Haseeb Iqbal - We Will Dance Again
In the past two years I have been lucky enough to interview a number of fascinating minds who have all been prolific in their various crafts. Those crafts have included poets, musicians, actors, directors, sound engineers and restauranters. Whilst each have had different respective journeys that I have been fortunate to be given an insight into, there has been one uniting factor amongst them all. Each of their paths have been underpinned by the physical setting of live performance.
The communality of the physical space is perfectly epitomised by Michelin-star chef Mourad Mazouz’s analogy of a restaurant being a daisy flower, which he explained to me in an interview last year. The central floral disk is where bees and insects come to eat, drawing a parallel to the fundamental role of food in a restaurant environment. However, he emphasises, “Each petal has its importance. Front of house, the music, the lighting, the decor, the way we serve, the kindness. All the details. If I take three petals away from a beautiful daisy, you will throw it away. So, it needs to be as full and as beautiful as possible. I am pushing everyday with the details.”
It is these ‘details’ that truly form the fabric of these physical environments, which are the product of many minds’ work. And it is that physical element that has been removed from our experience of culture over the last year, recalibrated via the lens of the screen.
What I miss most about entertainment is sitting in the silent, still room of a theatre, alongside a compelled audience that are fixated on a performance that is unfolding in the contained space we find ourselves in. Or sweating excitedly at a live music gig, pushed up against strangers who are carelessly transfixed by the syncopated sonic layers of horns and drum patterns, which combust in soul-stirring form, creating a feeling which can’t be quantified through description.
Whilst many of these creative communities and entities have adapted to such testing times, contributing an admirable online offering to satisfy our eager appetite for stimulating culture, I think we can all agree that we are craving the physical spaces we feel so removed from.
Pondering the magic of such beacons, I think of a term coined by New Zealand-born musical academic Christopher Small, and cordially championed by fellow broadcaster and journalist Emma Warren; ‘Musicking’.
“To music is to take part, in any capacity, in a musical performance,” Small argues. He elaborates, explaining that performers, listeners, composers, dancers, ticket-collectors, bar-staff, sound engineers and even those who clean up after the event are all central parts of the entire experience and collectively, allow the event to occur. Small’s ability to appreciate all the petals around the flower interweaves with the profound analogy which Mourad illustrates, illuminating our role in the room as knitted participants, rather than separated parties of ‘performers’ and ‘audience’.
Whilst these treasured spaces have served us as sources of entertainment that have brightened up our days, this last year has demonstrated that, on top of being luxuries added to the routine of everyday life, they are necessities that serve as crucial outlets for us. Outlets which expose us to stories on the outside and feelings on our inside. Safe spaces where storyteller and listener are able to meet, reflect and respond. A reciprocity that we have not felt through the medium of the screen.
As I am writing this article it has just been announced that 21st June of this year could see the return of fluid social interaction in England, as well as large scale events such as festivals. The very thought of being united with each other in spaces where our senses can once again explore their depths feels almost surreal. To watch, smell, touch and feel the nourishing culture and company that we primitively require after an agonising period of separation and distance will remind us of the sustenance we once took for granted. A year that has felt like a decade to many, these peripheries of hope will afford us the ability to deal with the emotional complexities of the last 12 months with the relaxedness we desire. In spite of the difficulties and the shock of an unfathomable world we’ve had to adapt to, the end seems to finally be in sight. We can finally say, ‘We will dance again,’ warmed by a sense of hope that will guide us through the coming months. Collectively, we will rebuild the flower that has been starved in this drought, reassembling its petals until it blossoms plentifully. And it will feel sweet. The longer the pilgrimage, the sweeter the arrival.
About Haseeb Iqbal
Haseeb Iqbal is a 22-year-old writer, broadcaster and DJ from north London. He has a monthly residency on Worldwide FM and also hosts his own independent podcast platform, Mare Street Records. His debut book, Noting Voices: Contemplating London's Culture, has recently been published on Rough Trade Books and is available to buy now.