Shake your YouTube hit maker
January 4, 2013 5:58 AM   Subscribe

 
TSA is watching.
posted by Optamystic at 6:02 AM on January 4, 2013 [5 favorites]


Elaine, is that you?
posted by HuronBob at 6:03 AM on January 4, 2013 [6 favorites]


Pretty much nothing to not like here.
posted by gwint at 6:03 AM on January 4, 2013


You might remember Angela Trimbur better as "Michelle Obama" from this FPP of "Barack Obama" dancing to the Two Door Cinema Club.
posted by MuffinMan at 6:04 AM on January 4, 2013


She's an actress. She wants everyone to be watching. And yet, in the top video, practically no one is. Win-win?
posted by psoas at 6:05 AM on January 4, 2013 [12 favorites]


Dance like you don't need the money.
posted by Floydd at 6:06 AM on January 4, 2013 [3 favorites]


Oh I thought it was going to be genuine and natural...
posted by Increase at 6:09 AM on January 4, 2013 [8 favorites]


She dances like everyone is watching. Nice but quite theatrical.
posted by springload at 6:10 AM on January 4, 2013 [4 favorites]


Dance like the internet is watching.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 6:10 AM on January 4, 2013 [7 favorites]


Well, on the bright side, these videos have definitively established for me that those high-waisted, slim-fitting pants worn with cropped tops really don't flatter anyone, no matter how slim and shapely that person might be.

It's also established that I have a much lower tolerance to whimsical twee than I used to. I couldn't get past feeling bad for the people she was (literally) dancing circles around.
posted by MeghanC at 6:14 AM on January 4, 2013 [21 favorites]


Um, in the first one at least, it doesn't really look like anyone IS watching.

In certain environments, such as in a crowded airport where people are trying to navigate at different speeds, I could see this actually being annoying.
posted by kinnakeet at 6:16 AM on January 4, 2013


I like the dance and I like the pants.
posted by beau jackson at 6:21 AM on January 4, 2013 [6 favorites]


Sort of missing the point, isn't she?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:22 AM on January 4, 2013 [1 favorite]


Too frantic, if I were in the airport I'd walk up to the chick and tell her to chill the fuck out!
posted by mareli at 6:24 AM on January 4, 2013


I'm sad every single time I'm standing in a boring line in a depressing, stressful place and somebody doesn't dance like no one is watching! It pretty much never happens, but I want it to! I would clap and cheer.

The most exciting thing that ever happened to me was when I got to help a blind guy in a bank. Everyone else there acted like they didn't see him, too. Weird.
posted by taz at 6:24 AM on January 4, 2013 [7 favorites]


What psoas said. I saw "actress" in the description and immediately thought "well, of course."
posted by gcbv at 6:28 AM on January 4, 2013


A variant of the dancing like nobody is watching game is to go somewhere like France, walk into a mini supermarket, and marvel at how the piped music has an anglophone rap artist outlining his entire sexual repertoire in great detail as little old ladies shop the aisles for pet food, none the wiser.
posted by MuffinMan at 6:31 AM on January 4, 2013 [7 favorites]


An actor doing a stunt in public for the sake of publicity. Sure, it looks like fun, whatever, but let's not pretend anyone's taking a stand against the banality of modern existence or anything, here.

Actors gonna act.
posted by adamdschneider at 6:36 AM on January 4, 2013 [7 favorites]


An actor doing a stunt in public for the sake of publicity. Sure, it looks like fun, whatever, but let's not pretend anyone's taking a stand against the banality of modern existence or anything, here.

Why must the two necessarily be mutually exclusive?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 6:39 AM on January 4, 2013 [3 favorites]


This one is better. girl walk // all day
posted by DarkForest at 6:41 AM on January 4, 2013 [4 favorites]


Reminds me of this amazing video, which I hope I can link to without awakening the anti-hipster/anti-Williamsburg brigades. It's like a perfect microcosm of, uh, something. Wait for the end.
posted by dirtdirt at 6:41 AM on January 4, 2013 [6 favorites]


I kind of feel bad for the dude in the hat who stoically stares forwards, seemingly wanting nothing more than to be left alone. "Dance like noone's watching" fails when you deliberately interact with people.

That said, she's adorable and I love the sentiment.
posted by moviehawk at 6:43 AM on January 4, 2013


I feel anxious about her rolling around on the floor. Airports are filthy!
posted by something something at 6:44 AM on January 4, 2013


Sweet fancy Moses!
posted by usonian at 6:45 AM on January 4, 2013


Nice dancing, crappy unflattering pants.
That'll be all.
posted by Too-Ticky at 6:52 AM on January 4, 2013


Dance? Like, no. One is watching.
posted by obscurator at 6:53 AM on January 4, 2013 [7 favorites]


I always enjoy pondering (but not actually testing) the question of how far away do you have to get from an expected behaviour in a given space before people have to give up pretending not to notice. In the airport, the people around her absolutely notice. But they're also working hard to maintain their cool, as if to emphasize that she is acting outside the norm. It's a common response to the unexpected. So I enjoy seeing that button pushed.

Of course she's doing it to grow her profile. But I don't have to care about that. Carry on, crazy dance girl.
posted by dry white toast at 6:53 AM on January 4, 2013 [5 favorites]


The whole "performance for a later audience who are in on the joke" aspect reminds me of Joshua Bell playing in the DC Metro. Except here, there's no way that the people watching the performance could have appreciated it as art. If they paid attention at all, they probably thought Trimbur was nuts.

I'm not sure if that makes their indifference more or less ironic.
posted by R. Schlock at 6:55 AM on January 4, 2013


I have this weird habit of doing little dances in the grocery store; something about the classic music and hard floors that does it for me.
I liked everything about this except the title, which seems to be garnering the most comments here.

Personally, I like to think I'd try to dance alongside her, although I suppose it would help to be able to hear the music...

(Based on the FPP, I thought this was a candid video of a woman dancing un-selfconsciously in an airport. That would have been amazing.)
posted by staccato signals of constant information at 7:02 AM on January 4, 2013 [1 favorite]


I'm all for random dancing, even stunt dancing intended to generate YouTube hits, but something about forcing people waiting at baggage claim to be your audience grates on me. I like the mall video, though.

I love grocery store and street corner dancers, even the ones who dance like someone is watching and try to be furtive about it.
posted by EvaDestruction at 7:07 AM on January 4, 2013


I always enjoy pondering (but not actually testing) the question of how far away do you have to get from an expected behaviour in a given space before people have to give up pretending not to notice. In the airport, the people around her absolutely notice. But they're also working hard to maintain their cool, as if to emphasize that she is acting outside the norm.

This is such a classic LA thing in particular. I was having dinner once in a tiny, crowded Mexican restaurant when Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston walked in and sat down in the midst of the packed dining room. Watching everyone try so hard to pretend they didn't notice or care was one of the funniest things I have ever seen.
posted by something something at 7:09 AM on January 4, 2013 [1 favorite]


To be fair, "Dance like nobody's watching" is not the same as "Dance while nobody's watching."
Dancing like nobody's watching when nobody's watching is a piece of cake.
The point is to release your inhibitions despite being in the middle of a crowd, and she does that.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:09 AM on January 4, 2013 [2 favorites]


I know this is totally wrong to say but damn, I love white people.
posted by RedShrek at 7:10 AM on January 4, 2013 [2 favorites]


God this would be so fucking irritating.
posted by docpops at 7:21 AM on January 4, 2013 [1 favorite]


Didn't see shorty twerk -. (Accompanying video probably NFSW).
posted by incandissonance at 7:26 AM on January 4, 2013


Wait for the end.

I just wasted two minutes of my life and all I saw was a dancing chicken.
posted by DU at 7:27 AM on January 4, 2013 [3 favorites]


so ... erm ... laughingsquid / RUSTY BLAZENHOFF is basically a grassroots Marketing PR wank for, in the case of this video, www.hellogiggles.com

must be a slow news week.
posted by jannw at 7:33 AM on January 4, 2013


something about forcing people waiting at baggage claim to be your audience grates on me.
Yeah, kudos to people who can dance/sing/whatever in public with absolute confidence, but my gut reaction to "hostage audience" stuff like this (wasn't there another FPP about a choral group breaking into song on a subway?) is a kind of mingled annoyance and mortification.
posted by usonian at 7:33 AM on January 4, 2013 [2 favorites]


those high-waisted, slim-fitting pants worn with cropped tops really don't flatter anyone, no matter how slim and shapely that person might be.

Sorry, they're iconic of the manic pixie dream girl uniform, as established by St. Audrey. They may be ugly, but they're as culturally essential as the white jumpsuit and gold glasses of the elvii.
posted by bonehead at 7:36 AM on January 4, 2013


Dance like you are filming yourself in a crowded airport for the purposes of going viral among people who are easily amused by self-conscious over-engineered twee.
posted by anazgnos at 7:39 AM on January 4, 2013 [8 favorites]


Can't really say as to how I would react but I would enjoy the performance. If I were at the mall I would probably chat her up and ask her to have a coffee. The airport has a purpose so I wouldn't most likely flirt but entertainment while standing in line what is not to like. The airport lighting was disastrous for her outfit which appeared to have
had a maillot under her leotard not very flattering.
posted by pdxpogo at 7:41 AM on January 4, 2013


It would absolutely be fun to watch live, but DLNOIW kinda precludes filming it. You just... dance.

I have zero problem with this, except for the labeling.
posted by edgeways at 7:45 AM on January 4, 2013


...people who are easily amused by self-conscious over-engineered twee.

More like "finished reading the book Columbine (which was about the 1999 mass shooting at a high school) as a way of trying to understand the recent Newtown shootings, consider what both events have to say about capacity to hurt and to heal, look for something to lighten the mood, come across a video and decide to share it".
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:50 AM on January 4, 2013 [2 favorites]




I have no problem with this, looks like fun, wish something like that would happen live to me because watching it is fun. However if I had seen this a year ago I would have been as grumpy as most of you. But in the past year I have seen youtube videos of people doing shit like dressing up as Batman and walking up to girls and saying "you make my dark knight rise." Getting upset about someone dancing in front of a "hostage audience" seems silly when casual sexual harassment is getting views. I guess my point is this dancing seems harmless to me and if I want to get all grar-y there's plenty of real harmful shit out there.

Let the people dance!
posted by M Edward at 8:03 AM on January 4, 2013


I had hoped it would be an elderly couple who notice a Strauss waltz piping through the terminal and, swimming in each other's eyes, play out in miniature the motions of a bygone grace. The terminal continues its enervating bustle and sag as the dancers, connected by the heart to an ancient night under glittering memory, truly dance like no one is watching.

But people are, in fact, watching. A young mother waiting for her connection stares unselfconsciously at them, a magazine forgotten in her lap while the ears of her imagination sing with the rustle of silk and the tinkle of crystal. A maintenance worker leans on a waste bin, remembering his aunt's wedding reception, his uncle's white patent leather shoes, the bandstand shining with trumpets and trombones, his doll-faced cousins laughing and growing up so quickly. A child no older than six puts down a Decepticon mid-menace, and the Hot Wheels Impala breathes a sigh of relief.

The child walks over to get a better look, almost crowding the dancers with curiosity. The Strauss comes to an end. The elderly man bows and kisses his wife's fingers. She giggles and blushes, just like she did when they met. They turn their eyes to the child and smile.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 8:08 AM on January 4, 2013 [12 favorites]


I dance in airports like nobody is watching, myself. On the train that goes from terminal to terminal. I have been known to circle the entire airport waiting for the car to empty out.

I don't know why it's so much fun, but it is. It's sort of like what this lady does, except I'm a large, bulbous, unattractive man with baggy clothing. And the trains often have a pole to work with. And I am not as good a dancer, but I do a lot more jazz hands. And I usually dance to LCD Soundsystem. And I am not an aspiring actor, but an engineer who is just having fun. And I'm not making strangers feel awkward. And I'm not fucking filming it for YouTube.

But otherwise, very similar. I recommend it.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 8:10 AM on January 4, 2013 [11 favorites]


If somebody does this without filming themselves - well, that's something I guess. When somebody does it for the sole purpose of filming themselves and putting it on YouTube and hoping it goes viral - that's not something I can get behind. This reminds me of a local event that actually had a "flash mob" listed as a scheduled act in the program.
posted by davebush at 8:16 AM on January 4, 2013 [6 favorites]


Seriously everyone scroll back up to dirtdirt's link and watch that shit. It is great.
posted by Aizkolari at 8:34 AM on January 4, 2013


Dance like you are intentionally recording something for mass distribution is a lot different than spontaneous expression of joie de vivre in a public space.
posted by mrdaneri at 8:36 AM on January 4, 2013 [1 favorite]


I do adore our modern capacity to completely ignore crazy-acting people in the public sphere. We're so jaded.
posted by RedEmma at 8:42 AM on January 4, 2013


I think the ability to ignore what we find uncomfortable or distasteful is a long-standing human capacity, not a modern development.

Not that I find this uncomfortable or distasteful, mind.
posted by Mister_A at 8:44 AM on January 4, 2013


Her other dance videos
posted by Ranucci at 8:52 AM on January 4, 2013


Holy fuck you people are grumps.

She's great. Happy, energetic, and she can really shake her ass. I'd love to meet her. And introduce her to Phil.
posted by dobbs at 9:02 AM on January 4, 2013 [2 favorites]


She's great. Happy, energetic, and...acting.
posted by adamdschneider at 9:16 AM on January 4, 2013 [2 favorites]


This reminds me that yesterday while walking my dog down my street in the afternoon, I heard accordion music. I live in a pretty residential area, so I was a bit confused. Then I saw this dude, walking down the street, playing his accordion and wearing a long nose venetian mask.

And yep, I crossed the street. Partially because I was worried my dog would jump on on the dude, but also because I was sincerely not interested in having an awkward interaction. I was pleasantly entertained, though.

So, do dance in public, but please leave me out of it. I'm a half-grump.
posted by fyrebelley at 9:17 AM on January 4, 2013


If she had not set out to do this as a stunt and someone had happened to capture her in the act, I wouldn't even bet commenting here. I am just so, so tired of how our culture has become ALL SELF-PROMOTION ALL THE TIME.
posted by adamdschneider at 9:18 AM on January 4, 2013 [2 favorites]


I hope she gives an IMDB credit to her choreographer.
posted by surplus at 9:30 AM on January 4, 2013


I was fine with it until halfway through the mall one she started grabbing random passersby and spinning them around. People who dance in public? Fine, if mildly annoying. People who get grabby in public? Not so fine.
posted by talitha_kumi at 9:39 AM on January 4, 2013


BURN THE DANCING WITCH!
posted by orme at 9:49 AM on January 4, 2013 [1 favorite]


Ponce like no can escape you.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:54 AM on January 4, 2013 [2 favorites]


I wonder if the Internet would be interested in seeing my video where I slouch in the corner smoking a cigarette looking bored like no one is watching.
posted by mannequito at 10:12 AM on January 4, 2013 [3 favorites]


Not sure what's funnier - the video(s) in question (I'm pretty much a sucker for "person dances enthusiastically by him/herself" videos) or the predictable Statler and Waldorf reaction on Metafilter.
posted by The Gooch at 10:19 AM on January 4, 2013 [5 favorites]


I wonder if the Internet would be interested in seeing my video where I slouch in the corner smoking a cigarette looking bored like no one is watching.

Please describe your pants.
posted by dirtdirt at 10:22 AM on January 4, 2013 [4 favorites]


I came here to talk about the pants too. This post should be retitled, Dress Like Nobody is Going to Comment on Your Pants, Then Dance!
posted by tigrefacile at 10:31 AM on January 4, 2013 [1 favorite]


(Loved it though).
posted by tigrefacile at 10:32 AM on January 4, 2013 [1 favorite]


Is this where we talk about the pants? I'm having the same reaction to these high-waist pants that I had to skinny jeans and, before them, low-rise jeans, and am wondering if I'm eventually going to be forced to submit to these, too.
posted by HotToddy at 10:50 AM on January 4, 2013


This is such a classic LA thing in particular... Watching everyone try so hard to pretend they didn't notice or care was one of the funniest things I have ever seen.

I think in LA, this is kind of a combination of trying to be 'cool' and trying to be polite. If people there didn't make a point of trying not to gawk and interrupt, I think highly-visible entertainers would have no peace at all in public places. I expect they might (right or wrong) get sick of showing up anywhere in public pretty quickly.

What the consequences of that would be I can't say, but it's not hard to imagine "gated communities" that include restaurants, retail, entertainment, etc, and exclude the vast bulk of city residents. Celebrity money and exposure might well draw the best of these services to a place where they're not usable by most folks. "Be cool, just treat them like anyone else" seems like both a smart and a kind thing to do.
posted by CHoldredge at 11:05 AM on January 4, 2013


This is such a classic LA thing in particular... Watching everyone try so hard to pretend they didn't notice or care was one of the funniest things I have ever seen.

How would the reaction be different in any other American city? Would people be stoning her for being an immodest woman?

Seriously, my reaction at the airport (where many to most of the people don't actually live in L.A.) would be: I don't care, I'm tired, I want to get my bag. At the Galleria, I would probably think "Oh a street performer like at the Promenade" and try to avoid eye contact so she wouldn't guilt me into a tip.
posted by drjimmy11 at 11:28 AM on January 4, 2013 [2 favorites]


For those who are fascinated at why people pretend not to notice this sort of thing, have you like ever been on public transport in a large city? Not engaging in the crazy people isn't some kind of social rigidity. It's a survival mechanism.

You don't want to be the person who acknowledges crazy on your way home from work because you don't want to invite some nut yelling racist/homophobic/misogynistic shit at you for 30 minutes straight.
posted by danny the boy at 12:14 PM on January 4, 2013 [8 favorites]


I was honestly kind of surprised that she didn't get arrested by the TSA for Unauthorized Kinaesthetic Behavior or something.
posted by threeants at 1:09 PM on January 4, 2013 [1 favorite]


I like the dance at the mall too, I think I could borrow a few steps but unfortunately it seems unlikely that I would ever use them, even when no one is watching.
posted by nicolin at 1:17 PM on January 4, 2013


I would like to join the MeFites Who Dance As If No One Is Watching In Slightly Unorthodox Locations Club. That is all.
posted by beryllium at 1:20 PM on January 4, 2013


I wonder if the Internet would be interested in seeing my video where I slouch in the corner smoking a cigarette looking bored like no one is watching.

Why, yes we would, Mr. Warhol.
posted by benito.strauss at 1:20 PM on January 4, 2013


How would the reaction be different in any other American city?

drjimmy11, I'm sorry, I mislead you by quoting and trimming lazily. something something was commenting on the related ignoring done by Angelinos, when highly-visible celebrities are in their midst. Not directly about this video.

I've got to admit, though, most of the people in the video are probably more pleasant than I would have been under the circumstances. It has nothing to do with 'immodest women', or with gender at all, and lots to do with conduct appropriate for the circumstances.

After a long, typically unpleasant, flight, I'd be quite disgruntled by some person bouncing around, weaving in and out of the line, violating my personal space. I'd be even more unhappy about it if it had been a group of big, frat-boy guys playing Emile-wannabe, instead of an otherwise non-threatening young lady.

And grabbing a stranger without invitation or warning in the always-tense-and-unpleasant environment of a shopping mall? There are certainly places where that crosses the "offensive touching" threshold for simple battery (sadly, my home state's not one). It's certainly plenty of reason to shout, push them away, complain emphatically, and ask the mall to remove them. Only imagine how much more offensive it would be if the gender roles actually had been reversed.
posted by CHoldredge at 1:36 PM on January 4, 2013


Did anyone else put these videos on mute just to see what it would be like to actually see her in action (if we weren't too polite to simply ignore her)? The lack of soundtrack does add to the WTF glances she gets. When, y'know, people actually glance at her.

I'm a fan of dancing in public, especially in unlikely places -- but for heaven's sake, at least contain yourself to a certain small square footage. That's the part that got me -- a sudden "most constrain unwieldy toddler" instinct kicked in and I wanted to tell her not to bother those nice people who just wanted to keep their territory staked.

Because staking territory at baggage claim is a BIG DEAL.
posted by paisley sheep at 1:55 PM on January 4, 2013


Nice dancing, crappy unflattering pants.

This is the direct opposite of Psy's proclaimation of dressing classy and dancing cheesy!
posted by zennish at 2:20 PM on January 4, 2013 [1 favorite]


I walk a lot of places, always have headphones on. I occasionally sing along with the songs, and I frequently dance while I'm walking along. Sometimes big and flashy, sometimes just a bit of a rhumba step, whatever. I remember complaining that my last town had square poles for stop signs, which means it really hurts my hand when I grab them and swing around while I'm dancing.

I really wish people would dance more. I see them sometimes going past, and it always cheers me up, I try to grin at them and compliment them as we go by. Nonetheless, I kind of agreed with people who were a little bit saddened by this. I was hoping it'd be found footage of somebody in their own world dancing. It just...dashes my hopes I guess. That it's promotional and presumably fake.

Oh well. No big deal, I suppose. I'll just keep my eyes out for the dancing people.
posted by Lemurrhea at 2:55 PM on January 4, 2013


A variant of the dancing like nobody is watching game is to go somewhere like France, walk into a mini supermarket, and marvel at how the piped music has an anglophone rap artist outlining his entire sexual repertoire in great detail as little old ladies shop the aisles for pet food, none the wiser.

Japan is also like this.
posted by KokuRyu at 3:28 PM on January 4, 2013


Ha! She was lucky I wasn't there. It would have ruined the whole meme when I began dancing right along with her. No way I can ignore someone dancing alone.
posted by notreally at 4:13 PM on January 4, 2013


I have this weird habit of doing little dances in the grocery store;

Yes yes, it's just the right spot sometimes for a quick few shake it out steps!

We need a Mefi dance club, a "weird public embarrass the grouches ever so much fun" dance club. And we won't let the fuddy duddys join!
posted by sammyo at 4:51 PM on January 4, 2013


And so what if she was making a video, for what ever intention, she was danc'n!
posted by sammyo at 4:52 PM on January 4, 2013 [1 favorite]


Isn't that the same airport where the drunk guy peed on the carpet recently? I wouldn't be lying down on that, man.
posted by Oriole Adams at 11:30 PM on January 4, 2013


marvel at how the piped music has an anglophone rap artist outlining his entire sexual repertoire in great detail as little old ladies shop the aisles for pet food, none the wiser.

Something like this?

You don't want to be the person who acknowledges crazy on your way home from work because you don't want to invite some nut yelling racist/homophobic/misogynistic shit at you for 30 minutes straight.

quite.
posted by MartinWisse at 2:14 AM on January 5, 2013 [1 favorite]


Look at me, I'm a wacky person acting out in public! Aren't I just adorable?!
posted by Decani at 6:22 AM on January 5, 2013 [2 favorites]


pretty hypo dance routine
posted by seobizzle at 12:33 PM on January 5, 2013


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