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American Voices I

Hiawatha Johnson

Hiawatha Johnson is the Composer-in-Residence for the Dance Department at R-MWC. He also works with students to create the annual Flava production during Black History Month. Prof. Johnson joined us to talk about magic, which has been a passion of his since childhood.

Prof. Johnson started by redefining mirrors. Rather than simply talking about card tricks and pulling rabbits out of hats and the smoke-and-mirrors kind of magic, he took a much broader view. He talked about magic as a way of life, something we all participate in through the rituals, illusions and manipulations we experience each day. We dress in a certain way to attract a mate or project a particular image. We get information about the people we interact with from their body language. Companies manipulate us by convincing us that we simply can't live without the latest gizmo. Theme parks like Disney World hide the nuts-and-bolts of their operation to create a sense of wonder and happiness.

Throughout our conversation, Prof. Johnson repeatedly warned students to be aware of the magic and manipulation that people, companies, and even the government use. While magic can be used for good and can inspire a sense of wonder and connectedness, it can also be used to sell not only products, but ideas and values as well.

That's not to say he thinks we should avoid magic - quite the contrary. Prof. Johnson himself embraces magic and it permeates his life from the personal to the professional. Rather, he encouraged us to always look beneath the surface and use our critical thinking skills to discern truth from illusion.