OctOber 28, Wednesdayb1 tHestateHOrnetFeatures

W W W. s t a t e H O r n e t . c O m | Fa l l I s s u e 9 | s a c r a m e n t O s t a t e

Spooky haunted houSeS

reporting By Miranda Marsalla and graphic By Megan harris

Kayak around Lake Natoma at sunset

Kristen sMith State Hornet

The Sacramento State Aquatic Center gives people the ability to enjoy the sunset while kayaking around Lake Natoma.

Grab a kayak, some paddles and a glow stick and glide along the waters of Lake Natoma to witness a beautiful sunset and the rise of the full moon.

Sacramento State’s Aquatic Center offers students and the general public the opportunity to participate in Sunset Paddle, a kayaking trip where guests enjoy the sunset and take a relaxing paddle in the light of the full moon.

Sunset Paddle takes place near the end of each month, just as the full moon is ready to emerge. The next Sunset Paddle will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at Lake Natoma. The program welcomes people of all kayaking abilities.

The Aquatic Center has guides who take kayak enthusiasts out on the water to teach students how to get into the kayaks and how to paddle. The guides then take the kayakers across the lake as it starts to get dark.

Along the journey across the lake, the kayak-ers reach a marshland area where participants can paddle around at their own leisure and explore. Sunset Paddle is normally a two and a half hour adventure.

Katy Martinez, recreation parks and leisure studies professor, takes her students out to Sun-set Paddle during the spring semester. Martinez said she has been kayaking for years and loves to share the experience with her students.

“I like doing this event because it gives stu-dents a chance to see what we have available. The number of students that say they have never been to the Aquatic Center before is sad,” Marti-

see Sunset| page B3

By Miranda Marsallammarsalla@statehornet.com

The air is filled with smoke as

audience members anxiously await “Motown Jukin’,” the celebration of Motown’s 50-year anniversary. As the performers

quickly enter the stage in dark-ness, the show finally begins.

Motown Records was a group of record labels originally based in Michigan, founded by Berry Gordy Jr. Motown Records, the first record label owned by and featuring African Americans, played a crucial role in the racial integration of popular music.

Linda Goodrich, department chair and director of "Motown Jukin’,” said a Motown perfor-mance wouldn't be the same without the four top names of Motown.

“You can’t do Motown without the Jackson Five. You can’t do Motown without Stevie Wonder. You can’t do Motown without The Supremes and Smokey Robinson, and you cer-tainly can’t do Motown without Michael Jackson,” Goodrich said.

The Theatre and Dance Department’s Sacramento Black Art of Dance, featuring the department’s Sons/Ancestors players and directed by Melina Wilson, staged this modern dance performance.

The show fused acting with dancing with the first half celebrating the various popu-lar Motown artists, while the second half focused specifically on Jackson’s influential life and career.

For the first half of the show,

the costumes were simple: solid black, white suits with black hats and shoes, or red tops with slacks and leggings.

For the majority of the show, performers danced barefoot to reduce the noise shoes would make.

During the Motown segment, performers shook their hips to the likes of The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, and The Supremes. Different styles of dancing, including floor work, modern jive, the shuffle and a few pirouettes were incorpo-rated throughout these pieces.

Goodrich, who already planned on doing a tribute to Jackson before his passing, said that when he died, she knew she had to make it even more special.

“I’m 60. I, along with my kids grew up with Michael Jackson and I’ve used a lot of his music, especially in the '80s when I was teaching. He was very much a part of my home,” Goodrich said.”

Guest choreographer Michelle Ned, said her involvement with the show has been an exciting one.

“Dr. Goodrich gave me a lot of freedom to do my own thing and kind of put my portion of the show together how I want,” Ned said, “but I think it’s a good tribute to the 50 years of Mo-town and I’m glad they picked

this theme because it’s really fun music to dance to.”

Many of the “Motown Jukin’” performers said the Jackson tribute was just an added bonus for the event.

S/BAD member Rita “Coco” Clark said “Motown Jukin’” was one of the most cohesive S/BAD concerts she has been in.

“The pieces are intertwined with vignettes, theatrical per-formances as well, which makes it flow a little nicer," Clark said.

As the performance con-tinued, the simple costumes suddenly disappeared as the reggae jam, “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” by Stevie Wonder came through the speakers. Per-formers proudly donned black, red, green and yellow as they all showed off their Jamaican dance hall moves.

The real magic started the second half of the show when the sound of Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough” filled the room.

A wave of emotion rolled over the audience when the per-formers danced to “Man in the Mirror” as the projectionist dis-played images of Jackson in the background. That particular song left some people in tears.

Senior theater and dance double major, Michael Smith, who dances as Jackson, said he started dancing because Jackson made him fall in love with

dance. Smith said performing as

Jackson was an honor. “It’s hard to put it into

words because it trickles down through family and over gen-erations,” Smith said. “It’s amaz-ing to look over his life and see how many generations and lives he’s touched.”

Wednesday - OctOber 28 Features sectIOn stateHOrnet.cOmB2

Musical attempts to make Bat Boy civilized

“Bat Boy,” a play being per-formed in Sacramento State’s Shasta Hall, delivers ghoulish giggles just in time for Hal-loween.

The play is written by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, with music and lyrics by Lau-rence O’Keefe. It was first per-formed on Halloween in 1997 at Tim Robbins’ Actor’s Gang Theatre in Los Angeles.

“Bat Boy” tells the story of a half-man, half-bat found in caves near Hope Falls, W.Va. After biting a spelunker who was exploring the caves, the creature is captured and taken to the local veterinarian, Dr. Thomas Parker, and his family. The family teaches the bat boy, whom they name Edgar, to speak and act like a civilized adult. However, he faces preju-dice from the townspeople, who blame Edgar for their rapidly declining cow population.

“Bat Boy,” first produced as an off-Broadway play, was revived in 2001 after alterations were made by the original writers.

Peter Carroll, sophomore

theater major, plays the role of Bat Boy. Carroll, who had acted in two previous musicals, was aware that “Bat Boy” was going to be this season’s main play, so he did research on the project.

“Right when I heard that we were doing “Bat Boy,” I didn’t know what it was,” Carroll said. “I went on YouTube, listened to the songs and fell in love with it instantly. I totally related to the character and I prepared all summer long, learning the songs, working on physical-ity. I got the script, I had lines memorized, (and) I was ready to go, so if I didn’t get the part, it would be pretty disappoint-ing. But I did.”

“Bat Boy” was chosen by a committee to which directors submit scripts of plays, and the theme is generally chosen to fit the season. Ed Brazo, associ-ate professor and Sac State’s director for “Bat Boy,” said the play was also chosen to provide variety.

“It is a rock musical, and (we) hadn’t done anything like that in a while,” Brazo said. “For theater majors who are here for four, five years, we want them to have variety in what they learn.”

Brazo decided to step back a bit in directing and let the cast members make the play.

“We use a word here; it’s called ‘organic,’ and, I think from the time I had the audi-tions, I looked at the people that I thought of using in the show and I allowed what they brought from their audition(s)

into my head to create the char-acters that they are,” Brazo said.

Amanda Morish, senior theater and psychology major, plays Meredith Parker, Edgar’s foster mother whose marriage to Thomas is on the rocks.

Morish, who has been part of Sac State’s musicals for two years, modeled after the typical 1960s housewife, albeit one with conflicted interests.

“She comes off as a ‘60s housewife, very June Cleaver-like,” Morish said. “I kind of try to draw my inspiration from those old housewife-mothers, trying to stay positive even when everything seems to be falling apart around you.”

Joseph Leser Baldridge, senior theater major, plays Dr. Thomas Parker, Edgar’s foster father. Leser Baldridge said he was excited when he was cast in “Bat Boy.”

“When we first had the auditions, my forte was not in musical theater at all,” Leser-Baldrige said. “It was amazing to get the opportunity for a new experience.”

Leser Baldridge said that in the play, Thomas is perceived as the villain and is jealous of the love Meredith shows Edgar and not him. Originally, Thomas hopes that Bat Boy will save the failed relationship, but instead, he begins blaming Edgar, lead-ing him to kill others in the name of Bat Boy.

“When I started to look at Parker, (I saw that) there are many places where it says he has voices in his head,” Leser Baldridge said. “I began to

think of the more sinister (aspects), and the fact that he is labeled the villain of the show. I started off there and then with some direction, I came to real-ize that I couldn’t just play the villain. I needed to make him much more relatable to the au-dience. That is, if the audience does not care about Parker from the beginning, then they won’t care about the story, about this ensemble piece.”

Brazo said the play has been compared to the musical “Rent.” He compared the two rock musicals and noted that only one achieved mainstream success.

“It was done at a time where, actually, the rock musical “Rent” had happened, so this was a time when, wow, another rock musical, and it’s too bad it wasn’t more well-received,” Brazo said. “But then again, I know a lot of people that saw it, and they said that it was controversial. It was something new and everybody loved it, but it’s not for everyone.”

Brazo believes the concept of the story is what scared away most playgoers.

“You tell them about a boy born half-bat and half-human and it’s like, ‘why would some-body write a show about that?’” Brazo said. “I think it’s because we were starting to place on the fact, ‘What’s normal?’ Everybody’s different. That’s the concept I’ve kind of used in my thinking about that show. Let people be who they are, and be the best they can be, and that’s what the show is all about.”

By Cole Mayercmayer@statehornet.com

Bat Boy gets captured, put in a cage and sent to Dr. Parker’s house after biting a civilian, Ruthie Taylor.

“Bat Boy” will be performed through Nov. 1 in the University Theatre, Shasta Hall. On Halloween, there

will be a costume contest during intermission, and those appearing in costume pay a discount price of $5. For

more information on showtimes and tickets, visit: www.csus.edu/dram/season_0910.htm

Performance celebrates 50 years of Motown

Dancers of Sacramento/ Black Art of Dance pay tribute to Motown in the production of “Motown Jukin’.”

Mia Matsudaira State Hornet

By Amber Wertmanawertman@statehornet.com

“Motown Jukin’” will be performed through Nov. 1 in

Solano Hall, Room 1010. For more infor-mation on showtimes

and tickets, visit: www.csus.edu/dram/

season_0910.htm

See the soundslide of the performers in Bat Boy atwww.statehornet.com.

See the soundslide of the performers in Motown

Jukin’ atwww.statehornet.com.

nallelie Vega State Hornet

Wednesday - OctOber 28 Features sectIOn statehornet.com B3

Sunset: Sticks light up lakeClub helps members during bad economy

nez said. “We have this wonder-ful resource available that in-cludes learning to kayak, going canoeing, using the water bikes, and taking sailboat lessons.”

Hasten Jones, senior com-munication studies major, participated in a Sunset Paddle last spring.

Jones said that if he hadn’t taken Martinez’s class, he would have missed out on the great experience. Jones said that the trip was really fun because there was a really youthful and lively atmosphere on Lake Natoma.

Jones said the employees and participants at Sunset Paddle were helpful.

“It was definitely my first time ever kayaking so, when I sat in the kayak, I sat in it wrong, but there were definitely a lot of people there to help me,” Jones said.

Cindi Dulgar, the Aquatic Center’s director, said students tend to love the kayaking ex-perience and environment that Lake Natoma provides.

“Sunset Paddle is really popular. It’s a great date kind of

thing. Sunset Paddle is only two and half hours. It’s just really pretty and quiet,” Dulgar said.

Dulgar said each participant is given a glow stick during Sunset Paddle, which makes for a beautiful collection of lights out on the lake.

Participants in Sunset Paddle can choose to go on single kay-aks or with a partner on tandem kayaks.

Martinez said many people are surprised at how difficult the kayaking experience can be and how much strength it requires.

Martinez said she is usually the last one to hop onto the kayaks when she participates in Sunset Paddle because she waits to make sure that things are going smoothly. Martinez said it helps students if she assists them in stabilizing the kayaks as they get in.

Samantha Ott, senior psy-chology major, said she had a difficult time managing a tan-dem kayak with her boyfriend on her Sunset Paddle trip with Martinez’s class last spring.

“I had a lot of fun. It was ex-tremely hard work, harder than I thought it was going to be, but

it was a really good trip. I really enjoyed the marshlands area. That was really fun,” Ott said.

CLUB CORNER | GEOGRAPHY CLUB

Kristen sMith State Hornet

Sunset Paddle, an event hosted by the Sac State Aquatic Center, is a two-and-a-half hour kayaking ride on Lake Natoma.

Due to the drowning economy, students have been fearful that unemployment is still a possibility, even with a degree. The Geography Club at Sacramento State, however, works in unison with the geog-raphy department to save those majoring in geography from this type of anxiety.

Madeline Stoddard, senior geography major and president of the Geography Club, said that within the first semester of being a member, she received a job opportunity that is rooted in her concentration, which is geographic information systems. She still works as an intern for the geographic in-formation systems department at the Sacramento Council of Government and said she is grateful for the connection she received.

Stoddard said social network-ing is important in any field of study and this club focuses on providing a general frame-work for anyone interested in geography.

“That’s what education is sup-posed to do - point students in the right direction with the help of more experienced professors. The tight connection between our club and the geography faculty creates a camaraderie throughout the department, which makes this possible,” Stoddard said.

The club’s events revolve around outdoor, hands-on activities which have included hiking at Angel Island and camping in Death Valley.

Stoddard said since the club members are surrounded by nature on these trips, there is potential for many learning experiences.

“With all of the recent finan-cial cuts, there’s not a lot of field work available in the geography curriculum. The club helps to bridge this gap by providing events which incorporate field learning,” she said. “We’re just lucky the professors in the de-partment are willing to take the time to guide us on these trips.”

Katherine Moss, sophomore geography major and vice president of the Geography Club, said these active events

correlate with the club’s main goal, which is to make members aware of their surroundings.

“All of a sudden, you become aware of what kind of rock you’re standing on and what tree is providing you shade. Be-ing a part of the club makes you aware of your surroundings, which is obviously important to most geography majors, but it can be quite interesting to other majors as well,” Moss said.

Moss said that when she first joined the club, she enjoyed it because there are not many obligations. She said there are only a few meetings throughout the semester.

Stoddard said the events in progress for this semester include hiking in Marin Head-lands, snowshoeing in Lake Tahoe, and stargazing.

By Katrina Tupperktupper@statehornet.com

courtesy oF galiB ahMad

The Geography Club at its most recent event, a picnic in Sacramento’s McKinley Park.

The next Sunset Paddle will be from 6 to

8:30 p.m. on Friday.

Those interested in Sunset Paddle can

register online at www.sacstateaquaticcenter.

com, or purchase tickets at the Aquatic Center.

Sac State students can participate in Sunset

Paddle for $20. Admis-sion for the general

public is $30.

Sac State’s Aquatic Center is located off

Highway 50 at:

1901 Hazel Ave.Gold River, CA, 95670.

Those who are interested in joining the Geography Club can e-mail Stoddard

at csusgeogclub@gmail.com.

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