To finish off amateur week, I’m moving away from the musicians and putting the spotlight on my new idol, a guy who goes by the handle grammapolice. He doesn’t sing or play an instrument (at least not on YouTube)… he dances. Boy, does he dance.
Grammapolice runs the Davey Dance Blog, which consists of video clips of him dancing to different pop songs in locations all over the world. It’s one of those ideas that’s so good you wonder why it took so long for somebody to do it.
I guess it’s a matter of the right person at the right time.
He grooves to Talking Heads in Dublin, The Beatles at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Tears for Fears in Madison, Wisconsin. From the Vatican to Central Park to small town Kentucky, this guy has busted a move all over the place.
The great thing is that he performs while wearing an iPod and headphones, so while he’s recording nobody but him can hear the music. It makes for some very interesting reactions from passers-by.
Sometimes backup dancers join in, friends and fans listening to the same song. The most invigorating example is this clip shot on the New York subway. It’s 3 1/2 minutes of pure exuberance — the sort of thing we all should vow to try at least once in our lives.
Meet Me In Montauk 
I’ll be happy to hold the video camera when you decide to do this for the one time in your life::)
It’s certainly a clever and amusing idea, but I would stop short of calling it pure exuberance. What’s pure about it? It is staged in every sense.
The first time I watched the video, I thought there was no sound (headphone plugged into the computer, turns out) – intentional choice on his part, I concluded. So… I got to experience what those bystanders do – and it’s a bit like watching everyone enjoy a good joke you don’t get. With the music, it’s no more than any night in a packed club or party – only the setting is different. I’m not sure I’m sold đŸ˜‰
Clever, yes. Invigorating and exuberant? Not so much. An example of a staged dance that I did find exuberant would be the Jai Ho conclusion of Slumdog Millionaire, and that works because you’ve just gone on such a tremendous and daunting journey with those characters that to see them break out in dance just makes you happy. Perhaps if I’d seen Dancing Davey’s tragic back story, this video would inspire me more.
Regardless, if you want to experience such a moment in your lifetime, then head over to the local mall, put on your iPod and get dancing. Seems easy enough to accomplish if it’s something you would value doing. Oh, and let me know when you’re going to do it, so I can come videotape đŸ˜‰
I think the act of dancing like nobody is watching when lots of people are watching is pretty exuberant. Having a group of people join in takes away from the ‘letting it all hang out’-ness of it all, but I still find it pretty great.
Dancing, planned or not, is pure exuberance.