There is that old saying that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” …….to some it may be some, to me its just annoying lol..

However,we as human beings, artists, etc, have all been inspired by someone, or an event in order to become more in tune with who we are authentically…im sure we all can recall a turning point that would forever change the course of your life direction…

or we have viewed a work of art , or listen to  a piece of  music, or read some literature, that resonates with us so deeply, it fuels us to be just as brilliantly creative….Then we seek to find that ability within ourselves…Right?

Well, perhaps…We see, it happen all the time in music, movies, dance, etc…someone reenvisioning an original idea and updating it…..from their own point of view…or even in the dog eat dog world,  notable, acclaimed, artists, filiming, and stealing from lesser known artists, and taking claim and credit for it….

Even the late Pablo Picasso and  Steve Jobs is quoted as to saying

“Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal” and to certain extent, there are many “greats” who have done just that and it elevated them to a plateau…..its almost conveys the message that in order to strive for brilliance we have to steal? And where does the line cross between inspiration and plagerism, and how do we prove it…

in music there are laws and restrictions that protect the owners of the song…in literature, there are laws, perhaps even in art….but dance, and choreography, nothing……

Chances are whenever an artist decides to perform someone’s choreography ,the choreographer doesnt receive royalties…but anytime we use that artist song, we have to pay a price…

so recording artists just have the freedom to treat, dancers, choreographers, artistic vision and ability that create memorable moments for video or show for the audience, and while the world and the audience enjoy this , the dancers and choreographers are expendable …

take this statement from Famed Choreographer , Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker about the recent use of her choreography in Beyonce’s Countdown Video

http://theperformanceclub.org/2011/10/anne-teresa-de-keersmaeker-responds-to-beyonce-video/

Perhaps, this is just the jolt we need  to say as artists, and as supporters of art to say enough is enough……let’s see something new, …let’s redefine the standard of artistic  expression through foresight and innovation…….