Thoughts from 1-1 Festival at BAC part 4
RITUAL!
Suddenly it all makes more sense. I was thinking between shows about how uncomfortable i was with my previous analysis. Then this idea came to me: the whole thing with the one-on-one shows makes more sense if viewed as a rediscovery of the power of personal ritual.
In the UK we do not have powerful rites of passage or initiations, our rituals such as they are have become hollow and abstracted. Such as collecting exam results from the headteacher. A cursory handshake which changes nothing.
Rituals create a repeatable set of rules and situations that alters or presents a new reality to the participants, a reality which, thus altered, allows them new experiences. The changes must be adapted to, responded to and in doing so the person makes changes in themselves and faces aspects of life that perhaps they have not encountered before. The participants are encompassed within the ritual, they are both subject to its rules and responsible for its outcomes.
Surely in a society such as ours where most people live in a constant pattern of work, where challenge often amounts to a tight deadline, and out fundamental assumptions go unchanged, we need rituals which truly ask something more from people.
How much can you give?
How much can you take?
What do you really believe?
Given total freedom what would you say?
