lucky for all, life does not have a corresponding bad acronym (Artists With Audiences Responding to Dance).
While riding my bike, I got to thinking about social experiments as analogies to the greater picture. like that one from back in the day (bear with me now) where they (scientists) paired up two volunteers, made one the test taker (or something close to that effect) and the other the corrector of the test taker and then proposed the following stipulations: when the test taker answers incorrectly, the corrector hits a button which in turn informs the test taker that they have made a wrong choice - via an electric shock or something equally pain inducing. I think the idea was to see how far people will follow an authoritative command in the face of a not so clear moral situation, ie what you are charged to do is in fact harming another person. the results were icky: I think the majority of people ended up hitting the button, despite the test takers' pleas for mercy. the award show was nothing like this, thank the goddess. and yet it was, in the sense that it felt like a really weird social experiment with icky results. basically it made me, speaking metaphorically and about my life, not want to be the button pusher. not that I think I would have/am anyways, but it really sealed the deal for me to proactively not be that person/volunteer. also, I don't want to be the test taker. rather, I wanna be the fluke volunteer who puts down the you are wrong button, and starts asking questions instead of answering them. I feel like that line should have some really epic inspirational music behind it. for emphasis.
theatrics aside, if I had to be involved again next year, I would chose not to. and encourage all my friends to pass as well. it's just not worth it.
* if I wanted to watch a reality tv show about dance, I would let myself into my neighbor's apartment and switch the channel on the already turned on tv. but I don't, so I don't. ranking technique is one thing, ranking style and merit and creativity gets a little tricky/unfair. besides, any event where 11/12 groups of people end up feeling bad (ie like losers, cuz, well, they lost) is a no go in my book. there are better ways to advance the human race and our collective artistry***, like say, just having a showcase (cough northwest new works cough cough).
** i heart modern dance.
*** speaking of advancing the human race thru artistry, I am taking an old project off the dusty shelf and gonna make it happen. re-inspired by a having nothing to do with the show post show conversation I had with a fellow yogi, I am on a mission to make new, more palpable yoga music. something that does not include sitar or Sanscrit or that one guy who sounds like the lead singer of the Crash Test Dummies. mark my words, it's gonna rule. in the most mellow, stretchy, prana stimulating way possible.
