What Is He Doing?

As we all know, entertainment comes in many different forms. Lately, I've observed the behavior of my friends and other college students at FSU. During extreme stages of boredom, in dire need of quick and effective remedies, for life lessons—for practically anything, the world turns to You Tube!

 

 A little about You Tube:

Founded by: Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, Jawed Karim
Activated: February 14, 2005 (so this is what nerds do on Valentine's Day)
Site Launch: November 2005
What: Allows streaming of videos for any user; free of charge; accounts are available; subscription to You Tube channels; easy posting of videos; few restrictions

But enough about this awesome website. Fortunately for the reader, I do not intend to focus on You Tube in this blog, but what I was exposed to a day ago.

The popularity of You Tube videos is often spread via word of mouth or social network. The other day I received a phone call from my younger sister and she said, "Oh my God! Dana! You have to see this video. You are going to die laughing." So of course, I watched it.

I was directed to Dormtainment's (a group of college males) video, Invisible Dancing Girl .
Seeing that this video has the potential to offend someone (probably some random feminist stealing the joy of You Tube users), I re-read the guidelines for this course's Weekly Beat Expectations. There is no restriction on content. So, to the video! Whoooooosh!

The dancing in Dormtainment's video perfectly mimicks the dancing that occurs at most college parties (on-campus, off-campus, and hosted by university recognized organizations) bars, and nightclubs. Instead of choosing to use actual girls in the video, the young college crew chose to do without them, greatly contributing to the video's comedic appeal. Even though it is hilarious, to the untrained eye the young men seem to be engaged in sexual activity with an imaginary partner. If this video were titled "Gotta Have Sex Now," it would still make sense. What has dancing come to?

Public dancing has always been a reflection of the popular culture of the time. During the 1920's there was the Foxtrot, The Charleston, Camel Walks, and more dances that lived far from sexually explicit behavior. These dances were upbeat and lively, mirroring the energy of the economy at the time. In 1978's big screen musical Grease, even has a scene during the school dance where a male and a female are separated and quickly reprimanded for merely touching hands.
 
All this to say: What will the dances and dance forms of the 2010's convey about our generation? Is our music, media, and movement too sexually driven? Has the world lost all sense of modesty and class?

I'll have the answers for you in 2020.