Jolie Day

Neathery

Sociology of Deviance 

April 11, 2010

Hoop Dancing on Franklin

Hula Hooping is widely accepted as a child’s hobby, but since the mid 1990’s it has been growing in popularity amongst adults as a fitness and dance movement (hooping.org, 2002).  Hooping resurged amongst the Jam Band, Rave, and Burning Man scene, all of which are considered as counter cultural (Meadow Stallings 2002). Hooping in public could be seen as risque, considering that as a dance it can be very sexually charged. Besides that, performing in public, or “busking”, is often frowned upon by local businesses, and towns because with busking comes the stigma of possibly being homeless. With the possibility of someone being homeless comes the threat of them being mentally ill, especially if they are putting on an act that may be considered weird. Unfortunately while mental illness is real, it is often a label slapped onto anyone who doesn’t fit the social norm (Goode 2008). 

I decided that for my deviant act I would busk, and perform hooping. The first place I chose to hoop was the Chapel Hill Community Center Park during a weekday afternoon. I was alone this time, had a boom box playing rap, and did not dress provocatively. I got a few stares and smiles from some guys ridding their bikes. The middle aged women, and moms watching their kids didn’t look at all. One older woman scowled, and a few children looked from the swings. Other than that, it was rather quiet. 

The second time I hooped was far more successful. It was a Saturday night on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. Franklin Street is the main street in Chapel hill, and has many bars, clubs, and restaurants. It is also the main area for college students to go. It is also where everyone goes to start fires in the street if UNC Chapel Hill ever wins a NCAA championship.

I brought my friends Alegra, Remy, and Fuji for support, and protection. I intentionally dressed down, as to not be taken the wrong way. The first place I danced was in front of 411 West which is an upscale restaurant on the west side of Franklin Street. Immediately a white, middle aged man that seemed to be intoxicated came out, and cheered me on. He called his friend outside, and more people stared through the window, giving me the thumbs up. When I had finished one song he put some money down on my backpack, and walked to his car. I later looked, and saw that he had given me thirty dollars. I only received a dollar for the rest of the night. I observed that it is always better to busk in more affluent areas of town if one is out to make money. It is especially better, but possibly riskier, to do it around 10 pm when people are more likely to be partying harder than they would around 5 pm. 

My group of friends and I moved to in front of the hookah bar down the street. I didn’t get nearly as much of a response. No one put money in the cup, and most people looked away. I got some positive reactions, such as cheering, from the group of mostly African American men across the street that hang out in front of the Mcdonalds.  We decided to move across the street in front of the local radical left wing bookstore called The Internationalist. Some self proclaimed anarchists were sitting in the middle of the sidewalk, and playing punk music loudly. They urged me to dance, and I tried to keep up with the fast tempo. When I was done they cheered, and told me they were “stoked.” The anarchists were some of the most open about busking that I met, as they are used to breaking social norms. 

The next place I busked was the busiest. There was a lot of traffic passing the Caribou Coffee near East Franklin St. What was humorous was that college aged to middle aged men who were alone would stop to look, but men with, I assume, their dates avoided eye contact. The most hostile response I got was from prim, well groomed young women that I am assuming are sorority girls. One woman went as far to turn up her nose. I responded to this by yelling, “Have a great day! Woo-hoo!” This got even more stares, and probably made the young woman have a more negative perception of me, but at the time I didn’t really care. Another less positive response was from a man and his friend who stopped to look, and were yelled at by a woman in a car. It turned out she was his wife. I did not intend to get anyone into trouble, and took steps to intentionally dress modestly, and gyrate less. I don’t think this really mattered to the spouses, and girlfriends of the men staring at me. I was not the biggest fan of this. I would have rather everyone enjoyed it for the fun, and talent I was trying to convey instead of the gawking by mostly men.

Some female college students stopped and watched for about twenty minutes, which was encouraging. I was joined by a break dancer, and we got competitive, having a dance off of sorts. This attracted more people, and took the all the attention off of me, making me feel more comfortable, and lightening the mood. Two men, one resembling Danny Devito, stopped to take pictures. The Danny Devito looking man told me that he loved me, and that my boyfriend was a lucky man. He was not very intimidating, but the comment made me feel a little on edge about what his comment meant. It was annoying that the first thing he could think to say was a back handed compliment about sex. I will admit that when watching hooping it can be very provocative. 

My favorite reaction was from a group of African American men that joined in with the song, attempted to hula hoop, and laughed. Walking down to get some food I got a few stares from police officers, but for the most part busking in Chapel Hill is tolerated as long as one doesn’t openly ask for money. 

Analysis

Busking is the term that refers to street performing. The image that the term envokes is that of a guy sitting on the ground, playing guitar, and asking for spare change. Buskers come in all different varieties of acts. Many places pass laws against busking, or require a person to get a license, and have designated areas where it is allowed. There is also a stigma against buskers in which many assume they are homeless, and only panhandling. Men often are worried that they will be seen as bums, and women are often mistaken for prostitutes (Anderberg 2005). People are uncomfortable with others performing in areas that are not intended for that purpose, and the buskers can be met with hostility from hecklers, local businesses, and the police. 

The outskirts of London allow buskers in small towns such as Camden and Covent Garden (Appleton 2010). Camden doesn’t require a license, but Covent Garden requires an audition to apply for a license (Appleton 2010). Busking in these areas draws tourists, money, and brightens up a downtown.

 Some towns attempt to ban public performances all together. One example of this being when a district court judge in Waikiki attempted to limit the rights of street performers. The ordinance was to ban reading the bible, singing patriotic songs, sitting on a public bench playing music, or chanting slogans against the government (ACLU.org 2001). If someone wanted to perform in public they could apply to have a license to perform in one of six set locations which were far away from any sort of audience (ACLU.org 2001).  The support for this ordinance came largely from Waikiki businesses, but it was blocked by Judge Virginia Crandall who ruled that it violated the first and fourteenth amendments (ACLU.org 2001). 

Combining busking and hula hooping makes for an even weirder experience for the passer by. Many “hoopers” have backgrounds in different styles of belly dance, making the dance more sexually charged. Belly dance, and more recently hoping, can be seen as a purely exhibitionist act solely intended for the arousal of men (Deagon). Dancing in public is even more risque because it opens up the act to many different interpretations not intended by the dancer. Deagon argues that this is abundantly clear in our patriarchal society.  Deagon states, 

The chief venues for performance in the United States are parties (often requiring short “bellygrams” rather than full length performances) and restaurants.  The restaurant or social occasion is a very volatile venue for dance performance.  The dancer can play a powerful role, creating a deep sense of fellow-feeling and shared joy, or move individuals deeply, or create a memory that will be treasured forever.  Or – and sadly, more likely -- in a club or restaurant, she may appear to most patrons as “background” to their dinner, best when not too obtrusive.  She may appear as a mild source of amusement, a fun way to tease and humiliate the birthday boy.

This is also true for hula hoopers, like belly dancers, they are often dismissed. Performing belly dance, or hooping could be empowering for some, but the conditions in which they perform could be viewed as disempowering (Deagon). Many female buskers feel they are limited to what they can perform (Anderberg 2005).One female busker named Kirsten Anderberg was ticketed eight times for “peace disturbance/obscenity” after refusing to stop singing a song with the lyrics, “Girls have got to act a certain way, or else they aint A-OK, always be willing, never get mad, or they call us a bitch, they tell us we’re bad.” In some places using the word “bitch” could get you banned (Anderberg 2005). Anderberg (2005) feels she is breaking gender roles by singing songs about birth control, men’s responsibility to pay child support, and lesbian comedy instead of “sad love songs.”

Women are much less free to express their sexuality like men, especially in a public performance. Women busking in public is rare, the ratio being 90 men to ever 10 women (Anderberg 2005). If female buskers pushes boundaries that many are not comfortable with, police might attempt to censor their performance (Anderberg 2005). This is especially true when it comes to dance. My experience with the short man telling my boyfriend he was a lucky man only cements it further that any exhibit of female sexuality, or in my case, pure fun and movement can be misconstrued as a play into male sexual standards (Deagon). However, the purpose of this paper is not to suggest that public displays invoking soft core porn are acceptable, but rather that female based dance should be viewed more as an artistic expression, and not to entertain the narrow sexual standards of today’s society. 

Hooping in public is an interesting form of busking because it combines the accessibility of a child toy with dance. Doing it in public was exhilarating, but also intimidating. I would never do it alone because of the fear of sexual advances and harassment. It is also wise to be careful about the spot I pick. Some shop owners, towns, and police do not take kindly to buskers. From what I observed I came to the conclusion that, what I assume, more affluent women, young and old, for the most part, looked away. Both African American and white men looked, though African American men were more vocal, and directly interacted with me. College aged women were more likely to look, and attempt to do it themselves, and the anarchists were “stoked.” 

Bibliography

ACLU.org. 2001. "ACLU Wins Artistic Expression Lawsuit On Behalf Of Waikiki Street Performers." Retrieved April 5, 2010 (http://www.aclu.org/free-speech/aclu-wins-artistic-expression-lawsuit-behalf-waikiki-street-performers).

Anderberg, Kirsten. 2005. "Women Street Performers And Sexual Safety." Retrieved April 10, 2010 (http://www.buskersadvocates.org/womenstreetperformers.html).

Appleton,Natalie."The Big Busk: London Busking Explained." 2010.  The London Insider. Retrieved April 5, 2010 (http://www.london-insider.co.uk/2010/02/busking-in-london-explained-guide/).

Deagon, Andrea. "Feminism and Belly Dance." Retrieved April 10, 2010 (http://people.uncw.edu/deagona/raqs/feminism.htm#_ftn1).

Goode, Erich. 2008. Deviant Behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

hooping.org. 2002."Introduction to Hooping." Retrieved April 10, 2010 (http://www.hooping.org/archives/000001.html).

Meadow Stallings, Ariel. 2002. "What Goes Around, Comes Around." Retrieved April 10, 2010 (http://www.hooping.org/archives/000002.html).