The dancer who didn’t have any legs, in my opinion, helped get the point across the strongest. When you hear dance, you automatically think “leg movement”… or at least that’s what pops in my head. When I did dance we learned the ‘steps’ first and the ‘arm positions’ after. The legs were the most important, but in this case, she proved everyone wrong. The amount of upper body strength needed to do that in the first place blows my mind! I can’t imagine dancing with my arms like that. Another dancer who I found very interesting was the dancer who only had one arm. She showed so much movement with that one arm you didn’t need a second one! That sounds a little weird, but that’s the best way I can get it across. She put so much passion behind her movements that it was more than just dancing, it was a story.
Dances like this can address disabilities because it shows that people with disabilities can do just as much stuff as people who don’t have disabilities can do, just in a different way.
Gimp is probably one of the more powerful ways for disabled people to get their story across. Instead of thinking of what they can't do, now people can see what they can do. As you mentioned, the woman dancing with just her arms was amazing. This almost constradicts the idea that these people are not able, for they are able to do things people with legs and arms do not have the strength to do. If you asked me to dance on my arms I would probably last five seconds.
ReplyDeleteI agree videos like Gimp is a great way to show their potential to the society who discriminate them because of the disability they have and look down on them. They just had some amazing talent and instead of looking what they can't do they can see what they can do. This is just so positive outlook for life.
ReplyDeleteI danced for several years as well and the first main thing you learn is the basics with your feet. The video Gimp shows that even if you don't have legs you can still learn the basics just as well. It amazed me what the lady with no legs could do. She definitely got the point across the strongest as well as the lady with one arm. The best way for people to understand that people with disabilities are just as capable is by showing and proving it.
ReplyDeleteI thought the aerial dance with the girl who didn't have any legs was one of strongest ways the video presented the issues of ableism. I thought this video was really empowering and symbolic, portraying the human body has being powerful in many different ways.
ReplyDeleteI agree also that the woman without legs was powerful for the video. Ableism is a new ism to me but I think that the people who are looking beyond their disabilities and just continuing with their lives like the people in this video are, are really powerful statements to other disabled people who may feel discouraged.
ReplyDeleteThere’s a documentary on a paraplegic rugby team called Murderball. A friend of one of the rugby players ,Mark Zupan, said, “When Mark became paraplegic he didn’t lose his competitive spirit. If anything, it got stronger.” I feel that people who over come their disabilities posses a passion to live. In that regard, I sometimes feel like the disabled one. Especially after watching Gimp and seeing these dancers make these seemingly effortless movements.
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