Inside The Circle: Inside The Closet

You might also like

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 25

Inside the Circle, Inside the Closet?

B-boy Culture and Male Homosocial Desire

Michael Meeder

MHL 598: Hip-Hop Professor Mook December 15, 2009

Abstract

Meeder 2

My detailed analysis of Marcy Garriotts second feature length film, Inside the Circle, follows my own reading of the cipher as a homosocial, homoerotically charged space. The film follows three b-boys who are in the throes of discovering their emerging sensualities, sexualities, sensibilities, and identities. Usually thought of as a defiant culture, breaking and b-boys are at a loss when they cross from male/male social bonds and boundaries and move into male/male romance, love, or sexual interest. However, the boys find ways of meaningful, emotional, sweet, and aggressive physical exchange, which seems to help them bond. The limitations of these bonds are inscribed within the history of masculinity itself. Building my main argument on the theoretical writings of Eve Sedgwick, Michel Foucault, and other historic cultural waves of influence, I trace the cipher (a pseudodynamic space where b-boys battle each other) back to the metaphor of the battle one must throw himself into, seemingly against his own desires. This battle metaphor is how one gains control over ones self. The films tagline, if you can hold yourself down in battle, you can hold yourself down in life, speaks to Foucaults metaphor of the battle as an internal struggle one must endure to be a man.

Introduction

Meeder 3

The cipher gives breakers an outlet to battle out their desires in a socially acceptable arena where masculinity is performed, observed, and judged, both on a group and one-on-one level. However, the deviant proclivities of the homosexual align themselves with the defiance of breaking and b-boy culture. Breaking and hip-hop condone graffiti and other actions of defiance. I think b-boying, the definition is just raw, its a defiance of dance, its a defiance of what you wanna see, defiance of everything. This is one of the first lines in the film, Inside the Circle. Defiance of everything, is a hyperbole. The b-boys and breaking culture do not defy heteronormativity and masculinity, for one. Breaking culture bases itself around masculinity and appreciation of the male body, but deeper motivations are at work as seen in the bonds that develop among crewmembers. Although the cast of Inside the Circle is defiant of their cultural roots and to some extent, society at large, homosexuality seems an unspeakable factor. Yet for homosexual breakers, breaking is also a way to assert dominance and gain respect. The prospect of winning in a battle may be tied to a homosexual breakers goal of overcoming potential shame he feels in the face of a heterosexist society, with its many juridical and societal means of scrutiny and punishment. Coming out may entail disempowerment and sheer pain.1 As such, the cipher is a space where males can come together under the guise of acceptable homosocial relations, but this bonding can potentially develop into homosexual desire for a small percentage of b-boys. I argue that this is the scenario at
1

Eve Sedgwick, Epistemology of the Closet (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1990), 68.

Meeder 4

play in Marcy Garriotts award-winning2 documentary. This unspoken homosexual vibe pulled me into the film, and my reactions are similar to the filmmakers own (first-hand) experience with the boys: I didnt have the knowledge yet to interpret what exactly was happening. It really pulled me in! I wanted to know what was happening. And you cant learn that by just having one conversation or shooting a competition once. You really do learn by absorbing it and being around it for a long time. After a while, I understand the context of the relationship between people. Its a slow process but then you have that day where you realize you know exactly what just transpired in a certain exchange.3 Similar to Garriott, I too needed time to gauge the personalities of the b-boys in her film before I experienced my realization, which I will describe below at length. I see the cipher as a masculine space that fosters the development of a b-boys own personal masculinitygay or not gay. Romeo Navarro, the true poet of the film, sums up the value of b-boying, If you can hold yourself down in a battle, you can hold yourself down in life. Holding oneself down, a slang term for stepping up should not be read as a negative metaphor like holding myself back, but this reading may serve as an ulterior way of repressing ones self in order to become a masculine, heterosexual male. I will discuss the historical construction of masculinity and announce some positive and negative ramifications of this construction, with regard to b-boy culture, (which, of
2

Official acclaim includes the following: New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival 2008 (Audience Award: Best Film), SXSW Film Festival 2007 (Audience Award Winner), San Diego Film Festival 2007 (Audience Award Winner). The film has been recently screened on MTV and MTV2 as well as made its way around the Philippines in October of 2009. 3 Interview: Marcy Garriott, Director INSIDE THE CIRCLE, Still in Motion, January 20, 2008, http://stillinmotion.typepad.com/still_in_motion/2008/01/interview-marcy.html.

Meeder 5

course, is a part of a larger culture as well). I will also discuss, necessarily then, the ulterior reading of holding ones self down as an expression that can be interpreted as staying in the closet. In the film, the cipher affords the most dedicated and victorious breakers to overcome various adversities such as low-income backgrounds, broken homes, shame, and low self-esteem. A b-boys hard work in his practice and dedication does indeed win battles. The victory of holding ones self down earns the b-boy self-esteem, money, group and individual identity. I argue that homosocial bonds between two characters, Josh and Omar, must have developed into homosexual desires one at least one of their behalves. This led a rupture between the two best friends. This rift never fully repairs itself, and my thesis explains one possibility: that Josh is a closeted homosexual and Omar is undecided, at least in the film. Ultimately, breaking becomes a vehicle the best b-boys to escape their rural roots, and pursue international travel, success, and the means to relocate to a major urban center. This path is analogous to that of any gay male, who seeks out the big city in order to fully embrace himself as a homosexual. If to embrace homosexualityis to embrace the city, [then] to embrace the city is still to embrace homosexuality.4 I will be discussing the film Inside the Circle with regard to homosocial desire, homosexuality, and the closet. I will ground the ideas I present on previous work on sexuality by Michel Foucault and Eve Sedgwick, as well as historical gay work and writers, namely Proust. Literary critic Julie Abrahams Metropolitan Lovers has helped me in the literary and cultural history of LGBT people and those who wrote about them:
4

Julie Abraham, Metropolitan Lovers (Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2009), xv.

Meeder 6

Magnus Hirschfeld (d. 1935), a sex researcher and gay rights advocate, and Havelock Ellis (d. 1939), a sexologist and physician. Theoretical Background Foucault traces the regulation of the pleasures in volume two of The History of Sexuality: the use of pleasure. Literary data from Classical Antiquity amounts to the theory that, Foucault theorizes, beginning with classical antiquity, a man needed to be moderate in terms of indulging in sexual pleasures, or anything for that matter. Moderateness was esteemed, as it led one to good things, namely masculinity and the responsibility of bearing children. Being able to control ones impulses and desires, in essence being able to withstand temptations of excess, gave a man esteem that made him fit to rule over others, or if not rule over others, then at least rule over himself and thus function productively in the city. The opposite of this moderationindulgences in the flesh and other extravagances like sexual gratification, fancy dress, over-eating, and oversleeping, led to a passive, feminine identity. This was generally seen as a weak man, one to not associate with socially. The reproductive responsibility and self-restrictions a man followed allowed for the continuation of the city, and therefore being masculine was considered to be of high priority in the face of petty, feminine indulgences and other nonproductive pleasures. The metaphor of the battle had, in Antiquity, developed to describe a mans relationship with his desires and pleasures, as either according to the model of the fighting soldier or the model of the wrestler in a match.5 Battling against the pleasures, was a way to think, in a mans sensibility, as Foucault reminds us these
5

Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality, vol. 2 (New York: Random House, 1990), 67.

Meeder 7

maxims were written for men by men. Let us think of this metaphor as we encounter the boys of Inside the Circle. I will return to this battle metaphor later. We must also address the metaphor of the closet. The closet is a Victorian construction: a small room to hide the things one does not wish to visibly shareitems one is unable to dispose of, yet items that seemingly have no other place. The perfect place to hide something secret. In contrast to this is the cipher, a place to bring energy and defiance. Yet even within the cipher, the closet may be presentan invisible and theoretical wall around the self-knowing homosexual. I believe this to be the trouble with Josh, the struggling screw-up,6 and this is what I feel the film Inside the Circle has shown yet cannot speak about directly. Foucault writes about silence, silence itselfthe things one declines to say, or is forbidden to name, the discretion that is required between different speakersis less the absolute limit of discourse, than an element that functions alongside the things saidThere is not one but many silences, and they are an integral part of the strategies that underlie and permeate discourses.7 Its not clear if any of the dancers in the film are actually gay. The understanding of the word homosexual is, according to Sedgwick, organized around a radical and irreducible incoherence.8 Sedgwicks Epistemology of the Closet notes, for many gay people [the closet] is still the fundamental feature of social life.9 The closet functions not only as an oppressive force affecting gay men and women, but anyone aware of anothers secret.

Member Reviews, Netflix: Inside the Circle, http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Inside_the_Circle/70104597?trkid=190393. 7 Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality, vol. 1, (New York: Random House, 1990), 27. 8 Sedgwick, Epistemology of the Closet, 85. 9 Ibid., 68.

Meeder 8

As for Josh, the outcast, it remains to be seen one way or the other. For the risk of coming out, Sedgwick warns, has been from a juridical standpoint, both punishable and stigmatizing to the point where the out gay can lose his career, family, friends, house, and even his Constitutional rights.10 In this way, [t]he closet is the defining structure for gay oppression in this century.11 Another descriptive term I have used without defining explicitly also comes from Sedgwick. Her work Between Men defines homosocial as the social bonds between persons of the same sex, and she defines desire as the affective or social force, the glue . . . that shapes an important relationship.12 She goes on to explain that homosocial bonds can take many forms, and that there is a continuum between homosocial and homosexual.13 She also points out that the glue of desire can affect an important relationship in positive or negative ways.14 Josh and Omar seem to fit this model, as their male-male bond becomes ruptured before the filming had even begun, for unexplained reasons. I will return to this specific rupture later, as the saga of Josh and Omar remains my strongest evidence of an escalated homosocial relationship that perhaps was destroyed once it approached the level of homosexual desire or love. Filmmaker Marcy Garriott noticed the homosocial aspects: Theyre very physical with one another and comfortable with that physicality, which I really love. And people see it for what it is which is just a beautiful


10 11

Sedgwick, Epistemology of the Closet, 67-75. Ibid., 71. 12 Eve Sedgwick, Between Men, (New York: Columbia University Press, 1985), 1-2. 13 Ibid., 1. 14 Ibid., 2.

Meeder 9

bonding that happens between them. Ive seen that universally in breaking environmentsits wonderful.15 This conception of male/male bonding also stems from Victorian society. Victorian cultural norms encouraged men to develop intimate homosocial bonds with each other, but at the same time, they were not permitted to cross over into feelings of homosexual desire (romantic love).16 This can cause a great deal of stress in male relationships, and Sedgwick posits how this stress gets directed into love triangles, or ciphers in the b-boy culture. Men can interact with each other as rivals and thus fulfill their homosocial needs without appearing homosexual.17 Before I saw this film, I honestly had not thought of ciphers as homosocial spaces and places where male/male contact is at once acceptable and raw. The b-boys in the film are just discovering themselves as sexual beings, as bodies of desire. The B-boys show so much love and affection towards one another. There are the macho stances and all that, but theres a lot of physical displays of affection, too.18 Its evident that the cipher is a homosocial space. What I seek to prove is the possibility that Josh and Omar flirted too near the danger zone of being actively homosexual with one another. B-boys at this age (mid teens) must be a bit confused about new hormones and just might rather enter a cipher than come out of the closet. Background: The B-Boys Now that I have introduced the concepts, which I feel dominate the film (the closet, the subjugation of the pleasures for the benefit of societydescribed and
15 16

Interview: Marcy Garriott, Director INSIDE THE CIRCLE, Still in Motion. Male Homosocial Desires in Thomas Hardy, http://www.csub.edu/~acaetano/mgen.htm. 17 Ibid. 18 Interview: Marcy Garriott, Director INSIDE THE CIRCLE, Still in Motion.

Meeder 10

enacted as if one were at battle, and the homosocial desire in the cipher), I will introduce the films principal b-boys: Romeo, Josh, and Omar. Romeo Navarro got into b-boying through graffiti. He got kicked out of all the high schools in Austin. His mother called him crazy, but Romeo denies this accusation, attributing his behavior to a rebel phase. He is defiant of following in his mothers footsteps, wanting instead to follow nobodys footsteps [but his] dreams and [his] footsteps. He organizes B-Boy City, an annual battle in Austin, Texas. This gives younger b-boys the chance to earn respect and prove themselves, as well as a way for Romeo to make sure there are youngsters coming up, so that the culture can continue to survive. You can go anywhere in the world that you want to, but theres so much to discourage you. Thats what were givin, were givin hope, says Romeo. Romeo can be seen as the straight male figure, wanting to perpetuate the culture. This is what drives him to annually organize B-Boy City. By giving hope, he realizes that breaking culture is one way for youths of adverse backgrounds to accomplish something meaningful, as well as the hope that these boys will hold themselves down in battle, meaning: adhere to societys maxims as the Ancient Greeks did mentioned in the above. Josh Milky Ayers is from Austin. When we meet him, he is already on probation for assaulting a teacher at his high school. He admits he has a self-esteem problem. The teacher must have said something insulting to Josh pertaining to his intelligence, hence the book-throwing retaliation. The film clearly shows Josh to be in a position of helplessness, coming from a broken homehis fathers example of violence and jail, and then deathseem to be what Josh himself fears his own destiny to be. His

Meeder 11

mother does not support Josh; she never attends any of the B-Boy City battles. Josh says he has a lot of anger towards her for things shes always ridin [him] about. However, he smiles when he shows the camera his guns [biceps]. He counts dance as the only activity where people have given him positive attention. Hes not very good at school, and his mother states that if he would only use the computer in his room, that he would get to where he wants to go. He defies the stereotype that white people dont have rhythm. His good friend Omar, also appreciates Josh as a dancer and says, he [Josh] is just a great break-dancer. And, Josh says of Omar, Hes [Omars] always in my heart, my inspiration. At the films beginning, Omar Davila lives in the rural outskirts of Austin with his working class immigrant parents who are from Mexico. I want to push myself because I wanna be somewhere where Im not, he says vaguely. Omar used to be in the same crew with Josh. Omar describes the way he and Josh would practice together with a video camera, watching tapes of themselves over and over all the time. This method helps the boys achieve correct positioning in moments where their limbs may be bent instead of straight. Josh spins clockwise and Omar counter-clockwise. Omar says, Its kinda like watching a mirror of yourself, like we do everything the opposite of each other. In the literary world, Proust describes his homosexuals as pursuing a perilous intimacy, seeking out those who are most directly their opposite, who do not want their company, forgiving their rebuffs, enraptured by their condescension.19 This speaks to the relationship between Omar and Josh, to which I will return below. Omar rebuffs Josh
19

Marcel Proust, Cities of the Plain, vol. 4 of Remembrance of Things Past, trans. C. K. Scott Moncrieff (1921; repr., New York: Vintage, 1981), 638-39, quoted in Julie Abraham, Metropolitan Lovers, 106.

Meeder 12

continually in the cipher, and Josh plays almost exactly to Prousts character type. He forgives Omars rebuffs continually, as we shall see. The rest of Joshs crew call themselves the Masterz of Mayhem. This young group of boys from the valley, a rural area above the Rio Grande in the southern tip of Texas, has to drive five hours to Austin just to battle. When the boys practice, which is sometimes five hours a day, their shirts come off, or fall down during moves that place the dancers body upside-down. Little moments like this, of exposed skin, is akin to a strip tease. Some of the boys who are not as fit or uncomfortable showing their skin wear two shirts or tuck them in, to avoid the aforementioned torso flashing and the possible gay associations this action may inscribe. The Masterz admire Joshs talent, but point out their queer reading of him, saying, somethings wrong with [him]. Just pull out the holy water and-- one of them gestures throwing holy water on Josh. Displaying and Viewing the Male Body In the film, Omar and other b-boys routinely mime the hyperbolic sizes of their genitals, even going so far as to strip down to their underwear, in both a display of dominance and masculinity, which both can be seen as attractive to homosexuals in the crowd or even in the crew. Many of the b-boys simply love to dance, and those who achieve good standing and have developed an impressive repertoire of power moves and freezes make them all the more attractive to the opposite sex. The freeze is a breaking move where the dancer stops in motion, as if someone was taking their picture says Omar. Often during a freeze, the male dancers shirt will fall down (as they are often upside down), and this moment of exhibition can be read as a willing, yet fleeting, moment of showing off.

Meeder 13

As I have discussed with Fabel, one need not be gay to vogue and equivocally, one need not be straight to break.20 Breaking, a new sport, is a way to get girls, and Fabel agrees with this motivation for breakers. One on the Masterz hears of a crewmembers interest in a girl and offer, Instead of taking her to prom, you should take her to B-Boy [City] Ten! The Masterz are indeed interested in girls, all except for Josh. Josh and Omar who are at the top of their game, do not pursue girls in the film. Plot: Act I The young Masterz crew drives up to stay at Joshs place for B-Boy City 9. Josh has five young, attractive boys as guests. Although Josh is seen as an outsider to the group, the Masterz need him and his talents. B-boy city 9 occurs during the first days of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Josh is in jail now (not prison) after free riding in a go-kart. So the Masterz of Mayhem miss him. Hes not our race, but hes our other brother, says one. (Josh is Caucasian (white) while the Masterz are Hispanic and Christian). Romeo describes the Masterz as countrified. However, the Masterz win the battle: the prize is $1,000.00. Romeo adds, and if youre bored [in the country], youre gunna go cause trouble, or create. And they create. Those b-boys are poor. They ride fifteen of them in their van, starve for two days, for something they love...and thats deep. Josh is out of jail on bond now. The Masterz have to deal with Joshs status as loose cannon. Josh is frequently thinking of his crew as a motivational factor to stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, Josh and his mother get into a fight and she kicks him out of his (her) house. He apparently hit her in the face after she grabbed his throat. He flees
20

Jorge PopMaster Fabel Pabon, interview by the author, ASU, October 3, 2009.

Meeder 14

his home before the cops can arrive, but he is charged with domestic assault and now has no place to lodge. Meanwhile, Omar (who is 17) seems to have a good relationship with his mother, His life seems to be taking him along the lines he desires. Hes a pro b-boy. Every weekend hes flying out of town. Now to L.A., Omar is making a little money here and there. He notes his progress, Just gotta keep working at it, and see where it takes me. Battle of the Alamo Joshs crew, Masterz of Mayhem, battles Omars crew, the Jive Turkeys. Theres mad tension between Josh and Omar, someone says, probably Romeo. Josh gets his hat taken away (for the second time in the film) which is a tactic that others deliberately employ to make him mad, which is known to mess with his concentration, and this affects his performance in the cipher. Josh retaliates by miming, I love you, as he explains that this may throw his opponent off. The subtext now comes into view: emotions are a weaponlove a way to scare an opponent, knock him off his balance. This also relates directly to Foucaults oft-cited metaphor of man battling his desires, his temptations. Well here, it seems history is repeating itself, or that the cipher can bring more than a competition of skill to the fore, but also homosocial anxieties, desires, and heartbreak. Filmmaker Marcy Garriott reflects: I felt the intensity of it. It felt very emotional; it felt very intense. But I didnt know how to interpret it. It was very intriguing to me because I knew they were expressing something far deeper than just an athletic competition would bring out, or a performance.21
21

Interview: Marcy Garriott, Director INSIDE THE CIRCLE, Still in Motion.

Meeder 15

My belief is that Josh is repeating the logic Omar used on him when the rift occurred: he makes a mockery of love. Only his I love you gesture is only a pseudo-sarcastic action. In reality, it may be an admission of pain, yet still a way of expressing himself acceptably. Josh performs well in the Battle of the Alamo, but afterwards, Omar knocks Joshs hat off again. In narration, Josh says that he not scared of anyone. The only one [hes] scared of is [himself]. This reminds me of Foucaults statement: [being] defeated by oneself is the most shamefulthe worst of all defeats.22 Omar gets forcibly removed from the battle, exposed as the one causing the trouble, even when he may not have taken off Joshs hat the first time. Perhaps he directed a crewmember to. Josh says, even though were not a unit anymore, I still have his back, (recalling Prousts gay characters described above), but Josh decides not to intervene so that he doesnt implicate himself with Omar. Josh was looking for Omar after the battle on camera, and Omar comes up from behind and gives Josh a sweaty hug. Josh admits, Damn that felt good, yknow, hes my brother, yknow. Omar says he has a lotta respect for Josh, and when he gave him that hug, it was like, you know, youre my boy, Im your boy, and thats not gunna change for forever. Returning from the embrace, Josh looks into the camera, and with his finger, he mimes a tear coming down his cheek. Act II Joshs only stable identity revolves around his status as a b-boy. He moves from city to city. Having no home, he must squat at any place he can find. Thankfully, he has
22

Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality, vol. 2, 69.

Meeder 16

enough friends to avoid the streets. As Abraham points out, the figure of the homosexual [is] simultaneously a social outcast and a weaver of social webs; but the groups they are now supporting are not their own [italics added].23 Perhaps Josh thinks hes a bad person because hes not helping his own grouphomosexuals. Meanwhile, an organizer from the Netherlands flies Omar to Europe for an international battle. Omar is still nervous, even though its like my hundredth time doin this, its still like, wow. This placeless shockthe unknownparallels Joshs fears. Both boys are the same age, and part of the same subculture, so parallels like this can be read any which way. This sense of placelessness, however, is also present in queer history, as evidenced by the need of gays and lesbians to create safe spaces and places of their own (as public space is hetero-dominant).24 Omar arrives in Rotterdam. The organizer for this particular event, International B-boy Competition comes to know Omar and his impressive tricks with airflares over the Web at Bboyworld.25 Omar performs and pleases the crowd. That day Omar gained a bunch of new fans, says the organizer. A lotta kids started dancing like Omar, he adds, showing the role-model status Omar has reached, at least abroad. Omar begins dancing without a shirt on, and he then pushes his pants down to his ankles, exposing his legs and a pair of white boxers. Next, he does a move by putting his legs in the air and punching between his legsthrough a triangle formed by his legs and the pants that link his two ankles together. Having accomplished this difficult, brazen move, he struts


23 24

Julie Abraham, Metropolitan Lovers, 108. See Gordon Brent Ingram and others, eds., Queers in Space: Communities, Public Places, Sites of Resistance (Washington: Bay Press, 1997). 25 See Bboyworld, http://bboyworld.com.

Meeder 17

around, and mimes that hes holding his genitals: a display of masculine sexuality (or dominance, or both). Back in Austin, Josh is meeting with a guidance counselor who gives him legal advice. Josh says he regards himself as a bad person. His guidance counselor says to him: Youre not a bad person, youre not going to jail. I believe that. Do you believe that youre not a bad person? It appears Josh has been having dreams where the cops catch him and lock him up. Josh then visits his crew in the valley. The Masterz admit: not only has he [Josh] made our crew stronger in dancing, but hes made our crew a lot stronger in the bond. This statement demonstrates that Josh isnt a bad person at all. The outlet Josh seeks is productive because, [b]y nature, homosexuals are eminent[ly] social beings, striving hard to grow and be productive while making efforts to participate in the advancement and development of the whole by working together with others.26 Anyone who watches the film or knows Josh might easily observe his willingness to participate with others. B-Boy City 10 approaches. Josh is sentenced to two years of probation, but he fears he may end up failing this. Probation can be seen as a tricky test to some offenders, who often take the jail time offered in lieu of dragging out a longer sentence of probation.27 However, Josh doesnt take the jail time they offer because he wants to be around his crew. He missed the last B-Boy City; he was locked up for joy riding the golf cart. But more than winning, he says, I just wanna be around them [the Masterz].


26

Magnus Hirschfeld, The Homosexuality of Men and Women, trans. Michael A. Lombardi-Nash (1913; repr., Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus, 2000), 725, quoted in Julie Abraham, Metropolitan Lovers, 107. 27 The rules of probation state if the offender violates any of the terms of his supervision, even on the last day of the suspended sentence, that the offender can be made to serve out the original prison sentence.

Meeder 18

His sentimentality becomes a statement of sincerity when he gets a tattoo Masterz of Mayhem across his belly. He lifts his shirt for all the boys to see. The boys approve and make jokes about how tough itll make him seem in prison. Its family, he says. The battle, organized by Romeo, happens that evening. It feels good to dance, Josh says. Keeps me positive, keeps my mind from breaking down all the way. The judges liked the one-on-one rawness, of the Masterz more than the routine of the other crew, explains b-girl Lucky. The judged then decide the battle goes to the Masterz of Mayhem. However, this upsets several of the other crews, who feel this decision is unfair and who then threaten Romeo that they will not attend future B-Boy City battles. Joshs guidance counselor connects him with a job teaching kids to break in the AmeriCorps Youth Advocates program in Houston. Days go by, months go by, months go by, says Josh, while he continues to make money and pay his legal fees. Omar continues to travel, battling in Barcelona, Paris, Russia, and Mexico City. Act III Josh loses his housing again in Houston and receives a job offer to dance in Florida. He visits Romeo. Romeo has grown into the role of mentor and counselor. He holds himself down in a cool, calm, and dispassionate demeanor. However, his passion for B-Boy City and the culture remains evident. Josh moves to Orlando for the dance gig. Once there, he likes his new life, saying, its a new place, I have no drama here. The new lifestyle he is describing has been a positive influence, and hes earned it. its [moving for work] whats kept me alive; its whats kept me from doing much worse things.

Meeder 19

Omar and his father have been arguing a lot, since Omar has decided not to attend college. Omar moves out of his parents home, too. He leaves for Berlin the next day. Josh tries to convince the camera and himself that he has resolved his relationship with Omar. Me and Omar, were straight [alright]. We talk on the phone every now and thenits just not the same. I dont think in his heart it could ever be the same. I dont think it could ever be the same in my heart. This level of emotion is not in keeping with the usually reserved attitude of masculinity. Similarly, Omar continues to think of Josh. I can imagine hes going through a lot, too. Although they are never together, the boys seem to be holding an imaginary conversation, perhaps mediated by the filmmaker. Josh predicts, Over time, maybe well be working together. If I see him over seas getting tag-teamed by a bunch of French guys, Ill jump in and battle them while he takes a rest. Ill always have his back. Josh returns to Austin. Florida has no resources to take him into their probation system, and for now he is in Austin, spending time with Romeo. Romeo asks, Do you miss Florida? Josh does, Ive got my own bed, my own bathroom. Then Josh pauses, and adds, Have a girlfriend. Romeos interest picks up, You do? Josh hesitantly reveals, Well, actually, um she lives in Orlando. I havent met her in personits not official yet, but I dont know what else to say. Romeo cant hold in his laughter. Josh says hes sent her lots of his pictures, and that they web cam together. Resolving our fears that Josh may not be able to work professionally in Florida due to legal constraints, the judge allows Josh to return to Florida and report to his Austin probation officer via U.S. mail. B-Boy City 11 arrives. Everybody was showin love,

Meeder 20

says one of the Masterz of Mayhem. Hip-hop is love, he adds. So, we have gone from defiance to love. Or perhaps love comes from a shared value of defiance. Maybe there is room after all for brotherly love to exist peacefully in these homosocial, sexualized spaces of masculinity. At that point, the film ends. The films epilogue tells us that Josh successfully completed probation in the fall of 2005. He has won breaking events in Switzerland and Luxembourg and is pursuing a dance career in L.A. Additionally, Romeo still promotes events in Austin, and B-Boy city still takes places every spring in Austin. Afterthoughts Now that I have discussed the film, I would like to talk about the filmmaker, Marcy Garriott. Inside the Circle is Garriotts second feature, and she has taken the skills and confidence gained from her first feature documentary to the next level. Working mostly by herself, Marcy shot the film, which cut out the interloping presence of a cameraman. This allowed her to become more intimately connected with her subjects: the Masterz of Mayhem, Romeo, Omar, and Josh. She also edited the film herself, using only assistants. I am forever happy that she does not accuse her subjects of homosexuality, and that my own reading of the film is entirely debatable. I am equally relieved that interviews with her do not disclose what she privately thinks about the boys sexuality. For, outing them would destroy both the film and everything the boys have going for them.28 The Battle Revisited With young men, theres this irresistible combination of vulnerability and sweetness, even, mixed with the part where theres a need to prove themselves in
28

Out of respect, I do not wish to have this paper published or publicly shared.

Meeder 21

a masculine and showy way. The fact that those two things co-exist at the same time in the same person is just fascinating and very touching to me. They are just trying to find their way in the world.29\ The boys battling in the cipher are also battling against their selves: This combative relationship with adversaries was also an agonistic relationship with oneself. The battle to be fought, the victory to be won, the defeat that one risked sufferingthese were processes and events that took place between one and oneselfthe adversaries the individual had to combat were not just within him or close by; they were part of him.30 Battling against the desires of the flesh might be the impetus for the b-boys to prove themselves in a masculine and showy way.31 Another reason to battle is to defend ones alliance with the dominant culture, like heterosexuality, an idea that one aligns himself with by challenging other (straight) males. Proust avoided any acknowledgement of his sexuality, although it was known in his circle. He even challenged to duels people who dared to hint at his deviance.32 This is curious, as if physical battles are a way to claim honor and demand respect, even in the face of ones sexuality being called out. Omar speaks to the Foucault theory that one must conquer all of the pleasures, so that he may be the one in control. There are so many aspects of this dance to be conquered, why not conquer them all? Omar asks.


29 30

Interview: Marcy Garriott, Director INSIDE THE CIRCLE, Still in Motion. Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality, vol. 2, 67. 31 Interview: Marcy Garriott, Director INSIDE THE CIRCLE, Still in Motion. 32 See Edmund White, Marcel Proust (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999) quoted in Julie Abraham, Metropolitan Lovers (Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2009), 100.

Josh and Omar Revisited

Meeder 22

The filmmakers knack for honing in on Omar and Joshs relationship made the film successful in its message. But why? Garriotts instinct is remarkable: Towards the end of that two years, I could tell that the most interesting dynamic was between Josh and Omar, but I didnt know at that time what was going to end up happening with them.33 And what does the filmmaker, Marcy Garriott, mean when she says, I didnt know at that time what was going to end upwith them? Was she, too, hoping for a reunion, for their wound to heal? I still stand by my belief that the two were homo-romantically inclined towards one another. Proust proposes that homosexuals are sons without a mother (Josh) friends without friendship (the two of them), and lovers who are almost precluded from the possibility oflove.34 Josh and Omar seem to have control over their passions, therefore Josh is allowed back into society after brief jail time, and does not screw up his probation. Josh lands a job dancing (breaking) and relocates to Los Angeles. Breaking is the vehicle that made this move (from rural to urban) possiblea move that is similarly desired by many other rural breakers. To escape the confines of ones rural hometown and to travel, even live, instead among his brethren in a densely populous city has been a repeating theme Ive noticed among breakers. One look at Omars MySpace, and I see now that he is leading the life of a heterosexual: I have met a wonderful woman and she has been a blessing in my life! I
33 34

Interview: Marcy Garriott, Director INSIDE THE CIRCLE, Still in Motion. Marcel Proust, Cities of the Plain, vol. 4 of Remembrance of Things Past, trans. C. K. Scott Moncrieff (1921; repr., New York: Vintage, 1981), 2:637, 638, quoted in Julie Abraham, Metropolitan Lovers, 101.

Meeder 23

feel I made an impact on the B-boy scene, but now I get to leave my impact on another being, flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood! As Omar might have developed homosexual tendencies with Josh, he seems to have since reformed himself: I've extended my understanding of my belief in Christ and try my best to walk in the straight and narrow path. As one saying goes, well I'm not where I need to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be! I understand and look at life differently than I once used to look at it. The Lord has opened my eyes and I have come to realize that he has authority over everything. I try my best to carry out his will on a daily basis. He is the potter and I am the clay. I know what he has planned for me is much greater than anything I could ever achieve on my own.35 As he states, he has changed. His current mood on My Space is DADDY then BBOY.36 So for now, Omar is clinging to a heterosexual lifestyle. This is fine by me, but I worry for those who may be truly gay. I am proud of Joshs accomplishment, his successfully completing the probation sentence, and who knows whats in store for him. Joshs my space page has very recently posted photos of him (shirtless, professional photos, showing him sporting a new cropped haircut, and plunging v-neck tee-shirt). Apparently he is touring with Forgive as an opening act, dancing. Ayers can be seen in several commercials, various television appearances including the Ellen DeGeneres Show.37 Los Angeles seems to be working out for him, so the film really does have a happy ending. After all, these are real people that Garriott spent four years following. Conclusion
35 36

OmarJiveTurkeysMZK, MySpace, http://www.myspace.com/omarjiveturkeys. Ibid. 37 Joshua Ayers, MySpace, http://www.myspace.com/lechegringo.

Meeder 24

I have offered my reading of the cipher as a sexualized space of masculinity and backed this up with Sedgwicks term homosocial, which implies a continuum between homosocial and homosexual definitions. Through my analysis of Inside the Circle, I have shown how this continuum exists not only between Omar and Josh, but potentially any of the males in the cipher, and similarly, any of the males watching the males in the cipher. The age group of these young men is a delicate time in the development of their sexual identity, which Sedgwick argues, is based on both identifying with the homo- and heterosexual binaries. Foucault has theorized masculinity as having originated in Classical Antiquity as the ability to refrain from indulgences, to not give in to the pleasures of the flesh, and to be moderate. He likens this as a battle within ones psyche, a battle with his adversaries as well as parts of himself. In this light, battling in the cipher is both an internal, individual battle as well as an external battle between crews. The victor claims his masculinity, even in the face of being called a queer, as with Proust. It seems the importance of battling can teach one how to hold himself and how to hold himself down. Whether this reads as a positive-sounding or self-controlling practice, or both, is up to the reader.

Bibliography

Meeder 25

Abraham, Julie. Metropolitan Lovers: The Homosexuality of Cities. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2009. Ayers, Joshua. MySpace. http://www.myspace.com/lechegringo. Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality. Vol. 1, An Introduction. New York: Random House, 1990. Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality. Vol. 2, The Use of Pleasure. New York: Random House, 1990. Hirschfeld, Magnus. The Homosexuality of Men and Women. Translated by Michael A. Lombardi-Nash. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 2000. Ingram, Gordon Brent, Anne-Marie Bouthillette, and Yolanda Retter, eds., Queers in Space: Communities, Public Places, Sites of Resistance. Washington: Bay Press, 1997. Interview: Marcy Garriott, Director INSIDE THE CIRCLE. Still in Motion. January 20, 2008. http://stillinmotion.typepad.com/still_in_motion/2008/01/interviewmarcy.html. Male Homosocial Desires in Thomas Hardy. http://www.csub.edu/~acaetano/mgen.htm. Member Reviews. Netflix: Inside the Circle. http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Inside_the_Circle/70104597?trkid=190393. OmarJiveTurkeysMZK, MySpace. http://www.myspace.com/omarjiveturkeys. Proust, Marcel. Cities of the Plain. Vol. 4 of Remembrance of Things Past. Translated by C. K. Scott Moncrieff. New York: Vintage, 1981. Pabon, Jorge PopMaster Fabel. Interview by the author. ASU, October 3, 2009. Sedgwick, Eve. Between Men. New York: Columbia University Press, 1985. Sedgwick, Eve. Epistemology of the Closet. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1990. White, Edmund. Marcel Proust. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999.

You might also like