April 10^th,2008  a Thursday

Today I am thinking about “the” world, not just “my” world, because of two experiences I had yesterday.  The first was a cool documentary called “Planet B-Boy”. It was about breakdancing in different cultures and the Battle of the Year that takes place in Germany to determine the best dance team in the whole world.  Most of these guys are really poor and there is no money to be made in this kind of dance (unless you win the Battle) even though some consider them to be the best dancers on the planet (see name of the movie).  They practice in malls and perform on the street and the dance burns inside them.  Of course the dancing in the movie was unbelievable but their personal stories were like lessons in life around the world.  My favorite dancer was from the Japanese team. His father died, leaving him, his younger brother and his Mom to tend the family green tea business.   They worked and spoke quietly and even when they talked about how much they missed the Dad, they didn’t show hardly any emotion.  But you could tell it was there, the tears just behind their eyes.  The dancer said that he honored the memory of his Dad with his dancing and that is what inspired him to dance from his soul.  Before he left for Germany, he and his Mom and his brother stood in their little store and spoke about this accomplishment.  The brother said he was very proud.  The Mom quietly said that she told her son to use his talent to express his creativity and his soul and not to be concerned with winning or greed because if he did that, it would show in his dancing.  The dancer seemed very moved by his mother’s words and said he did not realize how much his mother understood him.  He said he danced for the love and honor of his family.  They were all overcome with emotion but stood still with a few feet between them, never reaching out for a hug or letting the tears flow.  This emotional restraint was heartbreaking and inspiring.  His team made the top four in Germany. The teams from the other countries who did not win first place were bitter and angry, saying that only first place had meaning and they disagreed with the judges.  The Japanese team did not win the Battle (they were in a dance-off as one of the top two teams and I think the judges made a mistake) but did win Best Show award and our dancer was very, very happy with that.  At the end, they told what the teams were doing one year after the Battle.  The winning team from Korea was on tour.  The others were still training and starving and hoping to go back and win next year.  But the Japanese team had retired and moved on with their lives, happy with their accomplishment.  After I saw this movie, I put on my kimono (over my peace shirt) in honor of the Japanese culture.  (I look really cute in it, too.)

Then there was the American Idol Gives Back show. Last year we were so inspired by this event that we went right upstairs and donated money.  (And will again this year.)  But the show itself was pretty disappointing.  There was a breakdancing number at the beginning (not nearly as good as the dancing in the movie) with the current Idols trying to participate and even Ryan getting a little groove on (ugh). Who thought breakdancing was a good opening to such a serious evening with a bunch of scantily clad, overexcited performers anyway? Where is the Brooklyn Boys Choir when you need them? And putting those Idols on stage with Apple laptops and phones?  And then Heart, the two girl band from long ago, had the heart to come out and play guitar and sing even though they are definitely older and much bigger. She can still belt out that song though and I was enjoying it until Fergie came slutting out (I mean strutting out) in a catsuit and took over the song.  That poor Heart singer looked horrified when this happened, almost like she didn’t know it was coming.  Maybe Fergie just decided on her own to conduct this hostile takeover, this coup. Then she wiggled in between the sisters and she is lucky to have survived that maneuver.  Those two ladies could have really beat her down if they wanted to.  But what did all this have to do with HIV AIDS and poor children?  And how sad is it that we have to raise money on American Idol to take care of children who are suffering in America, our own country.  What’s up with that?  Hats off to Bono though because he has been doing this for a long while and not just when American Idol Gives Back comes around.  He really cares and inspires us to do the same both with his music and his actions.  (Lose the shades, though, Bono.)  I think AI underestimates all of us by thinking that they have to throw pop stars at us to keep our attention focused on the starving children of the world. They don’t have to, do they? 

GR