Browsing: Arts and Life

On Diadeloso in 1996, Baylor hosted its first on-campus dance, forever lifting a ban on dancing at the largest Baptist university in the world.

Now nearly 17 years later, students dance to the beat of their own drum by the hundreds in banana suits, sombreros, Speedos and other costumes.

When I saw this necklace on Etsy, I immediately wanted one, but I was not going to pay $75 no matter how much it was calling my name. So I Googled the name hoping to find some instructions on how to make one for myself. I found a YouTube video with step-by-step instructions. The YouTube video explains this DIY the best, but I’ve tried my best to write out the steps and include what I did differently.

As part of a broader gun control plan he announced last month, President Obama said he will push Congress to fund research into the causes of gun violence – including, potentially, the role of entertainment.

Researchers have been tackling the subject of links between violent entertainment and violent behavior for years, often coming to divergent conclusions.

Baylor University’s School of Music will be hosting its 19th Annual Midwinter Organ Conference which started Thursday and ends Saturday at various locations throughout Baylor campus.

The conference, which chooses to focus on the younger generation of organists, will feature many new rising stars in the organ community like Stephen Buzard and David Baskyfield, who are both award winning, young organists.

If you have ever passed by Common Grounds, odds are that you have heard Savion Wright singing. Wright, a junior from Jasper, is a multi-talented musician and singer who said he has always had music in his life.

“Music is a big part of my family,” Wright said. “All of my brothers and sisters sing and play at least one instrument. I kind of had to outdo them all and play every instrument that they played plus one more.”

Nothing consumes and defines Baylor life in the spring semester so much as All-University Sing, a marathon of Broadway-style shows put on by Sing Alliance, Baylor Chamber of Commerce and various Greek organizations every year in front of family and alumni from all over the country as part of a 61-year tradition.

When the curtain rises, all the audience sees is the glare of stage lights against dramatic make-up, flashy costumes and newly painted props. This year, 18 acts are performing, including paired acts and Sing Alliance, which consists of students who are not involved in Greek organizations but still want to participate.

I’ve seen a lot of Sing acts — 6 or 7 years’ worth of them to be precise. I have a very strong idea about what makes a “good” Sing act. I look at song choice, creativity, story, execution and, to an extent, cleverness. I appreciate novelty and new-ness, as well as risk-taking. I’m going to try to reward acts when they are good, but I’m not going to hesitate to criticize them when they miss opportunities (or notes during a solo). This year, we will be working on a 5-point-scale. A 5 is near perfection and a 1 is barely showing up. Since Chamber is actually competing this year, no zeroes will be given.

When all you see are red roses, candy hearts and pink plush animals, you know it’s Valentine’s Day.

But for many busy students, Valentine’s Day this year will lack the chocolates and fancy dinner that make Valentine’s Day famously romantic.

Arlington sophomore Shelby Blue and Tyler junior Matthew Baldwin will spend Valentine’s Day performing at opening night for All-University Sing, leaving little room for celebrating the holiday. They have been dating for seven months.

I found this cute DIY project on Pinterest, though its original source was the blog House of Humble. I was looking for something to decorate my apartment for Valentine’s Day, and to take my mind off the fact that I’d be spending the day at work instead of being romanced, I decided to take on a project. To save myself some money, I adapted the project to incorporate things I already had in the house. I’d give the project a medium difficulty rating. It requires a basic knowledge of sewing, and I recommend being careful with the hot glue gun. Apart from that, it was pretty straightforward.

A Baylor alumnus wants to redefine college dating.

Noah Mortel, who graduated from Baylor in 2008 with a degree in economics, marketing and international business, has created an online dating website called CollegeBoo geared specifically toward college students.

For those still searching for a Valentine’s Day gift, an arts and crafts event being held tonight by local Waco boutique Harts N Crafts may be the answer.

From 7 to 9 p.m., Harts N Crafts, located at 1125 S. Eighth St., next to Common Grounds, will host a Valentine’s Day party complete with free cupcakes and drinks where patrons will also have the opportunity to create handmade gifts for their loved ones.

My grandmother had this saying:

“A good cook never has a clean kitchen.”

Well, I like to think I’m a good cook, but I’m also a neat freak. I knew from the beginning that trying to make cookies from a cake mix had the potential to go horribly wrong. After all, cake mix is infinitely more runny than cookie dough.

Amid all the “House of Cards” chatter (e.g., ‘Hey, Kevin Spacey takes down the 4th wall Ferris Bueller-style!’ and “I watched all 13 episodes in five hours” OK, that was a stretch), Netflix has offered another talking point by announcing its partnership with DreamWorks Animation to produce a children’s series.

The Baylor theater is bringing a timeless theme to the stage with “Born Yesterday,” a play by Garson Kanin.

Opening at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Mabee Theater of the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center, “Born Yesterday” will be the theatre department’s first production of the spring.

Two men dressed like Bruiser and Bevo, the mascot of the University of Texas, jumped into a pool.

It wasn’t the start of a Big 12 brawl. It was the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics.

Twenty-eight people jumped into a pool  at 11 a.m. Saturday at Hawaiian Falls Water Park in support of Special Olympics Texas.  Hawaiian Falls Water Park is located at 900 Lake Shore Drive.

When thinking of Mardi Gras, colorful artwork and jazz music, Waco is not usually the first place that comes to mind.

A Mardi Gras Celebration of Art will host its Super Friday Event art show from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Today at the Legacy Café on Austin Avenue. The event allows students to show their creative works while raising money for the Heart of Texas Autism Network.

The time for interfaith and multicultural worship has come for those attending Gospel Fest this Saturday.

Gospel Fest 2013, hosted by Baylor’s Heavenly Voices gospel choir, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Waco Hall.

This year’s theme is “Still Standing.” The acts include gospel choirs from all over Waco and the Central Texas area, such as Acts Church, the University of North Texas gospel choir, the Waco Community Choir, The Levites from Austin and many more.

Looking for a reason to spend more time on Facebook? CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his crew of social-software gurus are convinced their new Graph Search function is just what you need.

Zuckerberg has touted Graph Search as a “third pillar” of the popular social networking service as important to the Facebook experience as Timeline or News Feed. For many Facebook users, however, the new feature will take some getting used to.

This weekend art will be created, and the canvas of choice for many Wacoans will be their own bodies.

The Immersed In Ink Tattoo & Arts Festival will take place Friday through Sunday at the Waco Convention Center.

The festival will host tattoo artists from across the United States and provide live entertainment.