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From: Dr. Amagoldsmith. Category: Art Date: 20 November 2008 Time: 07:16 AM Review: Sadly the context within which Strictly Come Dancing is conveyed, fails to focus upon the meaning behind John Sargeants participation as a "Grotowskian Clown", Or at least, a popular protagenist, the guised antithesis for a flawed system of validating a general physical ability conforming to a prescribed ideal. Sargeants provenance as a "celebrity" is bestowed unanimously as a political reporter whereas actually his origins are much wider, embracing the skills of a stand up act and his appearance also contributed towards an empathetic "forever child" maverick envoy on which the public audience could rely on overturning the shrill authoritarian voice of order and invoke a pagan presence. He garners a wide proportion of female support from the phoning public as does Jeremy Clarkson, is there a distinction to be made? The act of dancing employs various types of "grammar", a visually analysed language, one type of dance cannot communicate to another dance without being initially deconstructed and converted to an alphanumeric/ diagrammatic system, those who dance the Waltz cannot have their movements translated systematically into Polka giving the panel of judges an enormous degree of criteria based on hearsay and less palpable characteristics. Dancing is a physical expression, particularly when conducted away from the formalities of ceremonial ritual, although there are plenty of examples of a sombre formation it is a multiplicitous format, Sargeant's face sitting atop his formal wear , beguiles, mocks, challenges and defies western ballroom dancing which is more akin to a military tattoo by contrast, intensifying and compacting the type of measurable criteria into poise or metre or some other slightly anachronistic formulae. It is a telling fact of life that there is far more public commentary forthcoming from our somewhat overpaid political heads of state about erstwhile radio two disc jockeys and the suitability or non suitability of the cult of personality displayed by Mr John Sargeant's debut as a ballroom dancing contestant than there ever is about truly decisive political matters, of which the East Congo violence, our continuing presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, developments in Isreal, economic decisions in Europe - these are all skirted around with heavily insulated kid gloves but the moment Mr Mandleson speaks about Ballroom dancing we get a positive glimmer of direct enthusiasm, is it any wonder that Cameron can play at party politics with such gusto ? Our addiction to x factor and the faux democracy of phone-in judge and jury attracts a wider constituency than listening to these bores groaning on about preserving the HBOS fat cats who openly continue acting in self interested ways despite being propped up by the plebbs. John Sargeant is a very complex icon for these times and dancing is a curious crucible in which he bears his remarkably enigmatic presence on our sensibilities I look forward to his next development which I'm hoping will be in Music Hall Repertory Theatre.