Line dancing

This example takes place in Singapore, just in front of the Esplanade where music from all around the globe is played.

I went to the “durian” to attend a classical music concert when I saw people dancing. It wouldn’t have caught my attention if it would have been traditional Chinese music or Tai Chi Chuan for example. But here it was line dancing, with traditional American music, Country music. Those Singaporeans really knew the line dancing and even if they had no cow boy costume they danced as well as the typical Texan farmer does. I was quite surprised to see Chinese, Indians and Malays being so used to come on Sunday evening in front of the Durian for line dancing.

Country music in the Esplanade

Here, there is no clear hybridization or glocalization, because it is the original dance from the USA and people didn’t change the dance (even if they dance maybe a little bit different, I don’t know) and the music was exactly the same as the one in the USA. They were relatively old and consequently not so much involved in the “young global culture” conveyed by MTV or Pop Idol.

Therefore, it could be an example of Americanization, but the fact is country music is not comparable to R&B, Indie or Pop, because here there is no huge marketing campaign to promote this kind of music in Singapore.

Line dancing in the esplanade on Sunday evening is a kind of social practice, which could probably mean that you are open-minded. I think it is more related to cosmopolitanism with the dimension of “openness” (Hannerz).

Adrien