Dance Dance Revelation | An Intro to Giant Robot at Schema : more than ethnic

Dance Dance Revelation | An Intro to Giant Robot

Before this morning I had never read Giant Robot magazine. In fact, until a couple of weeks ago I didn't even know it existed. Since Schema is throwing its weight around a bit trying to help keep the magazine afloat I thought I'd pick up a copy and see for myself what all the fuss is about. When I opened up the April 2010 issue I found a two-page spread with the banner "Giant Robot Magazine Needs You," the title of their fundraising campaign. The first words I read in the magazine were heartfelt testimonials from longstanding fans who desperately want to keep the magazine alive:

"Your creation has launched the careers of countless artists and empowered a generation of Asian kids. Pretty f*cking amazing" - Gary Chou

"GR was there to kick start my life after college. I was introduced to a whole new worlds of art, commerce, community, and exchange." - Hazel Mandujano

"I have come to love the GR family like my family, so I have the urge to protect my family." - Kat Rivera

Many others wrote in pledging their fidelity to Giant Robot. Clearly, this is an important magazine.

As a first time reader I didn't quite know what to expect. I'd heard from those who knew the magazine that Giant Robot was quirky, eclectic, and a pop-culture fiend. The very first article in the issue, "Public Dancer," embraced all those descriptions perfectly. "Public Dancer" is Ely Kim, creator of the viral video "Boombox," which, at face value, seems like your typical, albeit awesome, self-indulgent internet video of a guy dancing in random places to a string of random songs (100 to be exact). Giant Robot interviews the dancing king and finds a real story amid the moves. As it turns out, Ely Kim is a Yale MFA candidate, and "Boombox" was a response to a challenge from a visiting critic, Michael Beirut, to do one thing, anything, for 100 consecutive days. Ely likes to dance, and so dance he did.

Kim's project was more than just spectacle for the sake of spectacle. In fact, he wasn't even going to post the video online until his classmates urged him to do it. Kim says of his video,

"It's really just me activating the spaces with my body, and showing that anyone can make everyday environments more fun or magical by moving with your body...I think that joy and freedom resonates with people. It's the way they would dance if they were by themselves."

A viral internet video that brightens your day with its unselfconscious joy and has an empowering message to boot? As Gary Chou would say, pretty f*cking amazing! If this is the kind of quirky fun-loving content that has made Giant Robot a household name then all I can say is, Giant Robot, I think you've found yourselves a new fan!