How to make a movement. Lessons learned from dancing guy.
2009-06-06
Being an analytical learning-addict, I can't help but distill some lessons from this “Guy Starts Dance Party” video taken last week. I'd really like to hear your thoughts, too. First, let's watch:
You can't help but smile. First at the guy, then at the reaction. It's so fun!
But this is also the most obvious, instant, and visual example of how to start a movement, that books like Tribes and The Tipping Point have covered so well.
For anyone interested in starting a movement, or hoping others start a movement around your company/mission/music, how can we describe what we see here?
- The leader has to be doing it for his own sake - not trying to start anything.
- He has the guts to look a little ridiculous, but not care. Most are too shy to stand out like that.
- He's so clearly having fun that others think, “He's having more fun than me. Maybe I should join in.”
- What he's doing is so simple, it's almost instructional. Even if you usually don't, you could do that.
- The turning point is when he gets one follower. Following the leader, and also clearly having fun doing it.
- But maybe they're just two freaks? Hmm... better not get involved yet. Tempting, though. Wait and watch.
- It's important that they were very public - seen by everyone. Movements need to be visible.
- Now comes the second follower. It's almost a crowd. If you were to join in now, you wouldn't be a freak. Hmm... maybe?
- The tipping point is the next two people that jump in. Now it's a crowd!
- Three more jump in immediately. Momentum! It's a movement! No reason not to. Let's go!
- Every adventurous person in the crowd jumps in.
- Finally, every non-adventurous person in the crowd jumps in, because they'd be ridiculed if they don't.
So if you wanted to make a movement, what lessons would you take from this?
- If you want to be a starter, have the guts to stand out. Make your actions easy to imitate. Fun to follow. Attract attention. Show everyone what you're doing.
- If you find a lone nut doing something great, have the guts to follow him/her. You'll also stand out, but you're serving one of the most important roles in making this a movement. Show everyone how to follow.
- Found something cool that only a few freaks are doing? Get some friends and say, “Let's go!” Jump in.
- (... what else? ...)
Doing something that needs followers? (In this case, the music.) Help fan the flames of this process:
- Shine a spotlight on the first fan that loves you. Help them be a starter. Show what they're doing, and how happy they are.
- Help your second fan join together with the first, instead of also dancing alone.
- Make sure they do almost exactly the same thing, so it's easy for others to also see how to join.
- Give a few early adopters the courage to jump in together with the first. Make sure they stick together as a group.
- Now it's not about you, it's about them. Publicize the group, not yourself. Make it fun to join.
- Make sure all late-adopters can see what fun the early adopters are having.
- (... what else? ...)
I've got to be unstoppable. I gotta be unstoppable...
Primal...belonging is a powerful feeling, and what better way than through music?
I think I can I think I can I think I can I think I can I think I can...I can, I can, I can
I've been having a blast trying to take over the world for the last few years.
Great advice. A lot of musicians want to have fans. But hardly anyone ever gives advice on how to be a fan.
That is one of the greatest things I've ever seen! I wonder what motivated him in the first place?
I'm not completely disagreeing with you, but I think everybody that has watched this video and commented on it has always complemented the first person that dances as the person responsible for gathering the crowd. Now, I realize that if the first person had not started this would not have happened, however after careful observation I feel it is obvious that the second person that joins is responsible for the crowd and here's why.
The first person that starts dancing is often experienced as the "fool" and often laughed at and ridiculed. This is so until there is a second person who regards this behavior as acceptable and decides to imitate or join. Upon seeing this, the whole group changes the perception and also starts viewing the situation as acceptable and finds commonality and joins the group.
My statement is made obvious by the fact that this person started filming the first person dancing because he was out of the ordinary and wanted to "ridicule" his behavior. The cameraman had no way of knowing the outcome would be this because in most cases, the first person is often JUST ridiculed. It is only after the second person comes in that we have a change in the scenery.
My thoughts on the matter.
Exactly! I totally agree. Great point about the filming starting out as ridicule. The interesting part is watching how the followers join. -- Derek
love it that was awesome and im the type that would jump right in ;)
Awesome. I had to show this to my kids for a few reasons. I think they got it! Thanks.
Drugs. Give me a booming system, people in a festival (semi-captive audience) that are drunk and/or on drugs and of course I can make a crowd happen, easy.
But what happens on the Tuesday night when you're playing in an empty club because everybody else is playing in the empty clubs next door and down the street trying to start their own movements?
And how do you get to go to a festival? By having an audience.
How do you get an audience? By playing gigs when and where people want to go out.
How do you get those gigs? By having an audience.
Wait now we got a problem. To play where people want to join a movement, you already have to have a movement.
How do you get to a space in your musical career to have access to and recognition by potential fans without the business bargaining power of lots of fans?
Many marketing advice and music blogsters fail to answer this question.
This is an instant example of something that usually takes months or years to develop. You almost never have a perfect primed crowd waiting to jump in. You build an audience very very slowly. One person likes you. A 2nd person likes you. Get those two talking. Hope a 3rd and 4th person like you. Hope they tell their friends and 10 more join in. Hope a popular media outlet mentions you and 100 more join in. Hope you become the thing that “everyone” is talking about so that the rest join in. It's hard, slow, and usually not successful. That's why it's a worthy challenge. -- Derek
what is the name of the track in the video?
It's by Santigold. -- Derek
Probably “Unstoppable”
Happiness, "positive vibrations' uncomplicated "from the heart" all these things are infectious and to EVERY human on the planet..."viral"
talk about a big market :o)
Excellent dissection of something so simple yet powerful. I'll be certain to share this with my Creative Group next week.
This idea is also applicable to larger social movements that are driven by crisis. The mass conception of how a society must be operated is shaped by people who are driven by their self interest rather than the good of the whole, with carefully crafted propaganda and historic establishment. Breakdowns eventually occur because the larger systems are not built for success but for exploitation. Great upheavals (for better or worse) occur at such inflection points and the value of positive quality movements at such points to outlast the negative ones can not be overestimated in their importance. The Satz clock is an attempt to start a movement around the forgotten concept of actual freedom rather than pretend freedom. A very profound book that proposes the underpinnings of such a movement with its proofs and theorems is "The market for Liberty" by Linda and Morris Tannehill. Hopefully the Omni Opera "The Satz Clock" can help further the principles laid out in this high quality treatise along with its other amusing comedy about the contradictory and ironic nature of morality.
I know the importance of these concepts! That's why since I first arrived in Boston in 1986, I've always been the first on the dance floor at a show!
Also that's how we started our group "Students in Support of Berklee." Before the teachers went on strike in the spring of 1986 I saw a sign Posted by Robert Fogelman regarding his concern for not just what the teachers needed in terms of their pay (FYI: Berklee teachers were paid 3rd from the bottom of all institutions of higher education in all of Massachusetts(incl. secretarial schools)), but also the need to address things like healthy meals to support the athletic nature of the musician in needing the best diet possible available in the cafeteria, more frequent piano tunings, and lack of student activities, etc.(at that time. Berklee has totally exceeded my wild imagination today (though I still hear rumors of things running around in the kitchen of the cafeteria!)!)! So I saw that notice, called Robert and we had our first meeting in my dorm room! The interesting thing is that we were not alone! Another group was meeting down the street, headed by Daniel K? and Anne Cusack(yes that one!) and we decided to merge our two groups together.
To make a long story shorter we then circulated petitions stating that if the teachers went on strike we the students would boycott our classes. We even delivered this to the Governor of MA in an effort to avert the strike. And when the teachers went on strike we held rallies twice a day, which shut down two lanes of Mass Ave and during one of the rallies we had the 150 Mass Ave building completely encircled by students holding hands! We also employed other negotiation strategies with the administration. In the end we won, we kept the teachers we respected, and they got pay raises and with binding arbitration!
During the last week, a group of us on facebook started a movement during Obama's Cairo Peace Oration! It's called: Obama's Cairo Peace Crew! Join us at @http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=106014339594&ref=mf. Since his speech we're 48 members strong! It was founded by just a few of us who were chatting on facebook and didn't want to drop the lovely diverse discussion with those of us around the world concerned about forwarding Obama's Cairo vision!
And remember Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant" - Thanksgivings will never be quite the same because of his little song!
or...
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~ Ghandi.
(good analysis; enjoyed it as a thought experiment.)
I wonder if the camera had any influence on the outcome?
It is a well know phenomenon in science that observing an experiment changes the outcome.
Great post Derek.
This video and analysis describe the 'how', but i believe the 'why' people follow is equally interesting and important here I think.
Derek and Bubbles touch on the 'why' by mentioning the ecstatic (pardon the pun) nature of dance music. People follow this guy because obviously he's having more fun and also there's the numerical imperative of the tipping point.
But for the empty club with original live music from an unknown - I agree with bubbles 0 it just isn't that much fun.
I think though that there are other reasons why people follow apart from fun and just because other people are doing it.
So why should people follow you as an artist? (the bigger question I guess is 'what is art for?')
reasons?
- the artist creates, represents and facilitates a fun environment (example: dance/the presets/pop)
- the artist creates an emotionally cathartic environment ('I've felt that too' + amplifiers / he or she is singing my story) (example: damien rice/ kate bush)
- the artist is authentic and culturally distinct from a larger, usually more conservative structure, so
followers become distinct and rebellious by association. (Example:punk // middle class white english kids getting into authentic folk blues and jazz at the same time as the rise of dehumanising mass media/consumption and production)
- The artist is not really culturally distinct and so reinforces the audiences' conservatism and makes them feel safe. (Example: Dianna Krall/Norah Jones?)
- the artist is a leader/touchstone/shaman for a cause. (Example: early Dylan, ani di franco, pete seeger, rage against the machine)
- the artist is a 'genius' and followers come to witness great skill. (Example: yo yo ma, miles davis)
- the artist is a god-like erotic beauty and icon. (example: Elvis)
Does anyone have suggestions for other models?
I think that all successful artists gain a following by embodying at the very least one of the 'why' models. Great artists usually embody aspects of all the models around a central story.
Why should people follow you as an artist?
I think the challenge for unknowns like me is to hone this 'why' - so the audience is following rather than simply supporting your artistic life.
ps I haven't read Seth Godin's 'Tribes' book yet so please forgive me if I'm preaching to the choir.
Just start! To make something happen, to get others to join as participants and/or fans, someone has to start - start whatever it is like writing songs or singing songs in a public forum. "Thought" wrote on June 6 how the first person must be willing to be considered the "fool". Go for it. Who cares so long as you love your music or dance or art? But, be positive, as Derek suggests. The Beatles said it years ago, if you are shouting about the negative "you ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow!"
Who really owns the movement: the first guy, the second, the third? It reminds me a little bit of the early rock and rollers who were the creative force behind a new movement, but who saw very little money from it. The second or third people are the ones who really got things going and profited. Using Elvis as an analogy: He was the first guy; Sam Phillipps was number two; Col. Tom Parker was number three. Elvis got to keep more of his money than most (His estate, though, is much larger now than when he was alive.), but Phillipps and Parker really created the Elvis phenomenon--They're the ones who really capitalized on his uniqueness. (Little Richard or John Fogerty might be better examples because they saw far less money from their initial successes, but I don't know the details of their stories as well.)
What's my point? It seems that successful musicians need to be numbers 1, 2, and 3 or at least have a hand in each step (mixed metaphor?)of the process. That requires a pretty large skill set!
The crowd really gets going and the music stops. Hmmm....I think a great artist (show-woman) would have seen the crowd building and kept going. Could have been a major breakthrough moment for the artist having 1,000's associate your song with this "spontaneous" wild moment. How large would the crowd have grown if the music kept playing?
A clear case of momentum interruptus. ;)
Outstanding vid!! And an excellent analysis.
Avril Lavigne Bandaids
I needed an infusion of bullet points.
Currently, Godin's book, The Dip (knowing when to quit and when not to) is my touchstone. Glad I found your site through this video.
See an amazing dance and reaction here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq6b9bMBXpg
Very enjoyable. Makes me want to start my own dance video. Just have fun for a change be free. the older you get, the less you think about these moments of serendipity!
Actually, I believe the second person started dancing just to make fun of the first guy that was dancing...
I've been to a lot of festivals and have seen this mentality... and that's exactly what it seems to be here.
The 3rd guy also joins to mock the first guy a bit... and then 2 more join cuz they think it's funny...
And then BAM! The context of the whole dance changes and everybody realizes they can just stand there, jump and go bonkers and nobody will care!
So now everyone joins the fun
I like Derek's conclusions from the video though, they are very important.
@Spartz
Bas - I totally agree with you. Great point. Thanks for including that. -- Derek
amazing video, and leave it to you to point out a lesson we can all learn.
agree on the second mans status.
it's sometimes braver to jump in with a person who others perceive as a bit loony.
Awesome post! I love folks running to get involved in the movement. You can see the excitement and the fact that they don't want to miss out on it.
I read a blog a while back by Nathan McGee that dissects starting movements, and it hits on many of the points called out here (http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/45510). Four of the 7 steps Nathan notes really stand out to me as key... make it popular, rally the troops, set up communication (encouragement), and get noticed.
I watched this a few times and then showed my wife. She said it reminded her of what happens in most night clubs.
Personally, it made me think of that old idea of permission. The idea that other people need permission to like or do something.
Years ago it was Rolling Stone championing a group, nowadays it seems like Pitchfork helps give people permission.
The dancing guy gave permission to the rest of the crowd. Fascinating video. Thanks Derek.
the true life and beauty in this is totally outside of your scientific dissection
live beautifully, and let your soul jump, the rest is none of your business to endeavor to control!!!
This is so freakin awesome Derek. So glad you are posting daily these days!
The real hero here: Santagold
I love when the momentum builds, and you suddenly see folks RUNNING from wherever they were to take part in the "dance party". Like they absolutely cannot wait to take part - awesome!
I also love that the song that they're dancing to is Santigold's "Unstoppable", which is how we need to feel when we're starting our own musical movements. That's also synchronicity at work!
It's interesting, Derek, that you see the left-brain-analytical lessons in this video, while I notice the right-brain-creative-spiritual ones. A "picture" is definitely worth a thousand words!
Far Freaking Out!
I'm a 71 year old happy hippie........Had the opportunity to be part of many of the past music festivals of the 70's & 80's and it still warms my heart.
It is great to once again see music erase inhibitions and strike a universal cord felt and recognized by all. Perhaps we should pipe in old rock and roll to senate and congress and u.n. councils. Wouldn't it be a hoot to see our "leaders" finally getting it together. Come on...."Give Peace A Chance" !!!!
The fat guy is the one who made it all happen. Once he did it anybody could join
Act a fool.
[Attraction rather than promotion]
When people feel they make their own decision to join, it's personal and more meaningful.
Show how much fun and enlightened you are becoming from your actions without saying "hey, you should come try this, it's fun." Let others become attracted to what you have and want to experience it for themselves. But then "letting" assumes you're aware that your trying to attract.
But the key component of this, that makes it work is the very first point Derek listed: The leader has to be doing it for his own sake – not trying to start anything.
It's authentic.
Loved it! It takes a courageous, spirit free person not thinking of what he is appearing to others, to be a leader. His free spirited energy created a great momentum for others to do the same. Sometimes we are chicken to act on something, and it takes someone who isn't to get us to let loose.
This is a great vid!
In retrospect, I have been this guy before (the first).
We always like to think of ourselves at the time as Mavericks (e.g. this first dancer guy), but clearly he was being mocked, and basically the butt of a joke.
In many cases, let's face it, the #1 guy never gets beyond being the butt of a joke (that's okay, that's fine, that's why it's scary and why so few make the attempt).
#2 (several of them, if you watch the extended version) were basically just mocking him.
#3 seemed to be having real fun with the whole thing. That's when it exploded, from then on out #4 through N were just acting out (as another commenter said) on the permission, given by the early dancers, to join in and have more fun.
@cam - thank you for your insightful comment. As a musician (trying to launch a new "career" as one), I struggle with that daily.
I often find myself wondering ... did Elliott Smith want to rock out like Nirvana (as I find myself wanting), but just not have it in him?
Do punk metal bands have a secret soft side where they want to croon their heartfelt woes like Smith?
Does the jock secretly want to be the singer, the singer the jock?
... hoping I'm not the only musician facing this inner turmoil.
Oh boy.. this is the anatomy of the beggining of a movment!
Man, is so well illustrated!!!
memorable, thanks Derek
That's what it's all about, from music to art to spirituality. Thank you, Derek. You've always been the MAN.
Wow it's amazing what one idea,
one song, one love, one dance can do!!! one love can change the whole world!!!
This reminds me of two things:
1. Frank Sinatra's people admitted to hiring women to go up close to the stage and start fainting when Franky came on stage...they found that as soon as the hired fainters started doing their thing, suddenly other random women joined in...making Franky appear to be more of a god than the mediocre singer he ultimately was. Never underestimate the power of a well-organized posse.
2. I once witnessed a huge herd of sheep in England laying on the grass. I was laying on the grass as well far away having a beer. One of the sheep decided it was time to get up and move to another part of the grass across the road. Soon another joined in, and then all one thousand sheep decided it was a good idea. There was no feeding going on, no better grass on the other side of the road, and the sun was shining on both sides of the road. All one thousand sheep crossed the road and layed back down...just because one of the sheep thought it was a good idea.
Look around...everyone wants to be part of a group. When a person is alone, they have only themselves to tell them what is OK to do. When they get in groups, suddenly they start dressing funny, dancing funny, and doing things they would never do if they were alone.
Getting into a group transforms most people into sheeple.
I haven't performed in awhile due to health issues, but the last performance I did is proof positive of what you say here, Derek.
As a performing singer/songwriter, the most important lesson I learned over the years is that the show isn't about me...it's about YOU, the audience.
In my last show, I double-billed with a friend, and we traded on and off the stage doing very short three-song sets, plus doing a couple of Johnny Cash/June Carter covers. Absolutely every decision we made in planning this show was based upon delighting the crowd, and we even invited various attendees to the stage to join in on a couple of songs throughout the night.
The crowd got so fired up that by the time the whole two-hour show was finished, people were having a wildly good time, and never in my life did I feel such a sense of satisfaction in creating so much joy in my community, if only for a few hours.
When doing a show, set aside your ambition and ego, and think of what would make you as an audience member have a good time.
While this dancing crowd did indeed happen by accident, in a way, there are things musicians can so simply do to foster this kind of environment.
It just takes a little creativity and a lot of humility.
Loved this video, and article Derek. Thanks so much. Shared with our entire company of 100 around the country. Inspiring.
kc
http://www.kcshow.com
hahahahaha!
)
Unstoppable!
The majority of people are followers. It is easy to lead if not afraid to act the fool, and this delightful video is a tetament to this fact.
Get a guestbook gather one name/fan at a time.
In all my years of performing, I've learned to appreciate the lone crazy dancer. That one person has to ability to turn a dead crowd into a party!
Wow! I LOVE it. Great example. Get out there and shine! Patti
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Getting people up to dance is part of what I used to do in my profession. There is an art to it. Not everyone is a willing participant - until there are others on the dance floor. When choosing my first 'guinea pigs' I look for certain personality types - outgoing A types, as Derek mentioned, willing to make fools of themselves while showing off a little. Then others will join in. Again as Derek wrote, it is important to find fun-loving gregarious, happy people and then dance WITH them. Don't leave them off to the side to do their thing. Include them in the act. True alcohol helps, because it lowers the inhibition level, but it's not necessary. Audience participation is a large part of Arabic music and dance and artists encourage it whenever they can. It's so much easier to live the music when you're moving to it.
that was pretty awesome. way cool how from one came many. it was plain fun and thats what people want
Seeing that makes me feel ill and angry. But if I saw people going crazy at a metal show it would be cool. Much prefer standing a few feet above the masses to being down in the crowd, in any case. When the bodies start flying, it's a rush!
This simply shows the power of "ONE". That one person who is not afraid or ashame to step forward, committed, ignoring all critisims can move mountains of people to act.
Derek,
This is a great post. Enough said!
Give em permission to have fun!
I saw one guy at the very back of a sold out Red sox Fenway park...
He didnt know I was watching him but heres what I saw.
1 kid...clapping a certain beat.
Steady and repetitive.
Nobody joined.
He just kept at it....Kept at it...
Suddenly you got a few people doing it...
Then the stadium is clapping to this one guys beat!
Everything stopped...
he started it up again...just him.
next time it was easier...
nobody really knew what started it..
well someone did.
THings like this need to be seen!
I think this is what Dane Cook (comedian)did to get his act rolling as well.
kept it up...I think he knew the secret..I saw him say or do something similar on a video...
As a related instructional experience, watch the behavior of flocks of geese: taking off, flying, landing. Actually, there is no one "leader" to a flock; when geese fly in formation, they take turns leading. Watch which goose is first when a flock begins to take off; then the immediate next ones; then the rest of the entire flock.
Addendum: Actually, John Cage and I discussed this kind of thing in an interview (which wound up more of an even dialogue). He was concerned with how to get groups to do something without having one person (or government) giving a command of exactly what everyone is to do together at once. This interview is included in my 1997 book "Choral Conversations," which (coincidentally) is being prepared for publication an updated, expanded second edition. I might make the Cage interview available by itself as an e-book of some kind; was thinking about that this morning.
(If you're interested in the Cage interview, let me know by e-mail, via my website, or through a message on Facebook. Don't buy the old edition of the book! Wait for the new one--less expensive, and better!)
That should read: "...publication as an updated..." This is why I have editors/proofreaders for things that wind up in print!
Great article Derek. Very thought provoking. I have also written up about how this idea can be (and should be) applied to consumer internet companies.
Thanks for the video, it is very inspiring.
There is something we can learn from it. Awesome!
i just want to say enjoy Ur life with manners.there r people who also wana enjoy life ,Iraq,Afghanistan,Palestine, .thanks for sharing ...
Love u all from Afghanistan
Love this article! It's not about us, but about the people we cater through music... awesome!