'diStracted' or dispirited?

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to see diSiac’s “diStraction.” Two of the biggest things that had drawn me to diSiac were the passion and excitement that all of their members exhibited. Leading up to opening night, all of my diSiac friends approached me with smiles and lovely faces, trying to convince me to attend the show. Because of their relentlessness — not to mention the glowing review from the ‘Prince’ — my friend and I decided to attend. As I was waiting for the show to start, I could barely sit still because my anticipation was at an all-time high. As expected, once the company took the stage, it became clear that the dancers were spectacular.

But then the whole direction of the show suddenly changed in a way that I would have never expected. Suddenly, I heard winds blowing. I was a bit confused, to be honest. All of a sudden, I saw one girl walk onto the stage; she then jerked her neck to the side to simulate lynching. Then, “Strange Fruit” began to play. For those of you who don’t know what “Strange Fruit” is, this song was originally a poem written by Abel Meeropol to vent the horror of seeing a photograph of the lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, two black men, in an almost carnival-like background. I couldn’t believe my ears — or my eyes.

As the song progressed with its horrific imagery of bodies swaying from left to right in the “gallant south,” the dancers were mimicking the imagery of lynching by collapsing to the ground and whirling their necks around. Needless to say, the entire scene was chilling. I just could not understand why a song of such unspeakable brutality would be incorporated into a theme of “distraction,” which I presumed to be referring to lighthearted things, judging from the fun, white bride-like outfits and hip-hop attire to Nicki Minaj’s “Did It On ’Em” playing in one of the pieces. Even though there were other slow movements in the show, not one could compare to this dancing to “Strange Fruit.”

And let’s not even get started on the transition. Immediately after “Eyes Watching Unseeing” (the name of the piece) was over, there was once again an upbeat tune, and this time it was the Super Mario Bros. theme song. This hasty regression indicated to me that a song like “Strange Fruit” relayed no sort of serious issue and that the lyrics should be forgotten as soon as the lights go out and the audience claps. But unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.

Why was an attempt even made to translate something as grotesque as racist lynching into interpretative dance? If I’m not mistaken, most people come to a dance show to enjoy themselves. The incorporation of this piece completely obliterated any sort of good feeling that resulted from the first half of the show. At the end, I didn’t feel “distracted”; I felt dispirited. So much in fact that I couldn’t even enjoy the second half of the show and had to leave a few acts after that piece because both my friend and I were too troubled to enjoy ourselves.

Now the biggest counterargument to the addition of this piece in diStraction draws back to an argument that will persist for ages to come: Is there a limit to art? My response to this would be not necessarily. “Strange Fruit” is a work of art that is founded on social analysis. Above all, both the song and the poem were created to make people ponder and be inspired to remove these atrocities of humanity. Art is and always will be powerful. However, when art is placed in the wrong context, it can be disturbing and even offensive. DiSiac’s “diStraction” was a source of entertainment — not a platform of such a social analysis. While “Strange Fruit” is definitely moving and powerful, it did not fit the overall whimsical and fun nature of the show.

Lyrics about burning flesh, twisted mouths and bulging eyes cannot and should not be pushed aside so easily. I only wish that the members of diSiac could have felt the same. In fact, I wish that diSiac had never danced to a song like “Strange Fruit.” “Strange Fruit” is not a song that should inspire dancing or even clapping. It is a song to remain silent for and to ponder the gruesome deaths that were once an integral part of the cultural fabric of this country. It is not a song meant for entertainment. It is a song meant for social awareness. Perhaps next time, diSiac will be more aware of which songs they choose to perform or not perform and learn not to get too “distracted” by just anything that can exemplify their enormous talent.

Morgan Jerkins is a comparative literature major from Williamston, N.J. She can be reached at mjerkins@princeton.edu.