Revising the Riot: Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring

I am reading Igor Stravinsky’s autobiography. It is a sparse and unadorned account of his life. Of great interest so far is his recollection of the famed premier of The Rite of Spring, the ballet that caused a well-known riot. In his autobiography he claims that it was not the music that created the ruckus but a very specific element in the choreography. Here is a quote from page 36 of An Autobiography by Igor Stravinsky:

The scandal which it produced is a matter of history, but that scandal was in nowise due to the so-called novelty of the performance, but to a gesture, too audacious and too intimate, which Nijinsky made, doubtless thinking that anything was permissable with an erotic subject and perhaps wishing thereby to enhance the effect of the production.

This realization comes as a great shock to me. According to both popular legend and the teachings of music school it was the brutality of the music and the general ritualistic nature of the choreography that created the uprising. Here Stravinsky suggests that it was a single offensive gesture or movement.

Habit or Ritual

Most everyday I start by slicing and apple and making a cup of coffee. It seems like the most mindless of habits, but it is a meaningful part of my new day. I know the apple will nourish me and the coffee will jump-start my mind. Contrastingly, when I was younger I attended church every Friday (Catholic School). Religion is something that is often considered a ritual but, for me, fell into the realm of a habit. I went because it was what I had always done. The big difference between a habit and a ritual is mindfulness.

A habit is something we do without thinking about: turn the radio on when we get in the car (if it is not already on), brush our teeth before going to bed, answer: `Good` when asked `How are you?`. Once we have done something enough times, we automate the action or response so that we can do it without thinking. That is when it becomes a habit. Habits can be effective savers of mental space. But they can also be stubborn and difficult to change. Because habits are defined by their mindlessness, they are tough to recognize. We usually just do them without even realizing, and therein lies their danger.

Rituals are what we do regularly in order to create a place of meditation or serenity. They can look like habits from the outside because they are repetitive behaviors. But the intention of a ritual is to create mindfulness and awareness, not remove it. Even behaviors that seem mundane can be rituals: a deep breath to calm and focus yourself or walking to the end of the driveway to get the mail. We can ritualize everyday activities by seeking the joy, beauty or necessity in them. When we do something, however small, with intention and mindfulness, it becomes meaningful.