Arts

When asked to describe a typical reggae band, you might picture a stereotypical group of Jamaican guys sitting on the beach, with their hair in dreads, smoking joints, singing about peace and love. This may be especially true if the name of the band is SOJA (Soldiers of Jah Army).

Graphic novels are often passed over by traditional readers who prefer prose over pictures. However, from French writer Marjane Satrapi comes a comic that has attracted a whole new audience.

Through simple black and white picture boxes, “Persepolis” tells the story of a young girl growing up during the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

We keep on hating while these politicians are debating, when we need to be learning their strategies and imitating. We can all learn valuable life lessons from politicians. I mean, to get so many people to like them, they have to be doing something right. That’s why this week I’m doing something a little different; I’m proposing that we take political trends and use them in everyday situations.

Little did I know that the band Sherwood’s giant tour bus parked outside Downtown Brewing Co. was a sign of giant things to come.

So apparently I’ve been living in a hole on Bishop Peak the last few years because until last week, I never knew about one of San Luis Obispo’s most popular bands.

If a dance is like a poem where each movement is a word, then the Orchesis dance company had a lot to say when they opened their 38th annual show, “Momentum,” Friday night.

Greeted by a full house, the company presented its passion and love of dance in full-hearted performances that ran the gamut from modern and emotional to hip-hop with a little funk mixed in.

The month of February signals a time of remembrance: Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth, and the list continues. February is Black History Month, and Cal Poly is joining the celebration designed to honor black history and culture.

Jessica Alba attempts to act a dramatic role in “The Eye,” a cast of secondary characters lead “Strange Wilderness,” and “Meet the Spartans” doesn’t deserve to be teased.

“Uncommon,” “different” and “rare” can all be used to describe Isabel Barbuzza’s work, but “incomparable” is the only word that can really do it justice. Barbuzza, an artist from Argentina, has smashed the mold of standard artistic images and used the remnants to create unique pieces that she will discuss and present during a free slideshow lecture from 5 to 6 p.

When guests enter her house, Susan McKee politely asks them to take off their shoes before stepping inside. It’s a habit she learned in China, and one she still likes to keep, along with hanging Oriental watercolors on the wall behind her.

As two “60-somethings,” McKee and her husband Robert decided nine years ago to embark on the kind of adventure that many half their age aren’t bold enough to do.

Gordon Fuglie sits in his triangular office, stacks of papers neatly piled on his desk. Apparently he has just started his job at the San Luis Obispo Art Center, as his walls are bare, waiting to be filled with decorations. He has a calming demeanor and an easygoing personality, his eyes wrinkle with wisdom and happiness.

Expressing feelings and thoughts nonverbally can be near impossible at times, but The Orchesis Dance Company plans to do just that when they open “Momentum,” their 38th annual concert at 8 p.m. Friday. Featuring Cal Poly students, faculty, community members and award-winning guests, the company will bring to life a diverse and complex range of emotions through various forms of dance.