Matt Harding was a video-game designer in his early 20s, traveling the world. On a whim, he put together the now-immortal video “Where the Hell Is Matt?” It consisted entirely of short clips of Matt, a non-dancer, doing his “stupid dance” in one famous world location after another, edited to a great, soaring song. The result had a power, a universality, a happiness, that drove it to become one of YouTube’s most popular videos. As a result, NTOs even paid Matt to dance in their country!
Every couple of years, Matt has followed up with another similar. Each time, he raised the stakes: underwater dancing, zero-gravity dancing, dancing with other people in each country… And in 2012 Matt released his new video. It was a big departure — and it was a masterpiece.
This time, it’s not Matt just swinging his arms, stepping in place. This time, he actually learned to dance, often in the style of the country he was visiting. As a result, there’s a feeling of collaboration, of immersion, that wasn’t in the earlier videos. The kicker is the final shot. After all those joyous, wordless clips from 50 countries, the final scene is perfection. And it’s hard not to tear up… isn’t it?
Click on this link and watch the video: Where the hell's Matt? (also available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwe-pA6TaZk). You’ll probably need a couple of viewings. You might also want to watch the funny outtakes. Afterwards, make your comments regarding the role of Matt’s videos in terms of:
-The promotion of tourist destinations.
-The raising of cross-cultural awareness, cultural integration and the question of authenticity vs. trivialization when representing local cultures.
-Political correctness (Matt blurred the dancers’ faces in Syria for their safety).
-Transformational tourism: how can travel and tourism deliver experiences that teach us values of altruism, tolerance, honesty, morality, peace, justice, and service to others? How can travel and tourism help us with personal growth, inner development, self-actualization, and social and cultural transformation?
-Any other topic you consider relevant enough.
Did you like the video?
Adapted from Pogue’s Posts, by David Pogue
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/12/behind-the-dancing-matt-videos/?_r=0
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5 comentarios:
I'm very suprised to watch that this man traveller around the world dancing and makes a excellent performance with people of different countries. I consider important that not only travel and dancing in rich countries but I was watch that he dance with black people, poor families, children and other social level of different countries such as Zambia, Mali or Bhutan and I think that this video is positive to promove the social and racial integration in all cultures of the world.
In my opinion, the Matt’s video is much more than a video. It is a clear example that the happiness exists.
Now a day, the world is submerged in an economical crisis. As a resultant, everybody is sad and hopeless.
But there are one moment, during few minutes, that it is possible to leave the problems and share a good moments with our friends and family.
When we dancing, we forget the bad experiences of our life and we spend a happiness moment.
The video have reflected that, for many setbacks that we have, it is possible go straight on.
We can see in the video a different people located in different countries and Matt go across all of them. It is a good example of caring tourist. He hasn’t needed to spend money in a luxury hotel, or has eaten in the best restaurants of the word. He searches for to dance to the tune of the life. And I congratulate him on it. Thanks Matt.
From my point of view, this video conveys hope. The hope that a better world is possible.
In this case we get that from a few simple movements or dances hundreds of people together for one cause.
It is a video which shows a clear respect for the customs and styles of each people, bringing out the best side of each of them. The protagonist makes the learning of others, assimilating and adding to your experience dances from different cultures, and that really is what everyone should do.
Matt gets beyond cultures, races or simple towns or cities, and get a spectacular fusion.
I think traveling is that, is to go beyond. Go beyond about 4 walls (hotels) and go beyond a few tour packages with all inclusive.
When you travel, you must mingle, soak up the culture and living experiences, and Matt manages to convey all that in this video.
This video is a good way to remember his trips and contact the cultures, people and show the importance of tolerance and equality.
We can see that the integration is possible if everyone make an effort and most importantly, respect for all cultures.
Indirectly, he makes a tourist promotion of the destinations where he has been traveling and this may have helped those countries that need it through tourism.
About the dancer's faces of Syria, I think it is right because it is for their safety and to ensure their protection although it is sad because that makes you believe they are insecure in their own country for political issues.
In my opinion the best way to travel to feel good about yourself and really know a destination is to live it from the inside, to know the worst and the best, interact with all kinds of people and see the way of life.
In my opinion, the Matt’s video helps us understand what we can and we shouldn’t be afraid of what is different. Matt tries to promote integration, tolerance and equality of all cultures and races. On the other hand, I think the video shows the importance of the townspeople against tourist icons because people teach you their customs, culture and style, through their experiences. In conclusion, Matt gets to transmit this philosophy in his amazing video.
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