Drama Masks: A visceral crawl through our wild moment at 'weird inkling' - 48 hills

"Cambridge Dictionary's word of the year may be "parasocial," but since the dawn of this pandemic, many like myself are more familiar with the word "vicarious." Rather than mistaking online interactions with a personal relationship to someone famous, we watch acquaintances celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and the like as we send them well-wishes from afar. We can only be happy that they're happy."

"One advantage of vicarious living is that it provides a much more visceral experience than that of the always scary parasocial. Sure, vicariousness can be plenty unsettling in its own way-there's a reason why "stage parents" make everyone uncomfortable-but there are plenty of reasons why the once-removed experience can be both satisfying and healthy. Despite nearly 40 years of pearl-clutching, for instance, science has proven over and over again that video games-be they violent or cutesy-actually benefit mental health in a number of ways."

"I bring this up because visceral reactions were at the heart of choreographer Keith Hennessy's weird inkling, which I saw at the closer of the figure it out dance festival, which ran November 21-30 at San Francisco's Space 124. Hennessy and his seven collaborators (B Dean, Clarissa Rivera Dyas, Emily Leap, Kevin CK Lo, Miriam Wolodarski, quinn dior, and Snowflake Calvert) often did little more than roll around the loft like infants, recalling tired punchlines about contemporary dance that have been long-subverted."

Cambridge Dictionary's word of the year, "parasocial," contrasts with pandemic-era vicariousness in which people observe acquaintances celebrating milestones and send well-wishes from afar. Vicarious living generates visceral emotional experiences that can be satisfying, unsettling, and healthy, distinct from parasocial relationships that blur consumer and creator roles. Research repeatedly shows that video games, movies, music, and other forms of entertainment can benefit mental health across varied content. A recent performance by Keith Hennessy and collaborators employed infantile rolling and subverted contemporary-dance tropes to provoke visceral audience reactions and examine dramatic substance versus spectacle.

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