Last night I stayed up late so that I could watch my DVR’d episodes of So You Think You Can Dance.  This is going to be an amazing season!  All of the dancers were so good, but ultimately I agreed with the judges’ choices for who should be going home.

The reason I wasn’t watching last night’s episode in real time is because I was attending a SIFF screening of Afghan Star, a documentary about the Afghan version of “American Idol”.  The trailer says, “After 30 years of war and Taliban rule, Afghan pop Idol is taking the nation by storm… but this is more than just a TV show. In Afghanistan you risk your life to sing.”  For many years, music and dance were outlawed in Afghanistan, but even though the laws have been lifted, there is still conflict about whether these things should be done.  At one point, one of the female contestants (there were actually 2!) dances a little bit on stage while singing her song, and afterwards she has to fear for her life.

Watching this documentary, I was struck by how very lucky we are in the West to be able to freely express ourselves through music and dance.  We take these freedoms for granted sometimes, I think.  However, I could see how the people in the film came alive by participating in the ”Afghan Star” event, either as a spectator or a participant.  The TV show’s producer said that during the period that music and dance were outlawed, Afghanistan was like an empty house with the lights off.  Hopefully the fragile tolerance that has developed for musical expression will be extended to dance as well.