Why is “art” without a message, invention, aesthetics or amusement being supported? Is it because it cannot be dangerous in any way?

I went to a modern dance performance. It wasn’t just any performance; a famous French choreographer danced in Tanzquartier, Vienna’s Mecca of modern dance. People get paid a lot to do this. There were 5 dancers on an empty stage. 4 men who looked like they just escaped a mental institution, hospital for bulimics or a prison. And one woman from the same institution, with dirty hair, unshaved armpits and hanging breasts. None looked like a dancer. There was no music. For 50 minutes, they were throwing themselves around the stage like autistic savants. What I was watching made me feel offended, annoyed and aggressive. I really have better things to do with my time. “But Ana, this is a dance laboratory. This is research!” my friend tried to explain. Come on – research is great, if it shows something new, something ascetically pleasing, something fun, something that will make us think, make us float away or has a message. But just getting rid of your frustration and energy is what I call masturbation. And if it is not sexy, then please, don’t do it in public!

Tags: Commentary, Culture

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 25th, 2008 at 17:38 and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.