Matt in 2008

the whole world can dance
He's been doing his dance now for a while , 6 years to be exact, but i've only now just come across it . We here at The Salty Cod are probably the last travel-ish blog to post his story and praise his efforts. And though we're not based in the mid-west, we do seem to have a knack for being a few moments behind everyone else. But we seem to somehow find the important things, in the end.


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Matt Harding, a SEATTLE resident (no way!) travels around the world to dance with anyone willing to accompany him. What all started as a silly memento during a tour of Asia has become for Matt, and the millions of viewers around the world, a symbol of-- yes though dramatic--a symbol of hope that what we can all share in this world regardless of whatever language, weather, or color--is a silly dance. Yes, that's it. A dance. There is no profit involved, no side quest for information, money, reports, research, food, tv stations--nothing; just going there. He goes there just to go there, and his there is everywhere. Tokyo, Paris, Togo, Yemen, Mexico City, Dallas, Amsterdam, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Sydney, Madagascar, Mumbai, Madrid, Buenos Aires, Zambia, Mali, Warsaw, Vancouver, Seattle--everywhere there is a there.

As many of you have likely heard of Matt and his dance prior to this post, this is for the rest who by the off-chance (like me) had missed the boat. And for those who have seen it, I invite you to delight in a second viewing. I can not explain why this video makes me so damn happy--I have watched it now plus que 5 times, and each time my face beams an arc greater than the one above Noah's. Without explanation, Matt's dance is an emotional idea--the places he's gone, the people he has seen; I personally know when watching his dance that I myself will never stop traveling. The idea of connection between cultures has always made me teary (what can i say im a sap, I cried in Harry Potter) so, Bravo Matt! i see the happiness that I feel when I travel in your dance--and it reminds me yet again about the things that really are important.

And traveling; the act of seeing that there is more in this world than what is familiar, and that there is more than just your flag, your language, your taste, your views--more than the you at the center of the word is, without any agenda, one of the important things.

à bientôt