Shera Bhala

Shera ('22) is an arts writer and editor for The Dartmouth. She is from Kansas City, Missouri, and has traveled in 34 countries. Shera is double majoring in government and French.

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arts

Q&A: Allie Levy ’11 on running Hanover’s Still North Books & Bar

After graduating from Dartmouth, Allie Levy ’11 had two dreams. The first was that she would pursue a career aligning with her English major, potentially in bookselling. The second was that she might one day come back to Hanover. Last winter, Levy fulfilled both. She had a soft opening for the Main Street bookstore Still North Books & Bar on Dec. 19 of last year. The space is airy, calming and filled with a diverse collection of books that Levy hopes both students and Upper Valley residents can enjoy. 

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arts

‘Make It At Home’ virtual workshop series offers creative outlet for students

The Hopkins Center for the Arts has offered workshops to students since the 1940s, and quarantine has by no means put an end to this practice. According to ceramics instructor Jennifer Swanson, workshops turned to a virtual format during the summer term, with instructors mailing students supplies and guiding the classes over Zoom. Titled the “Make It At Home” workshop series, the virtual program includes workshops focusing on woodworking, ceramics and jewelry-making skills. 

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Arts

Review: ‘Indian Matchmaking’ balances tradition and modernity, despite controversy

When I first watched “Indian Matchmaking,” I didn’t frown upon the premise of the show.

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arts

Review: Taylor Swift stuns with the mature melancholy of ‘folklore’

Just when I thought Taylor Swift had surpassed every semblance of an expectation, she proved to be even more of a superwoman. The release of her eighth album, “folklore,” on July 24th comes only 11 months after the cheerful and flowery “Lover.” Written and recorded entirely in quarantine, “folklore” is a testament to the singer’s creativity as a musical powerhouse. “Folklore” stuns with its ethereal beauty and maturity, expressed through intelligent lyrics and gentle, haunting melodies. 

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Arts

Review: 'Athlete A' yanks back the curtain on the horrifying abuse of Team USA gymnasts

It can be difficult to acknowledge the near-ubiquitous prevalence of sexual abuse when victims are nameless, shapeless and unfamiliar.

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Arts

Review: 'Pandemic' provides an informative but unfocused account of combating deadly viruses

The Netflix docuseries “Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak” offers six episodes to binge-watch during self-isolation. If you have already seen the drama of Steven Soderbergh’s “Contagion” and Wolfgang Petersen’s “Outbreak” or are searching for a documentary perspective, “Pandemic” may be the show for you. Following the lives of doctors in the U.S., Asia and Africa as they combat flu viruses, the show reveals the challenges of preventing a deadly outbreak of influenza. Although “Pandemic” is flawed in its false advertising and dwells too long on its depiction of doctors’ personal lives, it still presents an overall interesting and accurate account of influenza epidemics and pandemics.

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Arts

Dartmouth FSP explores the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci

PARIS — Paris is the bohemian, romantic, pulsing heart of arts, architecture and culture. The 20 arrondissements of Paris offer the recognizable monuments of the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Panthéon, Sainte Chapelle and the tragically damaged Notre Dame. Paris is a city of museums, with the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Musée Rodin, Centres Pompidou, Fondation Louis Vuitton and Fondation Cartier, just to name a few. One could spend weeks in the artistic palaces of the Louvre, which is the largest and most-visited museum in the world since the end of the 18th century. Perhaps the most anticipated exhibition of the year, the Leonardo da Vinci collection at the Louvre Museum, honors the quincentennial of the death of the illustrious artist in France in 1519. 

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Arts

Violinist Pinchas Zukerman to commemorate Beethoven's birth

This evening, the Israeli violinist Pinchas Zukerman will give a performance in Dartmouth’s Spaulding Auditorium at the Hopkins Center. Known as a master violinist, Zukerman’s impressive career has spanned five decades. Joining him onstage will be acclaimed pianist Angela Cheng. Bringing together these talented musicians will likely produce a memorable performance.

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Arts

Review: 'The Laundromat' a disjointed, lackluster chronicle

Wealth can create vicious cycles. The more money a person earns, the more scared they become of losing it, and, as such, they resort to extreme measures to protect their money. The scandal of the Panama Papers — the leaked documents exposing the offshore businesses of many wealthy individuals, of which some were shell companies used for the illegal purposes of fraud and tax evasion — details such extreme measures, making for an unbelievable chronicle that is the premise for “The Laundromat.” 

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Arts

Q&A with studio art professor and architect Zenovia Toloudi

Studio art professor Zenovia Toloudi’s “Technoutopias” series is currently on display in the Jaffe-Friede and Strauss Galleries, located in the Hopkins Center. An architect and artist, Toloudi explores the interactions, or lack thereof, between humans and public spaces in her current exhibit. Her work uses various materials and techniques to show this relationship and the impact of architecture on social interactions and the civil self.  Toloudi said she hopes that spectators will appreciate the importance of architecture and its ability to alter interactions. Collaborative architectural structures, as seen through “Technoutopias,” encourage communication and meaningful conversations. In an interview with The Dartmouth, Toloudi discusses “Technoutopias,” her process of creation and her ultimate artistic vision. 

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