Okay, I admit it. I heard about the WAP song via NPR. It's kind of perfect if you think about it. Me = mid-forties listening to NPR on the way home from a 9-5 job and learning about this one week old song. Feeling slightly embarrassed while listening, and knowing that is part of the appeal of the whole thing. I played the song for my husband and we both giggled and stared at each other with wide eyes. On NPR they suggested that this might be song people need during quarantine to spice things up at home. Maybe so?

I just watched the music video. Oh man, it is a whopper. The breast fountains, exotic animals, choreography, wardrobe, set design, etc are all off the chain. Absolutely enthralling. Is it feminism? Is it pure objectification of women as sex objects? Have we entered a new world where there is power in the invitation to look? Has it always been the way? What are the boundaries between oversharing and exploitation? 

There is a freedom in the dancers here, but also a questionable approach to exotic dancing becoming merely used for commercial uses. Who gains and who loses power here? When all become more free with our sensuality and sexuality, does it just kind of even out? Maybe so.

But what about this video being available for all ages to see? Are there dangers with having this kind of freedom, voyeurism, capitalization of sexuality just hanging out there? I don't want my elementary school son to stumble across this video on YouTube. Also, please don't get me started on dance studios using this song for kids to compete to at competitions. 

I guess I'm thinking this all quite complicated. I LOVE the freedom in the song. I rather ADORE the choreography. I think the set design is crazy awesome. But, I also fear this world and its implications for the future of what sells what, who has real power, and who is really winning. For now, I'll listen and enjoy, try to open up more, and make sure there are childproof settings on the tech in our house. 

For this week's #mondaymusicvideomoves I bring to you...Tequila! I loved this part of Pee Wee's Big Adventure when I was in middle school, and I adore it just as much now. Such a funny mix of freedom, body control, wardrobe, spacing, and social dynamics. 

I'm working on creating my first Tik Tok video with a Pee Wee's Tequila Dance Challenge. Please join in when it gets released!

I love dance. I love film. I love art that can both communicate and entertain. I'm picking back up with a series that I began in the summer of 2018 entitled Monday Music Video Moves. For this weekly curation, I choose music videos that utilize choreography, costumes, and performance to help push along their songs. 

This week's video is Still Feel by Half-Alive (a Long Beach, CA band with moves and music indeed!). The choreography, spacing, and costume changes are simply amazing. #mondaymusicvideomoves