From ceremony and ritual in a culture that at first glance may seem devoid of them, to rites of passage specifically, I explored the back ground and inspiration for the spontaneous expression of joy known as Happy Dance. I abridged and defined what does, and does not qualify as a true happy dance. I made detailed descriptions of the genuine happy dances I was able to observe. But I have been stumped on how to capture authentic happy dances on film. How can I anticipate them without manipulating outcomes or contriving and recreating scenarios?
Recently I received interacted with some class mates from last spring quarter. One of them suggested that perhaps by narrowing my scope to much, I am in fact trying to play God, and that I need to stay open to where the material and process of discovery wants to take me. So rather than focus solely on happy dances I need to continue to include and consider other forms of ceremony and ritual in my ponderings and directly observable, experiential learning.
About two days later I got an email from another classmate who viewed my blog. The feedback she provided was very encouraging and supportive. She also suggested destinations I could visit to have a better chance of capturing spontaneous Happy Dances on Film. Places like Disney Land, and theme parks, dog parks and cultural events, and even tourist locations. This is very helpful, even though a part of me remains dubious. Especially because the ice cream parlor was a huge and mysterious let down.
Our popular culture knows and makes references to Happy Dance all the time. While the supposed happy dance in this clip is very obviously contrived as part of the show the actors are performing, it is a reference in popular culture television to the phenomenon.
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