Theresa, our Regional Coordinator in NYC, passed along some footage of our Step It Up dancers jamming out to Michael Jackson recently.  I thought I'd share these unique clips with the YN community since this week has kinda sucked.  Lots of folks have passed away, including the legendary Michael Jackson (check out Debbie's post, which includes the two MJs facing off!).  I've done a lot of reflecting this week as a result of MJs untimely death.  Not sure if there's some sort of Universal quota that needs to be filled, but it sure seems crazy that folks are dying left and right this week (Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, and Walter Cronkite is reportedly in critical condition).

Anywho, I thought it was pretty awesome that our Step It Up dancers - a generation of young people who are the last to experience MJ while he was a live - bust a move to the greatest bust a mover of our time.

Rest in peace Michael Jackson from all of us here at YouthNoise/Playcity.

And don't forget the June 30th performances are right around the corner!  Here's the info:

 
1:00pm to 4:00pm         Finalist Tech Rehearsals

5:30pm                         Doors open for Competition                     

I leave NY tomorrow and will, sadly, miss the THIRD ANNUAL NY DANCE PARADE.  This parade started in 2007 and now brings thousands of dancers together in the streets.  It is a charity who's mission is:

     to promote dance as an expressive and unifying art form by
     showcasing all forms of dance, educating the general public
     about the opportunities to experience dance, and celebrating
     diversity of dance in New York City by sponsoring a yearly
     city-wide dance parade and dance festival.  (danceparade.org)

This year they have 5103 registered dancers, 113 dance organizations, and 60 unique dance styles.  The parade starts  at 1pm on Broadway and 27th street.   I don't think it's too late to sign up or volunteer, so check out danceparade.org and get involved.  Also, if you are a dancer in NYC, check out Play City's STEP IT UP  campaign where you can dance for your favorite cause and win $1000 to create change in your community.

Many people who participate in the dance parade are also protesting NYC's crazy cabaret laws which prevent you from shaking your booty wherever you want.   Cabaret laws were enacted in 1926 to control nuisance night spots.  They weren't really enforced until 1997, (the year I moved to NYC) when Mayor Giuliani decided, as part of his "quality of life" campaign, to bring these crazy laws back.  This meant that clubs, bars, and restaurants, had to buy expensive cabaret licenses (equivalent to buying a liquor license) if their patrons were going to dance. 

Of course, all the gigantic mega clubs can afford these, but all of a sudden, I was being told to sit down at my favorite little jukebox bar.  These laws are the worst for small venues that can't afford these licenses, not to mention they are difficult to obtain.  There are many places now with "No dancing" signs, and I have even been kicked out of clubs for shaking it!  (I can't help it sometimes.)  These laws are still enforced under Mayor Bloomberg, and many bars and clubs have been raided, fined, and shut down just because people were caught (gasp!) DANCING. 

Apparently there is no constitutional right to dance.  "In 2006, a New York State Supreme Court ruled that, unlike music, theater and painting, dance is not a constitutionally protected form of expression." (danceparade.org)

Can you believe it?

My first exposure to the idea of Pole Dancing as a recreational practice came from reality TV shows about celebrities who found the activity to be a fun way of staying in shape. Over the past few years, the activity has gained in popularity and pole dancing schools have emerged around the world, as well as organized pole dancing competitions. Today I came across a Facebook petition aimed aimed at introducing Pole Dancing to the 2012 Olympics-- the cause has over 40,000 supporters. The group calls pole dancing "Vertical Ballet", and make a few interesting arguments: "Like the horizontal bar, the vertical bar should have a place in international competitive sport. Yes, we are referring to Pole Dance/Pole Fitness. Like Rhythmic Gymnastics, the Horizontal Bar and Figure Skating, Pole Dance/Pole Fitness is acrobatic, technical and takes disciplined physical skill and strength to master."
There's no denying the intense physical component to pole-dancing-- but there's also no way to ignore its origins as a way for dancers (mostly female) to make money by performing sexually charged acts in front of an audience. The history of exploitation in the exotic dancing industry is well-documented, but lots of pole-dancers seem convinced that they can break the activity away from its exploitative past. I wouldn't say that I'm completely against the idea-- I think that all kinds of physical training are productive in their own ways. Looking at the websites for notable Pole-dance organizations, however, I was taken aback by the skimpy outfits some dancers wear even when pushing for wider acceptance. Look at the US Pole Dancing Federation's site-- I see a lot of scantily clad dancers. Is wearing a string bikini beneficial for performance reasons? I doubt it. If these dancers want to break away from the activity's negative associations, they're going to need to do more than just talk a good game. I understand why pole-dancing could make some people feel empowered, and I would encourage them to keep dancing, but everyone involved should take a big step back and think about the values they're embodying. If these dancers want to prove that pole-dancing is not the same as stripping, they would do well to dress more like athletes and less like strippers. It will take some time and good representation before pole-dancing is ready for the Olympics.

Photo courtesy of Elislike, shared under the GNU Free Documentation License