Honestly, I do not expect anybody to actually take this. I will explain why in a moment.
Once again, I'm not participating because I have neither the time nor the resources immediately available to do this.
Anyway, I've remarked now and again that the constant attempts to shut down religion and politics in magic is kind of stupid. Better to smack down those who can't be mature about it than to assume we're all a bunch of inarticulate, uninformed troglodytes. And I've seen that this forum has a love of mixing the spectacle of magic with music, most likely inspired by the manipulation artistry scene. Since one of my heroes is Peter Gabriel, I fully support the idea of letting the theater of magic and mentalism cross with other media to create new and interesting presentations.
Which brings me to the topic of this battle. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it is to break new ground in magic and mentalism by taking a huge risk with one of the most controversial topics of all time. I want you to pick one of the following songs and do an appropriately choreographed routine to it:
Angel of Death - Slayer
Red Sector A - Rush
The Flowers of Guatemala - REM
Get Clean - Anarchy Club
Beds Are Burning - Midnight Oil
With God on Our Side - Bob Dylan
Ilsa Koch - Woodie Guthrie
If you're familiar with any of these songs, then you've already figured it out. All are songs about genocide and/or the Holocaust.
This brings me to why I don't think anyone will take this challenge. I have to confess when the thought first crossed my mind I felt dirty. But why should the theater of magic be inappropriate for sociopolitical topics, even one this bleak? People don't take it seriously enough. We haven't done anything to make them believe that the magic community is capable of true artistic expression.
That needs to change. This battle certainly isn't going to be the first step in changing that trend by any stretch of the imagination. But we do need to stop playing it safe.
If you are considering taking this challenge, I beg of you to do real historical research and plan this as meticulously as possible. Don't just break out a deck of cards or a handful of coins and consult your DVD library. Consider your message first and the vehicle for conveying it second. I understand that for some it's going to be very scary approaching a sociopolitical topic with magic. But that should only motivate you to make sure you do it right.
To state for a third and final time, I am not expecting anyone to actually take this challenge. You should only take it if you feel that magic truly is an art, that you are ready to make a real artistic statement, and you truly believe that this is a subject you need to make people more aware of. Do not even consider taking this challenge if this subject is not important to you.
Thank you.
Once again, I'm not participating because I have neither the time nor the resources immediately available to do this.
Anyway, I've remarked now and again that the constant attempts to shut down religion and politics in magic is kind of stupid. Better to smack down those who can't be mature about it than to assume we're all a bunch of inarticulate, uninformed troglodytes. And I've seen that this forum has a love of mixing the spectacle of magic with music, most likely inspired by the manipulation artistry scene. Since one of my heroes is Peter Gabriel, I fully support the idea of letting the theater of magic and mentalism cross with other media to create new and interesting presentations.
Which brings me to the topic of this battle. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it is to break new ground in magic and mentalism by taking a huge risk with one of the most controversial topics of all time. I want you to pick one of the following songs and do an appropriately choreographed routine to it:
Angel of Death - Slayer
Red Sector A - Rush
The Flowers of Guatemala - REM
Get Clean - Anarchy Club
Beds Are Burning - Midnight Oil
With God on Our Side - Bob Dylan
Ilsa Koch - Woodie Guthrie
If you're familiar with any of these songs, then you've already figured it out. All are songs about genocide and/or the Holocaust.
This brings me to why I don't think anyone will take this challenge. I have to confess when the thought first crossed my mind I felt dirty. But why should the theater of magic be inappropriate for sociopolitical topics, even one this bleak? People don't take it seriously enough. We haven't done anything to make them believe that the magic community is capable of true artistic expression.
That needs to change. This battle certainly isn't going to be the first step in changing that trend by any stretch of the imagination. But we do need to stop playing it safe.
If you are considering taking this challenge, I beg of you to do real historical research and plan this as meticulously as possible. Don't just break out a deck of cards or a handful of coins and consult your DVD library. Consider your message first and the vehicle for conveying it second. I understand that for some it's going to be very scary approaching a sociopolitical topic with magic. But that should only motivate you to make sure you do it right.
To state for a third and final time, I am not expecting anyone to actually take this challenge. You should only take it if you feel that magic truly is an art, that you are ready to make a real artistic statement, and you truly believe that this is a subject you need to make people more aware of. Do not even consider taking this challenge if this subject is not important to you.
Thank you.
