I've blogged about sport-as-art previously, but since the 2010 Mr. Olympia competition is right around the corner, I thought I'd revisit the relationship between sport, art, and the body in motion. Think about the term "bodybuilder," and what comes to mind? Is it a perfectly symmetrical upper body with sweeping, yet proportional thighs? Is it a more freaky body, with enormous traps and legs that dwarf the manhood between them? Is it...our lame duck governator Arnold? Or is it merely a stage that only a chemist could love? All of these things come to mind for me, at one time or another. Recently, what comes to mind is the body as a work of organic art, or evolving art, or enhanced art, and of ironic art. In particular, I have been thinking about one of the top bodybuilders, Kai Greene, and how he represents something that is sometimes lost in our spectacle-laden (or driven?) culture. In fact, many sport studies scholars might say it is all BUT lost. Kai Greene is huge. He is around 5'8" and around 260+ pounds. But Kai Greene is an artist...in many ways. He sees the sport as art, and he himself is an artist in the traditional sense, a painter specifically. Some purists complain that Kai's posing routines (see one guest routine below) do not really accentuate his strong points, but rather obscure them in a whirlwind of fluid movements. Strike a pose, squeeze, and hold it...that is how it is generally done. Not headstands. Not moonwalking. Not miming. In a hypercorporatized sporting environment, I tend to root for the artist. The artist could give a damn about convention, and may even sacrifice economic gain for what he or she views as their own authentic creative endeavor, as poesis. Of course, the artist may profit, but its a gamble. We'll see how Kai Greene fairs on September 25th, but whether or not he improves upon his 4th place from last year, I will admire his attempt to centralize art, creativity, and perhaps even (more than a bit of) flamboyance in an event ripe with ironies and overflowing with jacked up bodies.
I don't tend to watch a ton of bodybuilding or strongman competitions and after reading your blog it dawned on me as to why I don't think I am very interested in this particular sport. I completely understand that this sport takes hard work, dedication, sacrifice and discipline; just like any other sport. However, I have never felt like this sport incorporated skill, creativity or any art form as well. But after watching the clip of Kai Greene and seeing how he interprets his sport and how he is doing things out of the "norm" for his sport; made me view bodybuilding in a whole other light. While I was watching the clip , I didn't want it to end. In those few short minuets the audience got to see more than just a "ripped" body, but we got to experience and feel his personality, creativity and enjoyment of what he was doing; and that is what I love most about sports. I love that sports allow people to express themselves and there talents in many different ways. I enjoy watching sports where you can see and feel the passion, intensity and high stakes competition. I've never seen or heard of Kai Greene before, but I feel as though he will only continue to create a larger fan base and popularity around this sport if he continues to put his own personal "twist" and creativity into what he does. Being a former Division 1 athlete, I know from experience that when your love and passion for the sport is gone, your performance suffers and there is not much sense in continuing. Overall, what Kai Greene did in this 3minute clip caught enough of my attention and interest to do follow up research on him, and made me want to learn more and see more of his performances! I also feel if he stays true to himself and what he enjoys it will be well received by the audience and fans, and that shot at #1 at the next competition will become his reality.
ReplyDeleteChristina Calcagno (M-W class 164)
Wow... Kai Greene really does take posing to another level. But hey... All the great ones take an art and bring it to another level. Michael Jackson did it with pop music, Bill Walsh did it with offensive football, Helio Gracie with Jui Jitsu, and you can even say our Governator with body building. At some point, the cultural ideology must move forward and a new dominant ideology must take place. You can see this in many things... The forward pass in football, the 3 point line in basketball, the nomination of the first afro-american president. Things at some point must move away from the norm... and be redefined (most often for the better). I believe that is what Kai Greene is trying to do with posing. Even though this type of posing is frowned upon in the actual Olympia event, it may become status quo in the future. It sure beats the old posing routines of Ronnie Coleman, Kevin Levrone, Flex Wheeler, Shawn Ray, and the likes of em. There was a bodybuilder I took a liking to in 2001 or 2002 who did a similiar posing routine that involved dancing... His name was King Kamali... Check out his Terminator routine if you get a chance Ted. GO DEXTER JACKSON!!! (2008 Champ)
ReplyDeletePeter Sias (m/w class)
I will honestly say that I have only seen bodybuilding in passing. It never really caught my eye until now. I guess the reason for that is its extreme focus on the spectacle (the muscles) you have mentioned. However, Kai does something interesting - he introduces an element of play to his performance, by expressing his own creativity. What is even more noteworthy, is that he is doing so while most athletes try to "talk the talk and walk the walk" of their particular sport. He actually has the courage to walk his own (moon)walk, reminding us that sport is a contested activity. It's meaning, purpose, and organization can and does change. This is important for us to remember when we see something in sports we don't necessarily agree with. We can do something about it. And I think as long as he stands by his ideals, Kai can make a change too. By doing so, he might even expand the audience of the bodybuilding. I, for one, would actually enjoy watching bodybuilding with an artistic element infused into it. That being said, it doesn't surprise me that there is a resistance to what he is doing. Right now, there is a lot of value placed in being tough, manly, and aggressive in sports. The rise in the popularity of football and MMA are good examples of that. Kai's performance, although engaging, is not as intimidating as it would be if he was just showing off his huge muscles. Instead, it is kind of...fun. I really hope that that idea of sports being fun is revived in the future. Kai is already moving in that direction.
ReplyDeleteI have watched a few body building competitions before and they are usually so uniform and boring. The women's body builders sometimes do a dance-like section but they don't really seem to enjoy it the way Kai Greene does. I would definitely watch body building more often if I got to see the competitors do a task of their choice that showed off their muscles in a new way. I actually showed this video to my roommates and they were amazed throughout the entire video. They admitted to never caring much for the sport, but when seeing such a huge, toned man dance on stage they wanted to see more. Personally I have always thought that in sports such as body building and gymnastics, where the athletes are attempting to perform a skill the best way for points, the athletes should be allowed to get a bit creative. Athletes should be able to express themselves in an artistic manner that is also sport specific if they chose to do so. Kai Greene is definitely able to make viewers into fans, so why any governing body would want to make Greene conform to the sport's norms makes no sense to me.
ReplyDeleteI can honestly say that I've always thought that body building was a sport but never a form of art. After watching some Kai Greene's youtube, I can see way he is presenting himself as a form of art. The way that each builder has to train a specific muscle and show it off is a form of art. Exercise routine can be a form of art because of the way they exercise themselves. Kai just doesn't strike a pose, he makes himself seem a little bit more flexible because of the way he moves with his body. By the looks of it, if a body builder can move like that, it looks better than just being stiff and built. It means you put in more extra time to your passion. When Greene lifts his weights, he probably says "ain't nothing but a peanut."
ReplyDeleteBriana Shimizu:
ReplyDeleteWell I am guilty of being one of those people who instantly judge bodybuilders in a negative light. After watching this video, reading this blog, and discussing women in bodybuilding as a class, I am seeing a new outlook on this as a sport.
Kai Greene seems to take great pride and passion in his creative expression of art in sports. Art is exhibited in many ways which is why it is so creative. I guess I just never saw body building and art as such a neat and complimentary idea, but seeing Kai Greene's routine and the happiness it bring it him, I can tell he gets the same joy a gymnast or dancer gets from combining art and sports in their routines! I say, go for it Kai Greene he is expressing himself in a way that makes him happy- so screw the judgmental people, do what you believe in and follow your dreams!
Briana Shimizu
Kin 164
I think people underestimate how much work and effort it actually takes when it comes to bodybuilding. I never really considered bodybuilding as a sport until I actually learned more about it. It is not easy to gain muscle and retain it without hard work and this is coming from my personal experience. It takes an immense amount of dedication and effort to actually achieve the outcome that professional bodybuilders have.
ReplyDeleteThe sport of bodybuilding is so convoluted because of the anabolic steroids issue. There has been evidence that body builders use anabolic steroids to increase muscle mass and performance. This can be said the same for other professional athletes. The use of steroids and performance enhancers have been in use since the commercialization of sport.
Nim Baylon Kin 164