white boy dance

http://youtube.com/watch?v=V7kATBQ33k4&feature=related

White Boy Dance

The title is a reference with current popular culture – the saying “white men can’t dance”. The quality of the picture is poor but from what can be made out of his attire he comes across as a suburban, ‘Brady Bunch Family’ stereotype. Starting by swaying from side to side gives the impression what one is about to witness is comical because of the stereotypical category he fits, and the comedy will be embarrassment of the performer.  That lasts for a few seconds and most people are probably confused, as the host’s baffled expression.  The music cuts and he carries on the symphony with the trumpet – which one expects since he has entered with the instrument.  It is obviously staged and rehearsed as the music sound controller of the event knows exactly when to cut and the performer knows exactly when to come in. 

 

In the middle of his trumpet rendition there is a voice, which says “yeah” – possibly part of the track, but does suggest he has more attitude and fervor than he first shows, which is expected as it is obviously a TV program before a live audience. 

 

The laughs from the audience suggests little is known on there part what the performer is doing, or to expect, and him braking from the trumpet and into a dance is a complete surprise – as one hears through the crowds screams once he begins dancing.  Even at this point one is unsure of whether to be embarrassed for the performer or not, as he is in rhythm and clearly has rhythm but is doing a hop mixed with a side step move, with his arms flailing in the air – and it still looks geeky, which can be embarrassing if one is not comfortable, but he clearly is therefore all of those stereotypes and clichéd brackets can be pushed aside and one can be entertained.  But part of the entertainment is the unexpected; a geeky ‘white guy’ going from trumpet to a variation of different dance moves all of them of a particular style, culture and very extroverted also doing them very well. 

 

He begins doing a move where he is holding his belt, shuffling, then kicking up his feet to the side.  Here it appears he has a massive grin across his face, and his entire body is moving with the music, important as for the audience to receive an emotion from a performance the performer must at least have a sense of the emotion themselves.  And by the clip of the audience one can see their enjoyment.  He goes form a dance I think was ‘heel and toe’ into a cowboy move.  Each new dance move he does is at the beginning of a musical bar or progression.  This shows he has some form of awareness of music and formats, but also that it was probably carefully put together, as each new dance move has been a progression of how he moves his body, going from a hop mixed with a side step, which is the least connected, but is there as he needs to begin with something completely opposite to static, and playing a trumpet, and that move has a slight connection with the trumpet as it is going up and down like when you pull the horns of a trumpet.  Into a shuffle with his legs kicking out, into the heel and toe, and all of his movement is being directed from his waist / hips region.  Then the cowboy move where there is little adjustment of his body needed and then quite unexpectedly begins to ‘back up’ with his behind, sending him into the running man, which he does with great spring and zest as his legs lift approximately a foot of the floor.  He then dips into a limbo, and at this point there is a member of the audience who rises from his seat where he begins to dance – why?  Is not apparent, one can only assume, he is showing appreciation, sheer enjoyment or trying to make a statement (look I can do that to), I figure it is one of the former, as the audience appears to be joining in the enjoyment of the entertainment with the act.  He then moves into a swirling move (I have not the faintest idea of what it could be) and into a shimmy.  He then brings his body back into its normal postured stance, to begin the Harlem shake, which the crowd erupts in response to.  This is not just with his shoulders, but entire body.  His upper body leans back, from his hips up, and he holds that position until the rhythm syncs back round, his leg even steps to the side, in time with the rhythm.  From here he stretches his legs out and in, jumps in the air doing and landing with the splits switches hands with the trumpet, which he has been holding the entire time, changes the direction while in the position of the splits.  Hops up, jigs back in his starting stance, at which point the music cuts, and he plays the ending with the trumpet.  Immediately after his facial expression, is yeah, how about that?

 

Throughout the performance there was an atmosphere, which he created of what is going to happen, as the host’s expression details.  And from that point there was chemistry between the act and the host.  With this you saw the act ‘back up his behind’ towards him, showing the host attitude, as the host originally came across skeptical.  The acts flamboyance and charisma was a major factor in killing the skepticism of the host but most important of the audience.  This flamboyance was only came to surface once he began to dance, but he finished with the same attitude he danced with.