Perfection and wabi sabi in Pageants

The viral response to Miss Utah, Marissa Powell, flubbing her answer to a question during the Miss Teen USA Pageant personifies the fear that many have about public speaking:  they will be made fun of for being less than perfect.  

NPR’s Linda Holmes says of the question asked that, “…it's basically a test of your ability to generate cow patties on command.”  So Powell’s not a great bull sh*tter.  Given a second chance on the Today Show she answered fine.  

Beauty contest entrants focus on maximizing how they present themselves in many ways.  They are striving for perfection.  Salvador Dali has said, “Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it”.   

Striving to be perfection can achieve excellence, but for another twist in thinking consider the Japanese concept of wabi sabi.  It is about finding beauty in imperfection.  

The viral response, both bullying and accepting, has overshadowed that Erin Brady of Connecticut won the Pageant.  The now notorious Powell did go on to be 3^rd Runner Up in the competition.  That’s pretty close to perfection.  She is grandly gorgeous and more beautiful because of her humanity. 

Doyoursentencesrunonandonandtheaudiencedoesn’tknowwheretheystop?Orwhentheystart?

Doyoursentencesrunonandonandtheaudiencedoesn’tknowwheretheystop?Orwhentheystart?  Having trouble with, like, vocalized pauses?  

For a cure, watch as Victor Borge teaches his Phonetic Punctuation System.  This could revolutionize how people improve their speech delivery skills! 

Matzo ball or dumpling?

“Knaidel” was the winning word for 13 year old Arvind Mahankali at the Scripps 2013 National Spelling Bee.    Knaidel brought victory to the 13 year old and it brought heuristic coincidence being a German Yiddish word.  

Apparently German knödel is the same thing as Yiddish knaidel, but the words are pronounced differently.  Hear knaidel pronounced.  Hear knödel pronounced.  

“The map is not the territory” according to Alfred Korzybski, the father of general semantics, but in this case at least the territories are the same.  Apparently both knaidel and knödel are different maps for the same dumpling.  

People are judged by the way they pronounce or use words.  Which is the “right” map?  In this case the answer is easy:  use either one.  

Katz's Delicatessan

Elsewhere people get in a snit by mispronunciations.  My wife, Barbara Chatterton Frye is realtor that wants to sell houses.  She winces but doesn’t worry if you add an extra syllable to her occupation: “real a tor”.  The Greek restaurant doesn’t care if I can say “gyro” with a hard “g” or a soft “g” as long as I order their sandwich.  Judging others this way doesn’t usually build the relationship needed by someone that needs to get something accomplished.  

German words were Arvind’s nemesis in past bees, and now he has victory through German Yiddish.  He won $30,000 and more.  Words can be 2 edged causing downfalls from judgment or connecting as intended.  For the rest of us a bad matzoh makes a good paperweight.     

It's not all Chinese to me.

Explaining “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” to a Confucius Institute visiting professor gave pause at our Christmas caroling party.  She was only in the US a few days, but you could see her trying to understand:

Me:  “He’s a flying reindeer.”  Shell:  “Really?”

Me: “He has a nose that glows red.”  Shell:  quizzical look

Me: “He helps Santa Claus…”  Shell:  more silence

Me:  “Let’s just sing carols and have some fun.” Shell: nodding "yes."

We discovered our new friend, Shell, had a terrific voice.  She shared a few songs from China.  We had a memorable caroling party.  

 

Moving forward in time, we attended a concert of Folk Songs of the World to hear Shell, Xianghua Han, soloing with music professors.  She’s a talent at that level.

Shell returned the favor at the concert.  We didn’t understand the words in her music.  During the explanation we felt like aliens trying to grok flying reindeer.  But she is a singer that sparkles and we had no difficulty receiving emotional meanings.  

She received our meaning and we received hers.  As Bernstein said, “….music is one of basic and deepest levels of communication.” It's not all Chinese to anybody. 

Tia Fuller in Madison

Tia Fuller in Madison

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Second Free Concert Added for Tia Fuller; It’s a clue

by Ron Frye
Madison Music Collective

It’s a clue when there is enough demand for an artist that additional performance time is added, so table your Friday night plans for fish fry and popination to take in the 8 or 10 p.m. Tia Fuller Concert, October 12 http://www.madisonmusiccollective.org/.  She’s that good and it’s free to attend.  There will be more fish fries, but Tia travels internationally so grab the chance to attend. 

Music fans will want to hear her because she is Beyonce’s saxophonist.  You’ll appreciate that her Master’s degree, in Music, Jazz Pedoagogy and Performance, supports what she does. 

More freebies for the community that Fuller will lead while in town are an “Introduction to Jazz” mini concert and workshop at the Boys and Girls Club’s Allied Family Center  and “Mind Body and Spirit of the Saxophone and Jazz Improvisation” at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.  Cool that she takes the time to share what she has as an educator. 

You can join in the learning about “Women in Jazz” at her live music, video and brunch meal at the Sheraton, for $25 adults, and $15 age 14 and under.  Seats are limited so order by October 8^th from here.   Why not reserve a table for a very special morning? 

Here’s the schedule:

o      Wednesday, October 10, 4:00 p.m. “Introduction to Jazz” 

      Dane County Boys & Girls Club, Allied Family Center, 4619 Jenewin Road, Madison

o      Thursday, October 11, 7:00 p.m. “Mind Body and Spirit of the Saxophone and Jazz Improvisation”  Mount Zion Baptist Church, 2019 Fisher Street, Madison

o      Friday, October 12, 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. Free Concert

the Sett, UW Union South

o      Sunday, October 13, 10 a.m. “Women In Jazz Sheraton”, 706 John Nolen Drive, Madison