Everybody's Fauvist Fiesta
A poem by Benjamin Zephaniah
Art: Carnival of Nations by Elena Vasquez
Music: Forged in Starlight by Orion Blake
About the Poem
Benjamin Zephaniah’s “Everybody Is Doing It Poem” is a joyful, rhythmic celebration of global dance traditions, from the Hula in Hawaii to the Morris dance in England. The poem presents a lively world tour where every culture has its own distinctive movement—Tango, Reggae, Bhangra, Samba, and dozens more—all linked by a shared human impulse to dance. The mood is buoyant and inclusive, with Zephaniah’s playful tone suggesting that dance is a universal language that transcends borders, even noting that foxes invented the Fox Trot. There are no high stakes here, only the simple, infectious delight of watching bodies move to music. The poem’s rapid, catalog-like structure mimics a party playlist, inviting readers to recognize their own heritage while marveling at the vast diversity of expression. Ultimately, Zephaniah reminds us that through dance, everybody is connected.
About the Music
Orion Blake’s Forged in Starlight is a dark ambient piece that evokes the vast, cold silence of deep space and the primal act of creation. Built on a slow, deliberate tempo, the composition layers deep, resonant cello drones with the distant, metallic clang of hammer and anvil, suggesting a celestial forge at work beneath a canopy of stars. Subtle choir pads and atmospheric synthesizers swell like cosmic dust, adding a sense of awe-inspiring mystery and immense power. The mood is both ancient and futuristic, as if a blacksmith of the cosmos is shaping matter from raw energy. Fans of Lustmord’s deep drone textures or the industrial-ambient soundscapes of early Nine Inch Nails will find familiar territory here, though Blake’s work leans more toward a quiet, sacred reverence than stark dread.
About the Art
Elena Vasquez’s *Carnival of Nations* is a vibrant Fauvist celebration rendered in bold, non-naturalistic colors and thick, energetic impasto. Under a twilight sky bathed in golden hour light, a joyful central figure mid-dance anchors the composition in the right third of the frame, serving as the clear focal point. This dancer is swept into a swirling crowd of figures in varied traditional attire, merging into a dynamic, rhythmic circle. Vasquez employs intense complementary pigments—oranges against blues and reds against greens—to heighten the scene’s vitality, while simplified forms and visible brushstrokes evoke the raw emotional power of early Fauvist masters like Matisse. The long, warm shadows and pure color palette create a mood of exuberant unity, capturing a moment of collective celebration where diverse cultures converge in a harmonious, swirling dance under the fading sun.
Full Poem
In Hawaii they Hula
They Tango in Argentina
They Reggae in Jamaica
And they Rumba down in Cuba,
In Trinidad and Tobago
They do the Calypso
And in Spain the Spanish
They really do Flamenco.
In the Punjab they Bhangra
How they dance Kathak in India
Over in Guatemala
They dance the sweet Marimba,
Even foxes dance a lot
They invented the Fox Trot,
In Australia it's true
They dance to the Didgeridoo.
In Kenya they Benga
They Highlife in Ghana
They dance Ballet all over
And Rai dance in Algeria,
They Jali in Mali
In Brazil they Samba
And the girls do Belly Dancing
In the northern parts of Africa.
Everybody does the Disco
From Baghdad to San Francisco
Many folk with razzamataz
Cannot help dancing to Jazz,
They do the Jig in Ireland
And it is really true
They still Morris dance in England
When they can find time to.
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