Tyler Stauffer photoOn Saturday, March 13, the Cummings Art Gallery opened its doors to the public with a reception that debuted the senior art thesis show, “Mind Mapping.” It features the works of 13 graduating senior art students.

The students chose the title of their show this year--a subject based on a diagram used to generate ideas based on structure, theme and visualization of ideas.

Tyler Stauffer photo
The Tchaikovsky Ballet Theatre performed the classic ballet “Sleeping Beauty” at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center (PAC) last Friday, March 5.

TThe performance was a traditional rendition of the ballet with choreography after Marius Petipa and the renowned musical score by Peter Tchaikovsky.

Hailing from Perm, Russia, the Tchaikovsky Ballet Theatre has been in existence since the 1926 debut of the ballet “Giselle.” The company is known for its presentation of classical works, especially those set to Tchaikovsky scores. The Tchaikovsky Ballet Theatre came to Mercyhurst as part of their 2010 USA tour.

The ballet “Sleeping Beauty” as performed by the Tchaikovsky Ballet Theatre retells the well-known tale of Princess Aurora, who falls into a deep sleep because of an evil curse but is eventually awakened by true love’s kiss.

Contributed photo
How hard could it be to pick the most significant 13 books that shaped America? Easy, some would say. But that depends on a number of different factors, including what it is that ‘shapes’ America. Is it the impact that a book had on the American people overall? Or the way Americans’ attitudes were changed after reading the book? And other aspects must surely be taken into perspective, such as to whom the book was marketed to. Who actually read the book? What was the book about?

pac.mercyhurst.edu
Compromising is an unavoidable facet of the 21st century; we rarely encounter a situation where we can gain one thing without giving up something else in return. But imagine having your life, or the life of someone you love, put in these terms.

The spring term Guelcher Film Series kicks off with a gripping drama derived from this very circumstance.

In “Lorna’s Silence,” the title character, an Albanian refugee living in Belgium, finds herself caught between safeguarding the life of her husband and the monetary powers of a shady underground.

Lorna, played by Arta Dobroshi, is initially seen as an inconsequential dry cleaner whose boyfriend, Sokol, played by Alban Ukaj, is a traveling salesman who comes to see her when his travels permit.

Her legal residency in Belgium has been secured through her sham marriage to a drug addict named Claudy (Jérémie Renier), whom she has come to love.