Re: Outstanding performances do convert evenpeople without taste

Posted by Megha on November 13, 2007 at 22:02:51:

In Reply to: Outstanding performances do convert evenpeople without taste posted by Janeni on November 13, 2007 at 20:59:47:

Ok, i just want to add some more dimensions to this discussion...

there are a number of different posts on that video and it is beautiful and awe striking ...

if the most beautiful dancer dances everyday, do you think that audiences will pay to go see them? Audiences need variety. There is place for all kinds of dancers. Each dancer makes others happy and we all have a right to try. Payment or no payment.

That aside, i have seen several posts on you tube where the normal person thinks it is great dance but there are a few who say that the performance is 'audience friendly' and seems that the purpose of the dance is to showcase the ability of the dancer...

and then there are attempts to bring divinity alive through bharatanatyam where the dance is greater than the dancer... there is a meditative quality to the presentation and the choreography is truly inspired ...

The latter in my opinion is beautiful Bharatanatyam but to many - pretty boring. And yes, the audience for that is very few. It is a whole frame of mind and style of living of the patron of art in question. People like - in your face - art more and by showing them that, you can convert and get material success. But very soon, the technique becomes boring and what was once awesome is predictable. Poeple get bored of everything... and they stop paying.. So it is really upto each artist to create a following for herself... She or He should stretch their imagination, put themselves in the audiences shoes and come up with new things to keep it entertaining.

The other way to get paying programs is to travel. Then you get to meet newer audiences and that keeps your purse full...but there is a lot of work that has to go into building contacts.

Organizers of concerts do so because they are at some level artists themselves or want to raise funds for a cause. If you are a big artist and can make money for them, then you get invitations to dance. But once you take the money, you have to dance wherever they put up the stage... People may be eating or the stage may be open in the garden etc. etc. people may move in and out and may also talk. If the smaller organization organizes the concert, then there are 50 people in the audience even for big artistes of incredible calibre...

I was thinking how the economics worked in olden days... Particularly - the model of - house concerts. Where just a few regular members gathered to patronize the artiste. There is a regular performance, flexibility of schedule for the artist and incredible experience for the audience because they are seated so close...

But then, it is no longer a stage craft and it becomes kind of funny socially if the patrons come back each day and seek the artists friendship etc. It will become too much of a headache.