Allow me to draw your attention to several diverting posts bearing on the misguided nature of competitions in music and dance:
- I’ve just augmented this post on the great Ciaran Carson’s critiques of competitive events in Irish music. You can find more must-read gems from his brilliant Last Night’s Fun here.
- Alexei Sayle’s pithy demolition of ballroom dancing!
- which relates to my fantasy Strictly north Shanxi Daoist ritual
- also relevant is Singers of the world
But then, I do concur, contests are a more creative aspect of traditional performance—such as Chinese ritual groups (and shawm bands) “facing platforms”, or “cutting” in jazz…
