Man Yung is always optimistic. Or perhaps masochistic. Anyway, he still scours Youtube for the newest, shiniest videos of exhibitions from the newest, shiniest, international tango "superstars" for something good. "If there is something watchable, or even one thing I could learn, it would be worth it!" he says enthusiastically.
What? Watch hours of aggressive adornation, frantic flailing or spastic spinning from couples who either "Dance Exactly Like Each Other" or who "Promote pushing the boundaries of new tango movement...Right into your shins"? I've given up long ago.
Recently, Man Yung sat down with a cup of coffee and tried to watch a whole slew of exhibitions - red hot off the festival circuit.
It was one of those "I told you so" moments.
"I couldn't finish watching even ONE!" Man Yung complained. "A few seconds into every single one of these videos and I would have to turn the video off immediately from being uttering appalled at the lack of music, lack of grace, lack of emotion, or pure and simple ugliness of the stuff they were doing on the dance floor! I couldn't watch any of the performances past the half-way mark!"
"Aha!" I said. "I've been telling you all along, you are wasting your time! You are lucky, though," I added.
"What do you mean?"
"Watching on the computer, you can STOP ANYTIME. If you can't resist browsing through the mountain of garbage on Youtube, at least you can stop and go to the next video before it gave you brain damage. Imagine, a few years ago, if you were watching on a VCR or DVD player, you will have to take eons to FAST FORWARD or skip through the crap to get to the good bits. And before the invention of all these modern gadgets, the only way you could watch tango would be to be there in person. Then, you wouldn't be able to escape if you encounter something horrific - you would have to watch the whole thing and have it burned into your brain! Believe me, with the miracle advances of modern technology you have it good!"*
* In fact modern technology is so miraculous and good, it even knows when to turn the video off before Man Yung does. Man Yung has a 1st generation iPad and it is starting to have a mind of its own. Sometimes, when Man Yung is watching, the iPad would flash, shut the video down and take him right back to the home screen. Man Yung gives up after the iPad kicks him out of Youtube a few more times, and Man Yung's day would become 500% more productive with life enriching activities like playing with the cats or watching World Cup soccer. Go Argentina!
1 comment:
Ha! Well said, Irene!
Post a Comment