Freestyle Academy proudly presents
This parody was inspired by the intrusive nature of Men on the Internet™. The idea formed from a phenomenon documented on Instagram by @swipes4daddy: older men in their 50s or 60s on social media/dating platforms, their ludicrous interest in younger women, and the strange mental acrobatics they used to justify this behavior. Something that stood out to me was this blatant disregard for any sort of boundaries a young woman might have; in fact, they seemed to lead with explicit fiction or requests, completely unprovoked, with as much panache as one might belt the sudden introduction of a chorus. I chose Joji’s "SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK" as the song of origin based on these factors. It was incredibly popular, with a dramatic chorus that stood in high contrast with its verses, and its energy was self-victimizing.
In practice, the idea proved to be much more of a struggle. While I’ve had experience in a choir, the main focus has always been blending and attentiveness to surrounding voices, almost to the point of reliance. In a solo, it was difficult to mimic Joji’s casual articulation, and though the awful sense of pitch was somewhat intentional, my improper enunciation paired with low-quality recording techniques resulted in unintelligibility at times.
It was a welcome surprise when the production was met with laughter. I hadn’t expected an iota of the appreciation the class had for my poor taste in comedy. Though I remain convinced that a large portion of the humor stemmed from the absurdity of a song about foot kinks playing in an educational setting, the reaction to this piece of work reflected something more meaningful to me. People don’t look for flaws, and they don’t want to hate something they can laugh about. They’re inherently forgiving when they can find joy. That was the most important thing I learned during this production.