Viewed Videos and Responses

La Pocha Nostra: Guillermo Gomez Pena

Guillermo Gomez Pena’s work is incredibly raw and honest.  The subject matter was very political.  I wished the video had focused more on the performance rather than the artists’ and audience’s emotional reactions to it, because I felt that I was responding to what I was hearing from them, not what I was seeing myself.


Our lady of Detritus, Interpretation in Dance: Jill Sigman

I kind of loved the excerpts from Our Lady of Detritus.  My favorite moment was when the woman in the wheelbarrow said, “you can go scuba diving with the fish, and then you can eat them at the same time!”  Cracked me up.  I loved the way she interacted with the audience in a very real way, despite being so overly-styled.

I also agreed a lot with what Sigman had to say about interpretation.  I also feel that a lot of people put unnecessary pressure on “getting it right” and I think that hurts the work and the audience’s experience of it.  I strongly believe that the work is whatever you get from it; no more, no less.


Palo Buggiani 

I loved the video of Buggiani on the bicycle.  There was something oddly soothing about watching a man bike down the street with fire behind him.  I also really appreciated the other video and the kind of work he has been doing with fire.  Talk about pyromania!


Charlotte Moorman, Playing TV with Cello: Nam June Paik

I have heard Moorman in an interview talk about how she went to Juilliard to study cello and instead wound up working with Nam June Paik.  The TV cello, and how she played it, was certainly revolutionary.  I couldn’t help but read one of the comments on the video: “Lady Gaga?”  Well, not exactly, but I’m sure Gaga is very much aware of Paik’s work with Moorman.



When I looked at the site, the video of Burning Man had been taken down.  However, I did get the chance to watch the video “How to tell a story” from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, which was very informative.  They talked about how a good story works because each event is caused by the one before it.  Simply stringing a lot of ideas together does not work.

On another note, I am totally committed to going to Burning Man one day.  Definitely on my bucket list.


Dance a Day: Boris Willis

The idea is interesting: creating a dance everyday.  Frankly, it’s something we should all be aspiring to.  Besides the idea itself, I really wasn’t all that interested in the project or its videos.


Meat Joy: Carolee Scheenmann

To call Scheenmann’s work “raw” is an understatement.  Her materials are, well, mostly raw meat and fish, as well as other inorganic materials.  For me, this is not a performance I could watch.  I get disgusted by this sort of thing.  This is not to say that it doesn’t have artistic merit - it absolutely does - but I personally can’t sit through a performance like this.