Semester 3

Arts TRYathlon #1: NextNOW

Silent Disco NextNow Fest By the SEE Organization: The Clarice. September 11, 2025

#music #dance #frinds #art

For this NextNow fest, I decided to go to the Silent Disco with some friends created by the SEE organization. This event was simply listening to three different stations of different genres of music. This included Rap/HipHop, EDM, and as well as a cultural station. When first arriving, my friends and I already caught the vibe of the area. It was fairly dark with colorful lighting surrounding the place instead of the common yellow/white lights. There was also smoke filling up the area. As we were able to receive our headphones, we decided to go through the various stations deciding which one to stay on. We didn’t really know any of the songs that were being played at first so we decided to listen to whatever suited us. As minutes went by, we noticed that the lights were moving around and more people were accumulating around. There was a great amount of people as well as music we knew allowing us to be more interactive. The DJ's present had a great amount of mixes allowing everyone to be lively and hype. Throughout the rest of the night, we were able to dance and sing with new people as well as make new friends. Overall, the silent disco allowed me to come out of my comfort zone. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go at first, however, I am glad I did. A concept that I strengthened while being at the silent disco was socializing. I can keep to myself a lot at times, however, I was able to step out of my comfort zone completely. This event adjusted my concept of art and what counts as art as I didn’t realize that these mixes are a form of art as well as the lighting. This artwork was able to function as a mechanism for building community as individuals were able to sing together, regardless of the station they were on.

Arts TRYathlon #2: Choose Your Own Adventure

The Sincerely, Tour by Kali Uchis Concert: CFG Bank Arena Baltimore, Maryland. September 19, 2025

#concert #live #livemusic #visualart #music #art #kaliuchis #melodies #bridges #queen #beauty

For my own adventure, I decided to go to a concert with a few of my friends. I went to The Sincerely, Tour by Kali Uchis at the CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore. Kali Uchis is a Latin artist that creates R&B, Soul, and Latin music. She also had an opener in which it was the band group Thee Sacred Souls. They are also an R&B/Soul group. As they started off the show, there was a lot of stage lighting. The lights were sort of catching the vibe of the different songs being played. In addition, the lead singer, Josh Lane, was able to interact with the crowd as he went in multiple sections of the arena. This took approximately an hour allowing the audience to prepare for Kali Uchis. As she came out, she had an intro. This included a narration of herself, divine preparation, as well as divine feminine energy. She then comes on stage and starts her set. This set consisted mainly of songs from her latest album “Sincerely,” and as well as songs from both her Spanish albums and her English albums. Throughout the songs, she had different performances for each. For instance, in one of her songs, “I Wish You Roses”, a song about losing a partner, she and her dancers had an intro and ended up having Kali sit on a rose. Also in her song “Diosa” about feminine energy, she had her dancers walk her in on a bed as she sang the song. As noted in Thee Sacred Souls set, the lighting and the songs were corresponding with each other. It was slightly more drastic. For instance, in her song “Speed” she had an intro of flashing lights as well as the sounds of cars moving across the arena. After these performances, the show came to an end. She did have an encore singing three other songs. It then officially ended after that. I enjoyed my experience drastically as Kali Uchis is one of my favorite artists. Also, I really connected to this album as it’s about finding your peace and understanding that life doesn’t end when an obstacle occurs. This hasn’t challenged my definition of art as music is art, however, connecting back to NextNow fest, it has strengthened my understanding considering the lighting and other effects. The artist was able to communicate a message to the audience by creating these performances with each song allowing the crowd to feel connected.

Arts TRYathlon #3: Arts Scholars Event

Sweet StART Scholars Welcome Event: Art Scholars, Bel Air Hall. September 5, 2025

#social #socialevent #art #dance #braceletmaking #painting #fun #artsscholars

For this Arts Scholars event, I decided to go and participate in the Sweet StART Welcome event. This was located in the lounge area of Bel Air Hall as well as outside the hall to receive ice cream. There were three main stations. This included a bracelet making station, canvas painting station, and a dance station. I had the honor to lead the dance station. I decided to teach the chorus of “THIS IS FOR” by the Korean Pop group Twice. I enjoy their music and their choreography and I thought that this song would be a perfect fit for the event. I was able to learn the dance this past summer so it can be easy to teach. I mainly broke down the dance into eight counts, not going too fast, so the participants can catch on easily. I truthfully wasn’t expecting anyone to participate as many individuals either don’t really enjoy participating in dance or just don’t have the confidence to do so. Nonetheless, I was very happy with the outcome as this was my first time teaching a dance. After I finished, I was able to mingle with the other scholars present. I was also able to make a bracelet at the bracelet making station. As the event ended, I was able to reflect and see how we all can come together as a community and get along with each other. This was really great to see. This didn’t alter my definition of art as these forms prove what art is. However, the aspect of community has come into play with altering my definition.

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