From Quentin Kim - Note on Mentoring

It is my pleasure to reflect upon the Juilliard Mentoring Program, which has been truly wonderful for me. I had always wanted to be a part of the program ever since the program took place, but it was not until 2007 that I finally did apply and get involved. Last year, I was paired up with Elizabeth Keen from the Dance Division, and this year, Frank Deal from the Drama Division. All the discourses and discussions I had with them on artistic principles and various aspects of life have simply been marvelous.
Now, I wish to briefly talk about my collaboration with Frank that took place on March 14, Saturday, in room 306. It was the day of the Drama final callbacks, and Frank kindly invited me to participate in the class he was leading from 9 to 10 o’clock in the morning, albeit himself not having known what was to happen. When the class begun, Frank came up with an idea impromptu: transmitting an intention through various human communicative means.
He divided those twenty-some finalists into four groups, three groups of women and a group of men. Each female group was to stand at each corner of the room, with the piano (and pianist) at its usual corner, and the male group in the midst of the room. The ones at the corners, led by a selected conductor, would declaim each syllable of the pianist’s name (Quentin Kim: thus “quen,” “tin,” and “kim”) in random order, with varying degree of intensity and character. The ones in the middle of the room would then liberally express things as prompted by the commanding muses, but only through their gestures, and they had to somehow convince the pianist to play his instrument. It was the reversal of the myth of Orpheus from the Ancient Hellas, in which the musician had to please and move the spirits of Hell to get his wife back from the realm of the dead. This time, the spirits had to appease the silent musician.
The raw energy felt from all the participants was overwhelming: Its initial spontaneity eventually became unified and focused with one aim, one aspiration—to move the musician. At last, to the joy and relief of all involved, the pianist was compelled to make a sound at his piano, then elaborate it in an improvisatorial manner, responding to the tremendous effort put by the shouting and dancing spirits.
After the session was over, every finalist seemed relaxed and ready to go for his last stage of audition. He would give his best performance! This extempore experience was so powerful as to have amazed the participants and spectators alike, including the dean and all drama faculty members present at the time.
To be connected to artists from other discipline than one’s own is exciting! One might just witness things quite extraordinary. Thank you, Mentoring Program.