National Dance Week 2003 Announces New SpokesMuppet
National Dance Week and Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization that produces Sesame Street, have announced a new partnership between the two organizations.
Sesame Workshop is launching a national "Zoe Ballerina" campaign to build young children's physical and social skills through dance this month. In her new role, Zoe is also serving as the National Dance Week 2003 Children's SpokesMuppet.
Patricia Goulding, Executive Director of NDW, states that this is "valuable networking since dance can and should be an integral part of all childrens' development with its allowance and potential for personal and physical expression. From classical ballet to Zoe's 'Silly, Willy, Nilly' dance, the partnership will raise the awareness of the importance of dance in a young child's life."
Um, the importance of dance in a young child's life? What child are we speaking of?
I don't doubt that the teaching of movement and performance are valued experiences for children.
But important? On what scale?
On the Houck Scale of Importance, with 1 being the equivalent of life-sustaining air, food and shelter and 5 being a rating that you would give to, say, remembering to use a chip clip for the Ruffles, I'd have to say that children's dance rates about a 4.997. Right above "Arbor Day celebration" and right below "cleaning roof gutters."
That a "SpokesMuppet" (that's capital S, capital M, one word) is being utilized for promotion of said activity could drop its standing even further. I'm still deciding.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I think we're putting too much heavy lifting on the shoulders of our Muppets to solve the social ills of the world. From racism ("It's not easy being green.") to AIDS (Kami, the South African muppet), we're sloughing too many tough conversations onto our handpuppet community.
I'm all in favor of dealing with serious issues. I just think it trivializes things a tad when you jam your hand in a sock and make funny sounds to talk about global plagues and lynchings..
Is this the next step? I certainly hope not.