which brings me to a topic that has fired up a non-stop discussion in my last class period. "airport art" also defined as tourist art...whether it be song, dance, or visual arts from a certain country made primarily to entertain foreigners. airport art isn't exactly what you would label as traditionally accurate, yet it portrays similar features of that culture. for our next assignment, my instructor has posed this question: what type of art is the polynesian cultural center? it seems to be a harmless, simple inquiry...yet the answer has many dimensions to consider. there are three things which influence the way pcc is run:
- the LDS church
- polynesian cultures
- effective business practices
...three things that wouldn't normally mesh together very well. how can you allow a male student worker in the hawaiian village to wear a malo (loincloth) when this would obviously be against the LDS church dress standards? why would the tahitian section in the night show have an asian student as a performer? why don't more tourists visit the fijian village when their presentations are culturally acceptable? when did "pearly shells" become a traditional hawaiian song? although pcc claims to be authentic - it is clear that in many cases it is not. unfortunately, due to the need to increase profits, follow church standards, and appeal to the tourist community - authenticity for the polynesian cultures isn't going to be exactly accurate.
you can all thank my professor for requiring me to consider this topic...and my assignment is due wednesday.
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