And another one, taking his statement about dance being like a language and relating it to your thread about incorporating sign language into dancing. These are two very different things (and in fact he says language can be limited, and sign language is a formal language with set symbols).
No, they're not very different things at all. Language is a form of communication. Dance can be a form of communication, too. Dance can also be very whimsical, and I made a whimsical comment. There's no federal crime here.
Nowhere did I suggest that Frankie Martinez should stop in the middle of a dance and start signing. I simply have an interest in sign language AND in dance as a form of communication, so I thought it was cool to see a star performer promote dance as a
language.
It just strikes me every time I see people jumping to conclusions that validate their own view and interpretation of the world . . .
Who's talking about an interpretation of the WORLD??? You're over-reacting in the extreme.
I wrote my article somewhat tongue-in-cheek. For example, I said Frankie Martinez and I are almost joined at the hip when he's a famous dancer, and I can't dance at all. Reading between the lines, I focused on a series of coincidences that I thought made an interesting story - FM and I were both in the Navy, which took both of us to Florida, and I had a friend named Frank Martinez who lived in NYC at the very time salsa was born.
I also noted that Frankie Martinez seems to share some of my views - views that aren't terribly popular among the mainstream. Of course, when I say certain things, people ignore me. But when a superstar says the same thing, it's "food for thought."
Well, I couldn't agree more. It gave me a lot to think about - and write about.
What Frankie Martinez said in his interview is very clear - he cares about salsa's roots, feels nostalgia for the 1960s/70s, etc. Most people don't give a rat's ass about salsa's roots, so FM's statement really caught my attention. I think it's cool.
FM doesn't give us 10,000 specifics, and I don't think it's a crime for mature adults to try and fill in the blanks with a few intelligent guesses.
For example, any intelligent person might guess FM
might be a little political and/or he might appreciate my comments about combining dance and sign language. If he's apolitical and thinks sign language is the Mark of the Beast, big deal. I'm not writing a scientific thesis. Some dances flop, and some articles flop; that's life.
FM is also welcome to write an article condemning me and everything I believe in. It's called free speech.
What I wrote in my article is equally clear. I like Frankie Martinez' views, which seem to largely correspond to my views. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who'd like their superstars to suck up to commercialization and pretend the contemporary salsa scene is too cool to criticize.
But not everyone agrees. Viva la difference.
I would be interested in hearing people's thoughts.
