Last weekend, BYU Vocal Point’s newest music video “The Greatest Showman A Cappella Mashup,” received over 1 million views on the group’s YouTube channel. The video brought together aerial artists, dancers, singers and cinematographers to feature four songs from the movie—“The Greatest Show,” “Come Alive,” “Rewrite the Stars” and “This Is Me.” The video’s views are not the only indicator of success. It received positive feedback across the board, including from one of the film’s main stars, Hugh Jackman, who called the video an “amazing effort” on Twitter. However, the video’s greatest success may actually lie in the behind-the-scenes work that went into creating the video. McKay Crockett, BYU Vocal Point’s artistic director and music producer, said viewers have no idea just how much work and sacrifice went into creating the video from simply watching the final product. From overcoming illness to creating a circus tent to film in, nothing about the making of the video was easy. Step one was creating a collaborative environment for students from various disciplines and areas, including The School of Music, The Department of Theatre and Media Arts, Performing Arts Management, Contemporary Dance Theatre and the BYU Cougarettes. Students not only worked with each other, but also had the opportunity to work with professionals, including filmmakers, BYU Broadcasting staff and circus performers from Aeris Aerial Arts. The next step was filming the video. The four-and-a-half minute video was shot within 12 hours during a single day. The cast and crew were faced with the task of filming three perfect, continuous takes — the longest being over two minutes long—and then editing these together in post-production. Jeff Parkin, director of the video and BYU film professor, said filming under those circumstances “was a high-wire act with a lot of intensity and stress, but created a special energy on screen. The ability to pull off such shots successfully says a great deal about the professional abilities of our BYU students.” According to Crockett, Vocal Point member Jason Bromley (BA ‘20) had one of the most difficult parts in the video. Bromley trained for weeks with former Cirque Du Soleil performer Darla Davis to learn aerial choreography for “Rewrite the Stars.” Bromley stated, “This was by far the most difficult part of the video because it was unlike anything I’ve ever done. It took weeks for my body to acclimate to that kind of strain and I endured some pretty gnarly rope burns. However, it was an amazing experience and one I doubt many other college students get the opportunity to enjoy.” In addition to learning aerial choreography, Bromley had to sing at double the normal tempo while filming “Rewrite the Stars.” This allowed the post-production team to slow down the aerial work later during editing while still matching Bromley’s lips to the normal tempo of the song. Bromley stated perhaps the most amazing part about this minute-long scene is that it was filmed in one continuous take. Difficult filming circumstances were not the only barrier students had to overcome. Vocal Point member Logan Shelton (BA ‘19) was one of many cast members to get sick leading up to filming. “I wasn’t sure if I had the energy to embody the message of the video,” Shelton said. “The whole project ended up being a miracle. Everything just fell right into place. I hope people feel empowered to be their best selves from watching our adaptation.” Crockett said despite various complications, the crew and cast were able to come together to create an unforgettable experiential learning project. “It was really meaningful to see all the energy on set and all the sacrifice that went into making the video,” Crockett said. “The final video is a real testament to how great BYU is.” This BYU Records production and its success was made possible with the help of various faculty and staff across campus, including Ben Fales (executive producer), Jared Cardon (producer), Jodi Maxfield (BYU Cougarettes director) and Jenny Tingey (choreographer).

Communications Professor Kevin John will present the first lecture following the passing of Emeritus faculty Ray Beckham

Led by Associate Professor Collin Bradford, students installed art to promote peace and healing in the memory ward at a nonprofit, skilled nursing facility

Professor Claudine Bigelow shared experiences that have influenced her life as a musician and as an artist.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec at mollis ligula. Donec vestibulum sit amet sapien nec scelerisque. Cras ultrices euismod bibendum. Duis non nunc ligula. Donec porttitor sapien at arcu efficitur venenatis. Cras laoreet at tortor ut venenatis. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Quisque mattis nisl augue, vitae eleifend ligula commodo eu. Fusce blandit aliquet justo eget vehicula. Nullam vehicula egestas purus eu pellentesque. Donec aliquet ultricies aliquam. Aliquam feugiat semper nisl nec tempus. Praesent tellus nibh, luctus sed lacus ac, eleifend hendrerit lectus. Donec fringilla, eros congue auctor molestie, metus velit scelerisque odio, sed porta eros elit quis odio. Sed tempus urna dui. Morbi consectetur vestibulum sollicitudin. Curabitur euismod dui congue sapien tristique, in efficitur elit gravida. Sed id neque arcu. Duis condimentum risus cursus ipsum ornare vulputate. Aliquam sollicitudin convallis tortor faucibus lobortis. Suspendisse potenti. Aliquam ac dolor congue, malesuada massa eget, malesuada mi. Suspendisse erat nisl, facilisis non erat quis, mattis tincidunt neque. Praesent fringilla est rhoncus venenatis sagittis. Morbi vel mauris ut leo interdum hendrerit ut ut massa. Pellentesque lacinia sem nisl, quis feugiat ante viverra nec. Nulla gravida quam eget augue tincidunt mollis. Curabitur nisi orci, vehicula ac sapien vitae, iaculis facilisis mauris. Fusce feugiat diam ac erat laoreet, vitae congue sapien malesuada. In commodo venenatis risus eget vestibulum. Suspendisse convallis justo sed ultricies consequat. Nam consequat est ac purus tempus mattis. Integer a varius elit, pulvinar varius quam. Nulla sem diam, rutrum luctus metus eget, eleifend scelerisque elit. Nam ac scelerisque tortor. Aenean porta, nisi quis finibus maximus, ex lectus mattis ipsum, ac maximus ante diam ultrices nisi. Cras lacinia odio sollicitudin sapien bibendum dapibus. In viverra cursus nisi, a hendrerit erat tempus non. Vivamus ut efficitur libero, a posuere odio. In ultricies iaculis augue, eget rutrum mauris tincidunt et. Donec volutpat, metus vel tempus finibus, metus nulla ultrices urna, vel eleifend lorem leo vel diam. Nulla dui erat, consequat ut porta eu, congue nec mauris. Sed sodales nibh eu volutpat tincidunt. Quisque aliquam dolor eu massa consectetur facilisis. Suspendisse potenti. Integer eu nulla a lectus pharetra fermentum in id purus. Donec venenatis urna et lorem mattis, in posuere ante varius. Phasellus posuere, mauris ultricies tincidunt consectetur, nunc libero blandit lectus, consectetur laoreet elit ante ut augue. Aenean vel tellus sed tortor viverra finibus eget eu ante. In id erat quis lorem dignissim fringilla tincidunt ut nibh. Phasellus condimentum consequat justo, eget aliquam eros placerat eu. Ut bibendum aliquet nunc eget pharetra. Duis porta porta mauris vitae volutpat. Mauris nec pellentesque nisi, et auctor ex. Proin ullamcorper nibh vel auctor ornare. Curabitur a turpis mollis, mattis magna vel, ultricies nulla. Nam vitae ipsum nisl. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. In tristique blandit varius.

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Rachel Leishman, Maximillian Wright and Daniel Mesta share their experience portraying the characters of Shakespeare's most famous tragic love story

Aline Smithson shared how she balances her career and family at first Women in Design lecture. BYU’s Department of Design recently created a lecture series customized for female design students. The series brings in professional female designers who can speak to the realities of the workplace student designers will face. The newly formed Department of Design Diversity Committee created the series. The committee consists of professors Linda Reynolds, Bethanne Andersen and Robert Machoian. Andersen said they started the series in hopes they could “educate students to think bigger.” “I hope it creates a community where students can network with each other,” Andersen said. “I hope it empowers them to lean in and talk about different things. Also, I hope it creates an environment where, if they have any issues, they feel free to talk about them and have access to mentors that can help.” Andersen explained some of her female students have encountered disparaging comments about their ability to balance a career in design while nurturing personal relationships. “A large percent of women will support their families financially during their life because of death, divorce, illness, layoffs and downsizing.” Andersen said. “They need to be prepared for a profession and so I try to help them realize how important it is for them to work towards that goal.” To kick off the series, the Department of Design featured professional photographer Aline Smithson, an artist based in Los Angeles. Her successful career has included a focus on “childhood, aging and the humanity that connects us,” according to her biography. “All of her photographs deal with how she lives her life with her family and her art,” Andersen said. When Machoian reached out to Smithson to speak at BYU, he asked if she would like to speak as part of the lecture series targeted to female students. Smithson replied that she already had a presentation for such an occasion. Her remarks focused on the balance of being a mother and a professional artist. Photography student Megan Matheson attended the lecture and had the opportunity to have her portfolio reviewed by Smithson. “I was interested because motherhood is such a big topic within our culture as Mormons. It is something, especially as artists, we are constantly struggling with, we want to have a career and balance motherhood. They’re both two really great desires that we have. It was cool to hear her opinions about it,” Matheson said. After studying art at the University of California at Santa Barbara and the College of Creative Studies, Smithson worked as a New York Fashion editor. She eventually returned to LA to her own artistic practice and picked up photography to learn how to take better pictures of her kids. As she became more familiar with the medium, she found ways to include her family life in her art. “You can make work within your life with very little effort,” Smithson assured. One of Smithson’s first photographic successes was her series “Arrangement in Green and Black, Portraits of the Photographer’s Mother.” The series included portraits of Smithson’s mother inspired by James McNeill Whistler’s painting “Arrangement in Grey and Black.” Smithson stated that working on the series didn't feel so much like work as “simply my mother and me spending time together.” One of the main points of Smithson’s lecture was to encourage students to develop a community that could help them in their artistic pursuits. Smithson cited the works of several other artists and discussed projects she collaborated on and how they benefited her career. “Create community,” Smithson said. “This is critical to your nourishment as an artist, especially if you’re at home with kids and feel like you don’t have a creative community.” Matheson said she felt encouraged by Smithson’s words. “I think what surprises me most about these lectures is that artists are so human. They’re just like us and they have all the same desires and all the same experiences. They make great work and show us it’s possible for us to make great work too; work that is personal and work that is meaningful that other people can appreciate.” The Women in Design lecture series will be held throughout the academic year with guest artists from different backgrounds in design. The aim is to offer different perspectives on being an artist working in the design field. “In the end, the journey is about who and what you love,” Smithson said. “Having a passion and focus beyond my husband, children, family and friends has been a godsend. It has opened up the world in ways I never could have expected and given me friends all over the world. So my advice is to slow down. Make the best work you can. Enjoy your family. Make work that is uniquely you, speaks to your world, your life and your way of thinking. Tell us your stories, show us your heartbreak, find magic everywhere — and trust me, it’s out there.”

As participants prepare to attend this year’s festival, theatre Professor Stephanie Breinholt reflects on last year’s achievements

The video series provides information about the history behind Latin American, Polynesian and Native American danceThe choreography and regalia featured in BYU Living Legends productions are derived from revered histories and origins. In an effort to share these legends, the company has initiated a new video series explaining the dances and regalia.“We not only want to further explain the legends or origin stories of the dances,” said Shanoah Zendejas, the Living Legends’ social media manager and assistant to their tour coordinator, “but also want to explain the significance of what the dancers wear. Living Legends has had the unique opportunity to help educate people from various backgrounds about the cultures they represent. We wanted to share that same opportunity with our online audience, whether they have the opportunity to see the show live or not.”The idea for this explanation video series was conceived a few years ago during the company’s tour to Tonga, New Zealand and Samoa. A member of the group suggested they do a series explaining the dances, especially those that were not Polynesian, in order to connect their audience members who were less familiar with Latin American and Native American dance.Zendejas explained that the “Seasons” production has brief explanations for each dance during the performances, but there are deeper histories and stories connected to the choreography and regalia. The introduction of a video series has made them able to turn this desire into a reality. They produced their first video of the series, featuring the Native American Grass regalia and dance, this past November. “We were wrapping up Native American Heritage Month and had the opportunity to do a fun video for the Rock Your Mocs Movement, and that's when we started filming for the series,” said Zendejas.The grass dance is featured in the 'Season of Rebirth' section of “Seasons”. The story of the Native American Grass Dance is a story of healing. Because the New Year was just weeks away, and with the story in mind, the company members could not think of a better dance to start the series off with.“We also wanted to make sure that we explained the meaning of the regalia, or what the dancers wear. Everything has a purpose in Native American culture. That is why people wearing feathers and headdresses as costumes is such a big deal to Native Americans. Every part of the regalia and the way they dance has meaning to it. We wanted to honor and show respect to the Native American culture and dance.”Zendejas emphasized that a big purpose for this video series is to encourage young audience members to learn more about and understand their own culture. She shared that many members of Living Legends, and many youth, grow up not knowing much about their culture and the ensemble has provided a way for them to learn about their own culture and others as well. The company wants to encourage anyone and everyone to learn more about their culture and where they come from.“We want to explain more dances this year, and in years to come, to our audience,” said Zendejas. “Audiences can look forward to learning more about all of the cultures we represent and their people's history as well as more about the meaning of our numbers and why they belong in certain ‘seasons.’ In the next few weeks, we will be releasing a video explaining the Maori Haka that is performed in our show.”To follow the video series, follow BYU Living Legends on Facebook.

The lecture will take place March 1 at 11:00 a.m. in the Nelke Theatre

BYU’s all-female a capella group Noteworthy is set to release their newest music video on Feb. 14 on the group’s YouTube channel. The video will feature a cover of Michael Bublé’s song “Feeling Good.”Noteworthy director Keith Evans said, “the music video’s release on Valentine’s is a perfect fit.” The lyrics of the song focus on enjoying the little things and choosing to start afresh with a positive outlook on life. Evans said, “Not only are the lyrics of the song empowering, but also the story behind the creation of the video is as well. Our adaptation of 'Feeling Good' is meant to embrace strong, powerful femininity. To do this, Noteworthy members took the lead on this project from concept to direction, capturing the group's unique grace and confidence.” Evans hopes that if anyone is feeling down this Valentine’s Day, Noteworthy’s new music video will be an instant way to “feel good.”