Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Shame on M.I.A's new video "Jimmy"!

It's so ugly M.I.A's new music video "Jimmy" is still broadcasting on MTV.

The dancing steps in this mv is totally same with the Chinese performance on closing ceremony of the Olympic Games for the Handicapped in 2004 in Athens. Do you know all the 20 professional dancers are deaf-and-dumb? Do you know how much time and painstaking effort they spent on the dance?

Shame on you, Maya Arulpragasm!

Compare the mv of "Jimmy" and the dance on closing ceremony of the Olympic Games now, and you will have answers.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9_Dk_F98cU


and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBW20zlleK8

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow... Heavy scenes maaannn!!

Anonymous said...

i will check this out!!
i had to read your post twice because i didn't understand why you were upset...

i don't know but did mia mock the dance? why can't mia use the dance?

Chaplin Ate My Shoe said...

First off, I seriously doubt M.I.A. conceptualizes and choreographs her own music videos. She no doubt plays a role, but their are artists and choreographers who do that for her.

Second, it's called post modernism. Using other people's art in a new context is allowed, even if you're verbatim quoting them (read T.S. Eliot like everyone else did in high school).

Last, but certainly not least, that dance has been around a lot longer than when some deaf and dumb Chinese dancers put it together for the Athens games. The most popular context of the dance I've seen is in Indian culture which shares Hindi beliefs with M.I.A.'s home country, Sri Lanka. On top of that, Maya's pretty explicitly referencing Shakti in her choreography whereas the Chinese performers appear to be referencing a solar deity.

I could go on and on and on...but let's just say, I think you're overreacting and generally this is a pointless post. I enjoy your blog, but accusing M.I.A. of ripping off the Chinese dancers is akin to accusing the White Stripes of ripping of Led Zeppelin...

Anonymous said...

I don't know. A rip-off is a rip off unless it's inspired, and this one isn't.

Anonymous said...

Harry is right on.

It's funny how she can sample the crap out of other music, but when it comes to dance or visual, there's a problem.

blah.

Anonymous said...

Wait, so her ripping off New Order, Pixies, and Modern Lovers on the recordings is perfectly okay? What about all the samples on Piracy Funds Terrorism? Come on, she rips everybody off but we all know that and we still dig how she remixes it and sends it back out.

Anonymous said...

great imput harry :)

Anonymous said...

Yoy know What....even the music is not original...Its from old Hindi movie...ha ha ha....shes a copycat...

Kevin V. said...

It's a very cultural thing. So a lot more than just MIA and the olympic dancers have danced that dance.