Dancing with Hierarchy

By Sally Raskoff

I had the opportunity to attend the filming of a television show, a dance competition program on the night of its final competition before a winner was announced. It was quite the event and my sociological imagination worked overtime!

Hierarchy was an obvious element of the proceedings. The audience members were stratified into two main groups. The people who were fortunate enough to get the tickets in advance lined up at one gate, nowhere near a parking lot. The others who had some connection to people working in the industry or on the show lined up at another parking lot, much closer to the designated parking lot. I was in this line, thus I had a good vantage point to notice these differences.

Organizers used identifying markers to tell who was who and where they belonged, with the staff wearing badges, and the different strata of the audience wearing wristbands or hand stamps.

The celebrities who were either former contestants or just popular celebrities did not have badges of any kind. I suppose their faces were their “badges” which makes sense considering famous people’s bodies and identities are themselves branded commodities.

The letter confirming our tickets for the show included many rules. No cell phones were allowed and “fancy cocktail attire” was required. Many who brought their cell phones had them taken away when passing through the second security gate. But not all of them. It depended on which group you were in. Those in the higher echelon kept their property with them. Others had to give them up only to claim them at the end of the show. Ah, the perks of privilege.

Once we were seated, those in the “fancier” line were seated on the floor while the “public” line was seated in the balconies. At 20 minutes to air time (it was a live broadcast show) they invited everyone – even those in the balconies – to come down and dance on the dance floor. Many people did and it was great fun. On the other hand, they also announced, “Bring your cell phones! We love social media!” This was, of course, easy for those who were allowed to keep their phones (or otherwise found a way to get it in). However, those without a phone were not able to participate in that form of social connection.

The judges were at the pinnacle of the visible hierarchy, as they would suddenly appear when it was time to go on air and disappear during commercial breaks. They may have interacted with the audience members seated in their pathway in and out of the studio performance space but they did not really engage with the entire audience.

I also noticed that the fancy dress code was followed as much as possible by those in the public line, with sparkly evening gowns and black suits. In the elite line on our side, there were young people in less fancy dress. One wore a light blue jean jacket. The celebrities, mostly former contestants, seated along the dance floor’s first row, were in attire that the camera would find easy to focus on. One was in an all white tank top and jeans--easy to see during the broadcast, but certainly not formal wear.

Once the show was over, an announcer told all of us to get out as fast as possible and not to walk on the dance floor. This did not apply to the celebrities, since they flooded the dance floor and proceeded to chat with each other, greeting as many as they could. (Social networking and building social capital, overtly in action.)

As we streamed out, the crew was lining up on the stairs to take a photo, since the next night’s show was the finale. Other former contestants were also walking in for whatever gathering they were doing next. Anyone paying attention to the group dynamics of the show could clearly tell who was in the in-group was and who was in the out-group.

The audience hierarchy afforded those at the top more access and privilege than those at the bottom. A dance competition show is certainly not about life and death issues, as it is with hierarchy in social class, gender, race and other forms of stratification in the greater society, yet it does link to those stratification systems. It is a smaller reflection of the access and opportunity that those in the higher levels of the hierarchy attain.

What aspects of stratification can you see in your everyday life?  In an unfamiliar places and formal events? 

Comments

[TonyB]

I choose this article because I think the way she studied the filming was great example of sociology in action and what she had to say reminded me of society at large. This would be a great article to show somebody what sociology is typically like, and it might make them think more about the world they live in at the same time. I think the way she talked about the shorter lines for those who bought their tickets in advance is a good metaphor for how the wealthy often have a head start in society, and the varying quality of the seating arrangements is about as good as a representation for social inequality as I could ask for.

[Anthony Barbero]

I choose this article because I think the way Raskoff studied the filming was a great example of sociology in action and what she had to say reminded me of society at large. This would be a great article to show somebody what sociology is typically like, and it might make them think more about the world they live in at the same time. I think the way she talked about the shorter lines for those who bought their tickets in advance is a good metaphor for how the wealthy often have a head start in society, and the varying quality of the seating arrangements is about as good as a representation for social inequality as I could ask for.
Because income inequality in the country that I live in has achieved ridiculous proportions, I thought it was fitting that a small panel of judges made all the shots and formed the upper class while the masses of the audience had no say. The way that the more prestigious audience members were trusted with their phones while the others had them confiscated reminded me of the classism under the law that I have witnessed first hand (eg. how my friends who wear baggy or dirty clothing are stopped by the police more often, and how the ones that dress like WASPS are more often let off the hook when they get caught breaking the law). Upon reading over the whole article, I cannot help agree that the whole television filming process sounds very stratified, and to me it only sounds enjoyable for the privileged members of the audience and the celebrities.
Overall, the way Raskoff so thoroughly exposes the divisions present within a single event inspires me to see the world around me through a finer sociological lens. When walking around SBCC for example, I now notice how it is divided into people who go there as students and those who work there (who are further divided into janitors, teachers, tutors, etc,). I think my favorite part of the whole article was the part where she remarks that a celebrity appearance is their “badge” or way of getting access to the event. The way she worded it really changed my perspective on physical appearance, and it really helped me to get insight into what it must be like for strangers to constantly recognize me and often give me preferable treatment.

[Magdalene Mwangi]

Good information