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Arts & Life
The Clarion | September 17, 2014
m Laugh until it hurts
Taylor Perez
Practiced ice
climber
By Arlan Parry
staff Writer
Taylor Perez, a 25-year-old junior at BC, is
a part of the WLEE program here. Over the
summer, he worked for Kennicott Wilderness
Guides in Alaska.
His day-to-day activities stretched from
glacier hikes, and ice climbing trips, to flying
to the backcountry on bush planes, and going
on a pack-rafting trip.
This guiding experience allowed him to camp
in a tent for most of the summer.
The instructor to client ratio was 1 to 4, with
cliental ranging from kayakers from Asheville
to people from Tai Wan.
Taylor heard about the trip from a mutual
friend that graduated from BC and had gone
there for an internship and enjoyed it. With
that in mind, Taylor jumped on the opportunity.
Taylor was involved at the Boys and Girls
Cub here in Brevard for a long time and he
knew he wanted to mix it up and try some
thing new.
When we talked, he made it clear that he
definitely wants to go back to Alaska. He plans
on returning back in May, and hopes to see what
other opportunities it opens up.
When asked what advice he has for freshman
or underclassmen who want to get involved in
similar activates, Taylor responded “Don’t be
afraid of the unknown, like I said I am from
Brevard, the furthest I’ve been is out West so
I was definitely nervous. I think it’s important
to not fear the unknown. Everyone should
take every opportunity they can. Life is short,
embrace it.”
By Kaelyn Martin
Contributing Writer
On Wednesday, Sept. 10, comedian Ronnie Jor
dan filled Dunham Music Hall with laughter as he
discussed the awkward but true aspects of life. His
performance, part of the Campus Royalty Tour,
covered a wide range of topics, from early child
hood all the way to relationships and family life.
If there is one topic Ronnie Jordan hit home,
it was college life. He jokes that when it comes
to college students, “Everybody is the same
race...Broke as hell.” He also talked about all the
uncomfortable scenarios college students might
find themselves in, from roommate issues to party
problems.
He explains his humor saying, “it’s offensive
and funny at the same time.” Although he played
off of stereotypical generalizations, one could not
help smiling as he imitated the “average white
girl” or even an audience member’s laughter.
Jordan preformed a couple song parodies
including one titled My Dinner that keeps the
audience engaged as he raps about his weight
and love for food. He then closed the show with
an interpretive dance that paid tribute to his love
for Honey Buns.
A great audience was all Jordan needed to suc
ceed in his performance that night. Despite the au
dience only being roughly seventy students; they
filled the auditorium with so much energy people
were laughing long after the show had ended.
Wendy Jones:
a woman with a voice
By Mackenzie Samotis
Contributing Writer
Brevard College is very fortunate to welcome the new voice professor, Wendy Jones, into its close-
knit family of faculty and students.
Jones comes to BC from the UNCA, where she will continue to teach courses in voice and jazz
improvisation, as well as applied voice and opera workshop here at Brevard.
Jones has her hand in both the musical and theatrical world while both on and off campus.
This fall she will be working with students to recreate and stage scenes from many different opera
fairytales and fantasies, along with working on productions in the spring.
During the summer she performed in “My Fair Lady” at the Flat Rock Playhouse in Flat Rock, NC, and
she continues to perform at multiplejazz venues in Asheville.The sounds of classical, theatrical, jazz, and
20th century opera music influence and inspire Jones in her own performances, as well as her students’.
Music has been the center of Jones’ life since she was a young girl. However, her inspiration for
teaching did not reach her until her senior year in high school. Her goal as an educator at BC is to help
her students achieve their dreams and encourage all to enjoy music, just as her teachers did for her. As
a student she looked up to her own teachers and professors and, in turn, wishes to do the same for the
students of BC.
Jones’ passion for voice and music spreads wildly when in her classroom. Her exuberance and
enthusiasm for the arts gives students the opportunity to really experience life on campus.
When she received the call asking her to be a part of BC’s community, she expressed much gratitude
and, in return, BC welcomes her with open arms. The campus faculty and students cannot wait to see
the path she leads while at this college. Welcome to the family, Wendy!