• Compulsories vs. Freestyle

    by Alexander Becker on November 28, 2006 | Link

    At least acknowledge the rules...

    On the TV, the dancing instructors have finished demonstrating the basic steps. It is almost painful to watch them doing the compulsories, because when they do, they must willfully forget everything they know about advanced ballroom dancing, and dance like persons who have suffered strokes, or major brain injuries, that have wiped out not only the parts of their brain responsible for fine motor skills but also blown every panel in the aesthetic-discretion module.

    From Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

    The difference between compulsories and freestyle is comparison. The purpose of compulsories is measuring performance. The compulsories are training while freestyle is the real life. There is no true freestyle without thorough experience of the things you have to go through. Learn the rules in order to break them properly. Your freestyle will be virtuous beyond comparison only after you get the compulsories done. Successfully that is.

    Compulsories are the boring stuff, repetitions, preaching form and rehearsing movement. Compulsories measure your degree of compatibility with society while freestyle is your unique expression as an individual. It's about that you do in the first place vs. how you do in particular. That you do is nothing special. Everybody does. It's the how that makes you stand out and separates you from everybody else.

    Compulsories are a means to create competition and to compare performance, they are elements required by all competitors, in contrast and almost by definition, it is not possible to truly compare and compete in freestyle.

    Compulsories are important and necessary to learn what it's all about. The obligatory enables you to recognize the options of the voluntary. On the other hand, the voluntary, freestyle, makes the compulsories what they are supposed to be: One part of the whole experience, and only one part. Compulsories are the endurance while the reward is waiting at the finish. Celebrate however you like since celebrating is freestyle.

    You prove yourself in the compulsories and gain the admission to freestyle. The mere fact that you are at the level of freestyle is your proof, your expression of excellence.

    Make your freestyle a parody of the compulsories. Obviously, this requires a perfect knowledge of what is expected. Make religiously sure to not include -- inadvertently -- any original part of the compulsories. Play with the required and liberate it in your freestyle. Volunteer doing the obligatory and make your freestyle seem obligatory.

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