What Is Dance to Me?

[Update: Please post video responses to AsertyDances' call for videos. The link to her video is just below the video window on this page. Thanks!]

[Another update: Psylad created a parody of this video, if you are interested. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XZlyopCeHg]

This is a video essay I made for my YouTube friend AsertyDances. She is producing and choreographing a modern dance presentation at the Joyce Soho in New York City in May 2007, in which she will mix videos from the internet with an evening of dance, and she asked me to help with the project.

She's asked you, too. You can listen to her speak about what she needs here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJazNWHt_Yc

I wrote the essay as an expression of alienation, stubbornness, and a heaping load of irony. Which, not coincidentally, are elements of my own character. The words in the essay about my life are true. The conclusion I drew repeatedly throughout the video, well, that's a matter of interpretation.

It's an odd little essay, but I hope you will enjoy it anyway.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• AsertyDances
• Dance
• Art
• Contemporary
• Modern

[catman1cheese]

i disagree with you

[Urgelt]

It's meant as irony. :-)

[Reemaskain]

RIP Urgelt. We will all miss you.

[Urgelt]

Let's squelch the "Urgelt is dead" rumors before they get started (again). I'm inactive here, but not dead.

LIP, Reemaskain. (Translation: Live in Peace.)

[NESherv]

Hi Urgelt... long time no talk! I just came back to this video and was instantly reminded of a song (which did not exist at the time of this video's posting) called "Human" by The Killers.

In it, the topic of being "human" or "dancer" is discussed, with the former representing freedom in movement and choices, and the latter representing synchronized assigned steps. I think you might find it worthy of listening to... it's right here on YouTube!

[Urgelt]

I found the video and listened to it.

The idea of dancer as puppet contrasts with the idea dancers have of themselves. It's an Hegelian antithesis.

Sometimes it seems to me that the global conversation is full of echoes and reverberations, themes and variations on themes which keep resurfacing, riffing through possibilities, arguing. Memes: always evolving, never the same, always struggling for dominance.

Humans are strange, even to ourselves.

[Relakoth91]

Urgelt. First of all, your voice is fantastic. And i agree with Garland81, you should be "The Sage of Youtube". You make it a better place. You do things for people like talking about your life, of personal subject and best of all: You read poems and tell stories. You deserve an award for the service.

Thank you

[catman1cheese]

@urgelt of course , everyone is entitled to their own opinion. im just stating what dance means to me, i dont want to make a video about it.

[catman1cheese]

@catman1cheese furthur more i think dance screws up your mind and the way you think, then all of a sudden you stop thinking reasonably, and you do what the media tells you, and then all of a sudden your buying big macs fkin up your life with all the bacteria that you like.

[catman1cheese]

@Urgelt You dont understand, i realised this is irony and i disagree with the fact that dance bring joy,

[mrluvs2spooge1]

@tobuscus i love how he has his own channel and does these kind of videos considering his age

is he ok,i heard he had 'passed?'

[skalkaho5]

Human movement is a dance in all it's forms, isn't it? I especially love the twinkle in your eye before the last two words, "nothing much".

A perfect poem.

[shponglee1]

@Urgelt

:)))

[FleshHungryFiend]

what a legend

[mrave1]

how does this have 404 dislikes urgelt your video's are great