However, John is not only at fault. I believe doing such an act was a mutual decision, therefore Abigail cannot be viewed as a child. Is he the only man in all of Salem that caught Abigail’s eyes? I beg to differ. I trusted her and this is what she gave me in return. She had permanently created a rift in my marriage, a rift that most likely will never be repaired. Why commit the sin when you know there are clearly consequences for your actions? Why commit the sin when there’s nothing to gain from it in the future? Why be selfish and ruin the lives of others? All these questions are bundled inside, but I cannot ignore the sinking feeling inside my chest. I feel alone, despite being amongst others. I clearly understand what’s going on. My conscience tells me to follow the facts, while my heart tells me something else. Facing the truth is hard enough, let alone reality. This pain is unbearable. However, I cannot reveal what is in my heart to anyone. No, I must put on a brave face for others and more importantly for myself. I must take the right action, because I need to think about my children as well. They shall not feel the burden their father has placed on the family. If anyone has to regret it, it will be John. 

Micaela Siegel is a 16- year- old girl from Roosevelt Island. She attends the New York City Lab School and has been passionate about dance for 10 years. For lunch she enjoys exploring the Chelsea Market and seeking what delectable food is available. An interesting fact about Micaela is that her godfather is is the Chancellor of CUNY. She enjoys musicals and her favorite musical is Moulin Rouge featuring her favorite actor, Ewan McGregor. Her favorite sport to watch is ice hockey – she’s a huge rangers fan. She has a step brother and sister, and a half brother. She maintains an A- average even with her busy schedule. She loves clothes and her favorite place to shop is Urban Outfitters.

    The South AsianYouth Action community center is really a worthwhile place to spend time at. I recommend joining SAYA to anyone who has yet to sign up for it’s extracurricular activities. Located at 54-05 Seabury Street, SAYA offers West Indian dance, SAT test prep, a leadership program, basketball, Bollywood film club, volleyball, hip-hop literacy 101, a college prep program, piano lessons, a book club, and cricket club. I joined the cricket club because it prepares members for the upcoming varsity cricket season. 
    The first day of Cricket Club, I was nervous because I had no idea how to play cricket. My ignorance of this sport is largely due to the fact that cricket is in its infancy stage in the United States, despite being played in nearly every former British colony. Luckily,the instructors were high school students and were tolerant of our novice mistakes. They realized that we were new to the sport and started with the complete basics: catching and throwing the ball. After about an hour of this rudimentary exercise, we finally got the chance to bat. Hitting the ball itself is pretty easy, but holding the bat right in preparation for hitting is a hassle. 
    First, you have to stand parallel to the wicket with bent knees. Then, you have to grip the handle of the bat with the non-dominant hand (keeping the elbow completely straight) on top of the dominant hand (bent slightly). The bat must then touch the ground slightly with the flat side facing the bowler (somewhat like a pitcher). Lastly, one must visually follow the ball and then slightly push the bat with the dominant hand as soon as the ball makes contact. If hit with the right amount of force, the ball can go out of the park, and could result into 6 runs (the greatest number of points that can be scored from a single hit).  

    I had no idea that I would enjoy Broadway shows until the age of 12, when my mentor took me to see” Hairspray.” Not only was Hairspray my  first Broadway show, but it was also my first musical. I could not contain the happiness I felt after I got a close view of the performance.The stage, the actors, and  the Broadway story  is such a magnificent thing to see. The one thing that runs through my mind after I see a Broadway show is wondering how can the actors do this two or three times a day, everyday, throughout the year so flawlessly?  I’m amazed at how each actor is able to portray the same character every time, and memorize lines.
    I have a sweet spot for theater. I think it’s a great way to express yourself. I think Broadway is a great example of this. So many stories are told, and so many songs are sang. There are so many shows to chose from in New York, and being in the center of it all is amazing. I think that  there is a Broadway show for everyone. 
    Out of all the Broadway shows that I have seen, my favorite has to be “War Horse.” I seen “War Horse” on a school trip with my English honors class a few months ago, and it was amazing. It was a wonderful experience. I am so grateful that I have seen “War Horse”, because it has been recognizde by so many people, including the Tony Awards ,and now it’s very  hard to see. 
    I always love going to Broadway shows, and everytime I have the chance to see one is a great experience. Hopefully, if I’m lucky, I can finally see “The Lion King” or “Wicked.” These are two of the Broadway shows I’m dying to see.

    I am reading Tim Tebow’s new book “Through My Eyes”, which is about good and frustrating moments that happen while growing up in the Tebow household. Tim is the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, and grew up in a Christan household. Since his father is a minister, he grew up with many lessons from God. Tebow reveals his favorite lessons in his book. The one that stood out to me the most was Proverbs 27:2, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” This stood out to me, because lately I have been praising myself for getting work done. I feel like everyone, including myself, should praise themselves. We have all worked very hard to reach a certain goal, so why not show off? I like praising myself because it feels good knowing that I have gave it my all and the outcome was great. Whenever I praise myself, people always join in, so I think it is fine. What if another person doesn’t praise you? Then it should be fine to give the person a little hint so you can get a little praising. Also, for me, it makes me feel more confident about the choices I had made. 

Others may agree with proverbs 27:2, because they may love it when people come up to them without saying a word, and telling them how proud they are of them. Tim Tebow likes this saying, “It was a great lesson for us toward living our lives with a humble spirit, a lesson we needed to learn and continue to work on. Our parents certainly have always lived their lives with humility” (Tebow 14). I like to believe that I have a humble spirit and one of these days it might actually come true.

Taylor Woods is a 17-year-old rising senior from Rosedale,Queens. She attends American Sign Language High School, where she learned to sign during her freshman year. Although Taylor holds a passion for writing, she aspires to become a professional photographer. Her favorite hobbies include shopping, social networking, traveling and partying. Her most prized possession in her closet is her Gucci bag, which is something she cannot live without. This free-spirited teen says her most embarrassing moment occurred when she was in the train station, and pennies fell out of her shoe in front of a large group of boys. Taylor says that her reason behind writing is to relieve stress and get out all of her feelings. Although she does not know if the career of journalism is for her, she knows it is something that will always be a part of her life.

Ethan Barnes, is a 17-year old from the Upper East Side. He attends the IInstitute for Collaborative Education where he is a rising senior. He has won ten medals in high school  policy debate and has played baseball for nine years. He has a passion for hip-hop music and dubstep is his guilty pleasure. He has a love for mafia movies, especially Godfather 2.