The Daily Collegian ‘Super’ magician crowd with act, tricks By Courtney Warner FOR THE COLLEGIAN Skeptics and believers of magic alike filled HUB-Alumni Hall on Friday night for illusionist Mike Super’s show spon sored by the Student Programming Association’s Late Night. Super, winner of NBC’s TV show ' Phenomenon,” also performed at Penn State during the summer. Super used several audience members in his tricks because he said they’re the “Wii of magicians.” “Your interaction is what makes my show,” Super said. In one trick, a student volunteer was helped into a box, where Super made her disappear as he folded the box into a 13- inch by 13-inch cube. He then made her reappear. This was audience member Corey Kaye's favorite trick. “Her disappearing blew my mind,” Kaye (senior-human development and family studies) said. “Where’d she go? There was nothing around her. It’s like she entered another dimension.” Kaye came in skeptical, though he said the show was spectacular. ■‘lt was lavenous,” he said. Lavenous a nonexistent word was created by Super to use when he couldn’t find the right word to describe something. ‘People always act like they have heard ‘lavenous’ before, and it’s not even a real word,” Super said during the event. Amy Lau (sophomore-biotechnology) said she was amazed by a trick where Super made an origami rose and set it ablaze only to reveal an actual flower. At the end of the performance. Super performed a trick he does at every show he made it snow out of his hands. The trick was dedicated to his deceased moth er, he said. Super also performed a voodoo doll trick he did on “Phenomenon” to a volun teer from the audience. Whatever hap pened to the doll happened to the volun teer. Super tapped the doll on the back, burnt its hands and poked it in the waist. Theology professor discusses sustainable farming, religion By Katie Sullivan COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER When Ellen Davis reads the Bible she is more than just a scholar or a faithful believer she reads as an agrarian. A group of about 30 people gathered in the Multicultural Lounge in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center to hear a professor of Bible and practical theology from Duke University speak about how analysis of the Torah and the Bible can help modern-day farmers fix a flawed agricultural system. ‘ We eat from an industrial system that itself is hungry for oil," Davis said in her lecture Sunday evening. Davis is the fourth speaker in a year long series “Tend and Sustain It Forever,” a project sponsored by the Penn State Jewish Studies Program. Margaret Cohen, a graduate student in Jewish studies, said the program is meant to highlight how Jewish culture, text and traditions can be used to change issues surrounding food, food movement and industrial issues. Davis agreed and said a change could happen by using biblical analysis based on Jewish thought and text with informa tion extracted from the very first book of the Old Testament, Genesis. Comparisons can be seen throughout the rest of the Torah. During the lecture Davis noted how important eating was to culture and how people interact with each other. But Davis said with a fuel-inefficient, industrialized agricultural economy and chemicals being pumped into the soil and water, and therefore the food, a change penn State For additional information visit www.undergraduateresearch.psu.edu or contact UndergradEd@psu.edu Illusionist Mike Super creates snow from a napkin by rubbing his hands together in the HUB on Friday night. The volunteer said he felt a brush on his shoulder, jumped up in surprise after feeling a poke in his hip and show ed his ash-covered palms to the audience. Jacklyn Reid (junior-broadcast journal ism) was another volunteer used in the show. Super had Reid call her friend from Brooklyn by telephone and ask her to select a card's number and suit. Via Pa id her selection was revealed to the audi ence a three of hearts. When Reid announced this. Super's deck of cards in Reid's hands began io move. Super took the deck and revealed that only one card was upside down. the three of hearts. “I don't know how he did it. 1 was up there looking for any machines or tools he was using and couldn't find any." Reid said. She said she could hear her friend scream when Super revealed the card. Then, when Super told Reid's friend lie was going to make her disappear, she believed it. needs to take place in order for farming to survive as a sustainable business. Through her analysis, Davis has drawn conclusions about what is important to sustain healthy agriculture today indud ing farmers markets, community sup ported agriculture farms <('SAs> and community-planted gardens. Davis also noted the importance of supporting trust arrangements that protect family farms. This message resonated with Roy Brubaker, an organic farmer who runs Village Acres in Mifflintown. “A lot of things she said re-enforced what we believe and what we tty to prac tice,” he said. Brubaker and his son. also named Roy. were the only two farmers in attendance. The two agreed farming is a fan 1 busi ness. Brubaker said his fathe*- \> an organic farmer and all three gi aera tions, along with small farmers through out Pennsylvania, rely on the local mar kets and CSA programs to thrive. Davis closed her lecture by emphasiz ing her view that the Earth should be treated as a living creature, something that needs to be respected. "This is a tremendous opportunity for people of faith," she said. Summer Discovery Grants Applications accepted beginning December 2010 Entry Deadline February 11, 2011 The Undergraduate Exhibition Tuesday, April 12 - Performance Session Wednesday, April 13 - Poster Sessions Abstracts accepted beginning January 10, 2011 Entry deadline March 4, 2011 Open to undergraduate students at all Penn State campuses, awes And he did, by hanging up the phont “We eat from an industrial system that itself is hungry for oil." Ellen Davis professor of Bible and practical theoiog To e-mail reporter: kmss424@psu.edu DcWi C«' tiegian Orchesis Dance Company performs during their Fall Choreographer's Showcase on Saturday afternoon in the White Building. The program contained 11 original pieces. Orchesis performance evokes strong emotions Flashes of color and contorting bodies swept across the dance floor this weekend as the Orchesis Dance Company performed its Fall Choreographer's Showcase in the White Building. The hour-long program contained two acts for a total of 11 original pieces set to modern music, like Coldplay's “Fix You” and Imogen Heap's "Shine." What the audience heard wasn't neces sarily (he music, but the sound of feet and bodies hitting the wooden floor as the per formers danced. Each piece began in total darkness. The only thing the audience could see was the silhouette of dancers positioning them selves for the beginning of the next piece. But each piece was different, whether it featured dancers entering the stage from the audience, dancing on the backs of other dancers or the use of props. Orchesis co-adviser Amy Dupain Vashaw said what distinguishes Orchesis is the intention and meaning behind its choreog raphy. During "Fix You." a piece about family and togetherness, dancers left the stage holding each others' hands as one couple remained on stage embracing until the lights went out. In Imogen Heap's “Shine,” members RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATES UNMENT By Courtney Warner FOR THE COLLEGIAN Monday, Dec. 6, 2010 I 7 danced in white and black tutus, stealing a candle from each other s hand to symbolize the dominance of darkness. The piece ended with dancers sitting behind candles, all wearing white tutus. Meaghan Herbick <senior-biology> said the second act was more appealing because the music and dancing was more upbeat. "It was cool hearing the different songs the dancers were dancing to and seeing how they moved to the pieces." she said. Emily Cartwright (senior special educa tion) said she liked the last piece set to David (luetta's “Getting (Tver You" which was performed at Homecoming because it was a song everybody knew, and it was cool to sec every member dance together at once, she said. "It gave me goosebumps." Cartwright said. Cartwright said she liked the costumes because she liked seeing what different ele ments each dancer had in mind when they designed them. Vashaw said their conflicting time sched ules made it hard to schedule practices and that the dance company didn't get to see everything come together until tech week. "It's unbelievable that the ladies put on a show let alone a performance of such high artistic quality." she said. She added that the showcase was com prised of "tons of w ork, ripped feet, extremi dedication and a strong family dynamic." 2011 /n 11 rv- Collegian Are You a Phillv F A N A T I C Check out our classifieds section with listings from the Greater Philadelphia Area.
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