Dance

single-channel video

5:00

1998

Based on a personal experience, Dance explores the domination and humiliation of competition. Expectations of a one-sided victory inherent in male-male relationships create a pervasively hostile dynamic that defines much of what can and cannot be done between men. Sexual tension, screened by aggressive ritual, can be safely displayed only within the accepted framework of athletic competition. The strict uniforms, behavior and time limits in sports create a safe environment in which to indulge otherwise taboo urges. Dance both valorizes and condemns the seemingly necessary physical and psychological struggle accepted by the participants and demanded by the audience.