First Position Analysis/Review

The documentary First Position, directed by Bess Kargman, follows the stories of six ballet dancers as they make their way though the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) competition. Aran Bell, an 11-year-old living in Italy (his father is a military doctor), travels hours to his ballet classes. He is very passionate, and very talented for his age. He is very close friends with Gaya Yemini, an 11-year-old from Israel, even though they do not speak the same language and are constantly competing with each other. Michaela DePrince (14) was adopted from Sierra Leon after rebels killed her parents. She lives in Philadelphia, and hopes to overcome the stereotype that African-American dancers cannot make in the ballet world. Rebecca Houseknecht is a 17-year-old graduate from Arundel High School and attended the Maryland Youth Ballet (which, coincidentally, I attended for seven years, until the end of 7^th grade). Seeing Rebecca in a famous documentary, after seeing her on a regular basis at the studio a few years ago was really cool and made this film much more personal. After her participation in YAGP, Rebecca joined the Washington Ballet (which she has since left to study at Towson University). Miko Fogarty (12) lives in Palo Alto, CA and hopes one day to become a professional ballet dancer. Miko is incredibly strong and flexible, and has a lot of support from her mother. Her mother also makes her brother do ballet, but he does not share the passion or commitment to dance that Miko exhibits. Joan Sebastian Zamora is a 16-year-old from Colombia. He lives in Queens, New York, ands works to support his family that still lives in Colombia. Joan Sebastian receives a full scholarship from the Royal Ballet School in London for is outstanding performance in YAGP.

Bess Kargman does a very good job developing the backstories of each of the characters, and therefore creating an interesting plot for viewers to follow. The viewer has a better understanding of each character during the competition after learning about their lives in detail. The costumes are, of course, very nice ballet costumes, and the narration really adds to the movie’s effect. All of the films shots are very nice, and there are a variety of different shots. There are many extreme close-ups of the dancers’ feet on pointe. Instead of just having the one wide shot of the dancer from the audience, there are close-ups and medium close-ups during performances to grasp the viewer’s attention. It must have been very difficult to get these close-ups, and they are all of very high quality. There are no special effects, which is good in my opinion because I think that they would tae away from the documentary. They would reduce the viewers understanding that everything in the film is real, and that these people are living the lives described in the documentary. This documentary was well done and kept my interest, even though it is 90 minutes long. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 96%, and IMDB gave it a 7/10. 

The Teenage Brain

I have long wondered why teenagers make stupid decisions, which we later regret. Why do we not realize at the time that we will regret our actions, and choose then not to do whatever it is. I decided to do some research this week on the teenage brain's wiring (not quite as fun as cookies, but still interesting).

The ventral striatum, active during risk-taking tests, encourages behaviors that give us rewards. During adolescence, this part of the brain is stronger than the more logical, organized part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex. The ventral striatum encourages responses to rewards, forcing teenagers to explore the world and become self-sufficient. Some researchers believe that “the adolescent brain specifically evolved to respond to rewards so teens would leave behind the protection provided by their parents and start exploring their environment-a necessary step toward the independence they will need in adulthood”(Mascarelli, Amanda).

During adolescence, teenagers' brain regions begin to be able to work together more efficiently and precisely. The new speed of travelling information is caused by new insulation tissue that isolates axons (fibers that connect the brain to nerve cells) from interfering signals. Excess synapses (connections between axons and the brain) are discarded during teenage years. Scientists call this process “synaptic pruning.” This strengthens the synapses the brain consistently uses, but makes it more difficult to perform new, unfamiliar tasks like language learning. Learning foreign languages at a younger age is easier than starting a language in high school or college. Synaptic pruning eliminates some of the language leaning synapses that it believes to be unnecessary, in order to focus on the development of the native tongue. When we need to use these language-learning synapses again (in high school or college), they are fewer, and it is much more difficult for our brian to make the right connections quickly and efficiently. Synaptic pruning, axon insulation, and the strength of the ventral striatum enable the teenage brain to make decisions, even if they are not always logical, thought-out choices. Here is a short video about research of the teenage brain.

 

Chocolate-Espresso Crackle Cookies

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  • These are great holiday cookies. Chocolate cookies with a hint of coffee, these cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Instant coffee can be used instead of instant espresso. 
  • This recipe makes about 40 cookies.
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  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 2 teaspoon instant espresso

  • 2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

  • 1+1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar

  • 2 large eggs

  • 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (1+1/3 cups chips), melted and cooled

  • 2 tablespoons milk

  • 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, for coating

  
  

  In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt. 

  In an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. 

  Beat in egg until well combined. mix in cooled chocolate.  

  Gradually add flour mixture; beat in milk until just combined. 

  Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Pour confectioners' sugar (about 1/2 cup) into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets.

  Bake until coating is cracked, 12 to 14 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. 

  

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Becoming A Vegetarian...Slowly

People choose vegetarianism for a variety of reasons. Here are a few:

• Conservation of Fossil fuels: Fossil fuels are used to produce feed for animals, transport the feed, transport the animals to the slaughter house, slaughter the animal, and then transport the meat to a store. 
• Water Conservation: Four hundred and fourteen gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of meat. More info on pollution caused by meat industry
• Many vegetarians give up meat because of their concern for animals. Ten billion animals are slaughtered for human consumption each year. Factory farming strives to maximize production (of animals) while lowering costs. Thousands of cows are confined in barren dirt lots and have a corn based diet instead of a grass diet. Drugs are added to feed to make fatten the cows faster.
• Avoid diseases caused by the consumption of meat. E. coli is a disease that can be caused by the consumption of uncooked, infected meat. Here's a clip from the movie Food, Inc. (which I watched in my journalism class) about Kevin Kowalczyk, a boy who got E. coli.

Here are a few dinner recipes I've tried so far:
Vegetable Curry: A little bland, so I added an extra 2 teaspoons of curry powder, a 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cumin, and some red pepper flakes. I didn't have any yogurt, but it was fine without it.
Garbanzo Bean Burrito: I liked this recipe- the yogurt sauce was really good!

Recipes I hope to try:
Quinoa and Black Beans: Sounds good and relatively easy to make.
Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Soup: Sounds really fatty...and really good...