As I was reading the article, every time Carlson mentioned another one of the definitions of performance, I would think, "Oh! That's it! That one is definitely right!" However, the one that stood out to me the most was when he said that "these [performing] arts require the physical presence of trained or skilled human beings whose demonstration of their skills is the performance." I really appreciated the wording of this part. As I think over all the different types of performances that I can come up with, I still believe that this accurately describes it. Although, I do think that it then raises the question of what a "skill" is. I think most people can agree that a pianist playing the piano for others is a performance of their skills, but would stopping and freezing in a busy train station require any type of skill? Would that then answer the question of whether or not that sort of display is actually a performance? I'm really not sure.
When I consider a type of performance that sort of challenges the idea of performance, I think of a teacher. On one hand, they are just a person doing their job, speaking in front of students, and sharing their knowledge. But on the other hand, I believe their is a "demonstration of skills" as well as a sort of "consciousness of doubleness" that the teacher is aware of. They are still themselves, but there is a sense of portraying themselves in a distinct manner. The teacher chooses whether to perform as a kind and caring teacher, a fun teacher, or a stern or strict teacher. They choose whether to use only speaking as their script or whether to include music or other media to help convey their points. There is also usually a vast difference between the teacher of a kindergarten class and one who teaches high school biology. I also can see an argument on the other side that teaching is not a performance at all. However, I believe that it is a type of performance. In fact, my love for performance has pushed me toward considering teaching at different times in my life. I believe it requires a similar set of skills as an actor speaking lines in a play, which seems to be one of the things that almost all people will agree is a type of performance.
Gracie, in regard to the train station piece, I’m of the opinion that due to the fact that these individuals were able to pull off such an interesting; high concept collaboration and flawlessly succeed in the execution definitely required some degree of skill, even if only based on logistics and planning alone. I also like how you drew a comparison between performers and teachers, but I feel like this notion might need to be fleshed out a little more. One thing I thought of when reading your post, is that teachers are held to certain standards in regard to how they perform in class, the material they cover, etc. Perhaps you could further explore these standards society holds towards teachers and that these concepts of the social norm themselves instill a certain level of performance consciousness in the instructors.
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