Powers of three

A better title for this fun clip, from the cheap seats at a recent performance of Santigold’s “Unstoppable”, might be “guys start dance party.” It’s a great example of Andy’s rough 3:12:120 ratio for the small groups of people behind effective culture-making. The first dancer, brave and expressive though he obviously is, was not sufficient to get the ball rolling. The second guy shows up—he’s not as good as the first, but adds a level of normalcy (though their joint moves make one wonder if this is just a friend/couple thing). Then comes the third guy, who makes the difference. In one sense he seems as un-self-aware as the first guy (or at least comfortable with what his body is capable of), but his dance is as outward-focused as the first guy’s was introspective. He’s offering an entertainment and an invitation: look, this is fun, and all kinds are welcome. It’s only after there are three participants that it suddenly becomes clear to the crowd what’s going on. Once the group hits about 12, including the first women, it goes from there to 120 (the majority of them women) in no time at all via Thingology (LibraryThing’s ideas blog)