Dance and the Affect of Circulation

[richardgoldmanuwdanceproject]

Conclusion

Given this information and the idea that certain dancers and groups may not get as much circulation because they do not have the means or resources to make their videos as appealing or click worthy gives rise to another important issue.  What can we do to combat this issue and the problem with regards to credibility and ownership of the original dance created by the inequity in circulation?  When I was comparing viewership, I compared it on the YouTube platform.  By comparing the videos using the same platform it reduces the chance that the videos had a circulation difference due to differences in the platform used.  Therefore a conclusion  can be made that the difference in viewership was in fact due to a difference in choreographed vs not choreographed dance videos and the context and background of the videos which dictates whether the dance is going to be “professional.”  One solution to combat this problem is therefore to have programs in place that allow dancers that don’t have a large dance studio, or fancy video recording capabilities to have access to such things which would allow them to create videos that would get a lot of views allowing them to express their individuality and partake in the dance art form at a level comparable to those with the same resources.  The ideas brought forth all bring up the question of what exactly is “good dance,” and what can be called art.  For instance, does unprofessional dance, mean it is not good?  The formal definition of dance is “move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps.”  Art and dance have always been created as a way for people to express themselves in their own unique way.  Good dance is therefore different in everybody’s eyes and is based on everybody’s unique experiences and capabilities.  With that in mind, “unprofessional” dance is not bad dance.  It is just dance created based on one’s individuality and should not be required to have bright lights and loud music to be considered good.  There are no standards in which the art of dance should be performed because everyone creates their own standards to express what they want to express which is the true intended purpose of dance itself.  With this in mind, next time you go and watch a dance video on YouTube, or any other platform, keep in mind that just because the video isn’t as flashy or doesn’t look as professional it does not necessarily mean the video is lacking dancing quality.  I have witnessed the phenomenon of the dances looking more “professional” receiving more attention on multiple occasions.  For example, I watch the talent show called Americas Got Talent.  On the show there are numerous dance groups that partake in the competitions.  Most of the dancers are incredibly talented and their dances are amazing and entertaining to watch.  The YouTube videos of the groups or dancers competing on the competition get a tremendous amount of views.  If you do not believe me just search Got Talent competitions dance groups and see how many views the videos got, and that is just on YouTube.  If the same dancers and dance groups recorded a video with the same dance routine, but without all the fancy lights, famous judges, large stage, and props and clothes that the show provided them, they would have not gotten nearly as many views.  For instance, most of their backstories which are shown before they go on to perform have videos of them practicing their dance routines in their home and they mention how they were never famous or well known. This further supports the fact that viewership of dance videos is due to context pieces and the scene of the dance rather than the dance itself, since when dancers were given a large stage through the show, and all the other aspects that attracts views that I previously mentioned the views of the dance groups and dancers on the YouTube platform skyrocketed.  In conclusion, dance video circulation is due to contextual and background cues that manipulate our emotions and senses into leading us to make false assumptions with regards to the dances.  How we can create a platform where all dances can be viewed and circulated in a manner that reflects the dancing itself rather than the contextual pieces is a complicated and never ending issue, but understanding the implications it can have and the affects that lead to a divide in circulation can be informative in terms of understanding the impact your views have on the dancers and the ownership of the dances within the videos themselves!                

[richardgoldmanuwdanceproject]

Viewership and Implications

The pictures above speak for themselves.  The video appearing choreographed got a substantially larger amount of views than the video appearing non-choreographed even though they were both great dances.  What caused this drastic difference and why does this occur?  By analyzing this important question, we can deduce the implications this can have on the dance world.  What appears to be occurring in terms of viewership between these two videos, is people are psychologically more drawn to aspects of the video that portray professionalism such as in sync choreography, matching clothing, and a larger stage with bright lights.  Before we even watch the video, we are more inclined to be attracted to the video with the feeling and imagery suggesting that it is choreographed and so called a “professional” video.  To illustrate this phenomenon of humans having the tendency to be drawn to more professional videos I did an experiment that you can take part of.  Look at these two pictures below.  If you could only pick one video which one would you watch?

Both videos are dances on YouTube.  I conducted a survey where I sent 25 people these two pictures and asked them which video they would like to watch if they could only watch one. The results were astonishing: 87% of the people said they would prefer to watch the second video.  The first video got 2,000 views on YouTube, while the second video got close to 7 million.  I watched both videos and the dancer in the first video was a great dancer, he was as good as the dancers in the second video, he was incredibly talented and clearly had dancing practice and experience.  Why are people so drawn to the second video before even watching either dance?  Again, it all has to do with the context and feeling the videos give off as a result. In the first video you can tell the dancer is in a living room, with glare from the outside coming in.  He is wearing formal clothes that one would not generally associate with dance, and you can even see a couch in the background. This picture gives off the feeling and message that the video will not be that planned out or notable in terms of dance.  If you watch the video though, you would be amazed at what a great dancer the guy is and how talented he is.  In the second video the first thing I noticed was the large hardwood floor dance studio with bright lights, and a large crowd centered around a main dancer.  The dancer is wearing clothes associated with what you would expect a dancer to wear and the picture gives off the sense that you will not be disappointed with watching the professional dance.  In reality, when you watch both dances, both dancers are very good, the second video just appears more professional and people are therefore more inclined to watch it as a result of the context and scenery and the message it gives off.  The imagery in the second video also suggests the dance itself is more structured, choreographed, and rehearsed.  Human tendencies are to be drawn to more structured aspects and in terms of dance this means a more choreographed dance since we are assuming that if it is choreographed it is more likely to be good even though this might not always be the case.  People are therefore consequently more attracted to the second video because of the scene, professional lighting, large stage, the clothing the dancer is wearing, and the feelings and speculations these images imply before actually watching the dance itself resulting in a greater number of views.  What is the implication that this affect has on the dance community?  Dance is an art form to communicate individuality and expression.  Having a large studio, bright lights, and crisp audio is expensive.  As a result, great dancers may not get as much circulation and expression because they do not have access to these aspects that make themselves look professional and therefore more likely to get views.  As a result, circulation of great dance videos comes back to access and money which may limit what people are viewing in terms of dance videos because of the limit dancers have on the ability to circulate their videos.  This can create a bias because people will only be viewing dance videos created by dancers that have access to the aspects that can get them a lot of circulation which can create a limitation of expression of individuality.  Another consequence this can have is a credibility and ownership problem.  Dancers that do not have access to aspects that can gain them a lot of circulation will not be able to gain credibility and ownership for their dances which can be stolen by groups that can easily gain circulation. This is a large problem in the dance community and can therefore lead to dances being viewed on a large scale performed by dancers that did not create the dances but rather stole them from dancers that didn’t have access to expensive props and stages and as a result could not get as much circulation even though the original may have been a great entertaining dance to view.  

[richardgoldmanuwdanceproject]

Choreographed vs. Freestyle Dance

Before even viewing this dance video you get a sense for what you will be witnessing.  The context of the video is an outdoor area, with a street and a fence in the background. The dancers in the video are wearing coats and hats suggesting it is a cold day.  The lighting in the video is natural lighting from the sun.  The dancers seem to be wearing normal clothes that do not match one another and are not typical clothes that you would expect a professional dance group to be wearing.  You can also notice all these people are standing around in an unorganized manner and have formed a circle in the middle.  You can determine and pinpoint all these observations about the video even before you click on it to watch.  This gives off the feeling that the dance in the video will be a freestyle type dance that was constructed spontaneously due to the lack of aspects associated with choreographed “professional” dance.  Once you watch the video all the feeling and assumptions that were made before watching the video are validated in terms of what appears to be a group of friends dancing for fun in an non-choreographed way.  You can hear the loud noises and cheering and observe no distinct choreography to the dance. Despite the spontaneous appearance the dance and video give off, it is still entertaining to watch and is a form of hip hop dance.  The dancer in the video is great at dancing even though this whole event was not practiced or planned out.  

When watching the first 5 seconds or so of this video a distinct feeling and assumption towards the video is established.  First a logo appears that signifies you are about to watch a dance group or some sort of professional association.  The next thing you notice is all the dancers are wearing the same thing and are standing in an organized position relative to one another.  They are in a large indoor stage, the audio is crisp, the video looks professionally recorded, and you can see the big bright stage lights shining down on the dancers.  You can gather all this information with watching the first five seconds of the video. All these aspects and the context of the video give off a very professional and choreographed feel.  When you go on to watch the entirety of the video all these assumptions you made based on visual pointers are validated once again.  The dance is very choreographed, all the dancers are in sync with one another and it gives off a very professional and rehearsed feeling as you watch the video.  The dance was very entertaining to watch and the dance is a form of hip hope dance.  The dancers in the video clearly had a lot of dancing experience and were good at what they did and the whole performance looked flawless and the music, lights, clothing, stage, and spacing, all seemed to be harmonious in creating one main picture and experience that gives off a sense of competence and dedication.