29 April

Applause is a curious thing, when you stop and look at it. The crowd at an event periodically clap their hands and sometimes yell or whistle or stamp their feet etc. The origins of this are probably anthropological, in deep human time, it replays the constant negotiation between the crowd - all of society - and those who want to lead or in this case entertain the crowd. The crowd is silent up to a point, to let the performer (or leader) do their thing. But the applause is a reminder of who’s really the boss here, the crowd takes over the space again momentarily, to praise but also remind the performer or leader who owns the space. Crowds sometimes get ‘out of control’, and that’s exactly the point. As a performer or leader, you are in their hands, please them or it’s going to be trouble.