So You Think You Can Protest the War?

Lindsay Live | Nov 30, 2007 | 2

A few weeks ago, I saw an episode of So You Think You Can Dance in which Wade Robson choreographed a controversial solo that all of the contestants performed. These identical solos, according to Robson, represented his artistic response to the atrocities associated with war. Clad in white from head to toe with peace signs displayed on their chests, the contestants thrashed about in anger, fear, and sadness. This show rarely moves me, as I feel many of the contestants lack true artistry and rely on tricks such as acrobatics, but this particular episode resonated because my cousin is currently serving our country in Iraq.

After this episode aired, Robson took a lot of heat from the dance community and beyond for his using a reality dance contest to promote a "political message." When I heard that he was being criticized, I was shocked. Throughout my life, dance had always served as a way for me to express myself, a way for me to react to the world around me, and a way for me to say what I cannot put into words. I always saw the dance studio as a safe space and an open forum where no subject was off-limits or too controversial to tackle. Dance is, first and foremost, a form of art.

The whole point of a piece of art is to make your audience think, to challenge, to move, and to touch your viewer. Despite the show's attempt to make dance a commercial commodity, the truth remains that dance is so intertwined with human emotion. Before human beings created language, they used their bodies to speak, communicate, and worship.

To say Wade Robson should not use dance to express his emotions, political or otherwise, is to stifle artistic integrity and reduce the high art to nothing more than sport. The great thing about living in this country, whether you agree with the current war or not, is that we have the right to free speech. Often times, we forget that free speech is not limited to the written and spoken word. Free speech also includes dance in all of its forms.

Thus, I salute Robson for his bravery and his creativity. The world needs more politically and socially conscious choreographers who care deeply about world events, not just their reputations and bank accounts. Robson's choreography got people talking, reacting, and thinking about the world outside of their television sets -- what's so bad about that?

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Jazz, Hip Hop, Teacher, Enthusiast, Parent, Competitions & Conventions, Performance (all tags)