NYT on Matt Harding’s Dance Across the World: ‘Almost Perfect’

Video  •  Julia Ross  •  07.08.08 | 11:20 AM ET

We've written before about the internet phenomenon that is Matt Harding's dancing video.

As of this morning, the latest version of the round-the-world jig-fest (you can watch it below) has logged more than 4.6 million views on YouTube, bringing unlikely fame to its 31-year-old creator, a seemingly laid-back Seattleite. Harding and his video get a full write-up in today's New York Times, which calls the project "an almost perfect piece of Internet art."

"It could be a little commercial for one-world feel-goodism," writes Times critic Charles McGrath. "It could be an allegory of American foreign policy: a bumptious foreigner turning up all over the world and answering just to his own inner music. Or it could be about nothing at all -- just a guy dancing."

I side with the first interpretation. It's hard not to smile when you're watching it, and the clip from Korea's DMZ is priceless. If you haven't seen it yet, take a look:

Tags: Audio-Video, Dancing, Global Village, Tres Loco
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Julia Ross is a Washington, DC-based writer and frequent contributor to World Hum. She has lived in China and Taiwan, where she was a Fulbright scholar and Mandarin student. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Time, Christian Science Monitor, Plenty and other publications. Her essay, Six Degrees of Vietnam, was shortlisted for "The Best American Travel Writing 2009."



1 Comment for NYT on Matt Harding’s Dance Across the World: ‘Almost Perfect’

Dominique 07.09.08 | 5:12 AM ET

That video is amazing! If you ever needed motivation to get off your butt and travel, a dancing guy really helps! Thank you for posting that, it was beautiful!

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