This is probably what Dyer had in mind when he discussed his great feeling of inferiority while dancing the "Soul Train" line in the disco with this black comrades. Eddie Murphy (excuse the language, but this is just how he does comedy).
http://youtu.be/KsyYuFv5ltc
First of all, Eddy Murphy's "Raw" is one of the funniest stand-up comedy performances ever. Good call.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, this harkens me back to a great essay that I read with for a course I took with (THE) Richard Leppert that I believe was called "White Boys Dancing." It argued that the reason that white people - specifically men - couldn't dance well is because minorities were more likely to grow up in neighborhoods where carrying your body in a confident manner was a means of self-defense. Walking with a "swagger" projected a physicality that reads as "don't f*** with me because I can defend myself." The author argued that this physical agency translated to the dance floor.
Similarly, white women are better dancers than men because of their history of social disadvantage. Women learn how to use their bodies (putting it bluntly) to get what they want. Just look at the difference between the way a female runway model walks the catwalk as opposed to male models. The confident control of the hips will also obviously transfer to the dance floor.
Thanks Chris. You are pretty lucky you were able to take a course with Richard. I think he is teaching another one next semester as well, but not on Music as Discourse. As for "Raw" being the funniest, I have to disagree. Eddie Murphy's "Delirous" is the best. LOL
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