Undeniable

Some years ago, I was taking the Shuttle to Grand Central. It was Mid-day, and the commuters in my car were surprisingly stoic. As we waited to depart, doors ajar, a young man got on with a guitar. He set a coffee can of change at his feet, put his back to a pole, and when the train doors shut he began to play. I've always considered it a real treat to get a live performance on my commute -- but not everyone shares in my appreciation of Mariachis and Magicians.
This performance deserves a separate category. This guy played an original piece, all the while simulating the sound of a Hi-hat by tapping the coined coffee can with his foot. I'm telling you, (with the exception of our Ipod-ed bretheren) there was not a single person on that car who wasn't nodding their head, thumbing their briefcase, or tapping their foot to keep time. You just couldn't ignore how wonderful and beautiful and engaging it was. Something about it was able to cut through the noise in our brains, the flip-flip-flipping of Noggin traffic and make us all present. Something touched all of us, you know what I mean?

Hopefully, we have all had that experience in some form -- by way of music or dance or art or theater. It's out there everywhere. But what would you call that? What do you say when you see something so extraordinary? I've had the good fortune to know some of these wonderfully gifted practitioners-- some of whose performances still stay with me. I would call it Undeniable Talent. Something that can cut through any prejudice or distraction and command your attention with it's truth, it's beauty, it's whatever-that-may-be.

In the context of working in this Business, that phrase doesn't always seem to apply. In fact it's application in this context to some may seem downright stupid and ridiculous. It often seems that sometimes the very nature of this Business IS to deny talent. Any one in Casting will tell you that Talent is rarely the deciding factor. But perhaps...if there were a place...where people could work...and had the opportunity...a venue...to bring their truth and their beauty and so-on to the public...that shortfall between Talent and this Business would be eliminated? How about that?
Perhaps not. I'm writing on an empty stomach over here.