Interactive Engagement: The Role of Ritual in Event Theory

Interactive Engagement: The Role of Ritual in Event Theory
(draft only)

It’s Sunday and mid December, a time when things happen.

Today is a rather special day in that our seven year old son is playing the Virgin Mary in his school nativity play to be staged during the chapel service. This will happen between 9am and 10am.

Then he is going to a friend’s home to celebrate a 7th birthday … bring your swimsuit! This is at 11am.

And at 2.30pm he is going to the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company’s production of ‘Peter Pan’ at the Aotea Centre (wear a costume and meet the cast afterwards).

Finally, in a very busy day, home to install and decorate the Christmas tree.

It would be very easy to dismiss this as just another crazy pre-Christmas day, a day not dissimilar to that experienced by countless others at this, or any, time of year but it’s more than that, much more. This day was packed with events, and each event was driven by time-honoured rituals: religious rituals in the chapel service, theatre rituals in the play-within-the-service, celebratory birthday rituals at the party, ballet and performance-going rituals at ‘Peter Pan’ and traditional family, Christian and pre-Christian rituals in the creating of the tree.

Making or participating in an event may seem simple but, in so doing, we almost always ritualise the occasion, celebrate something and try to make sense of it all.

We talk about ‘events’ all the time but what exactly are we talking about?

We engage with ‘events’ but what exactly are we engaging in?

And, of even more importance, why are we doing it?

For those of us engaged in creating events, the ‘why’ is of critical importance if we are to satisfy and exceed the expectations of those who choose to participate in the events we create, particularly if we want our participants to be repeat attendees and to tell their friends the experience was worth sharing. If we can meet these expectations – innovative concept, sound planning, appropriate content, exciting delivery and perceptive evaluation – then we have created an event experience for the 21st century.

For the purpose of this chapter the term ‘event’ will be defined in what may seem a generic and somewhat simplistic way and will look beyond what the event industry might traditionally call an event. Sporting events, dance parties, cultural events, arts festivals, weddings, birthday parties and the like are occurrences that the event management industry would certainly consider fall under their aegis but the definition of an event, while including these of course, goes much further.

So how do we define an event, and more importantly, how do we make sense of what an event is?

Freedictionary.com tells us that the term derives from ‘the Latin ēventus a happening, from ēvenīre to come forth, happen, from venīre to come’ and broadly defines an event as: ‘anything that takes place or happens, especially something important; happening; incident. Freedictionary.com goes further to add ‘any one contest in a programme of sporting or other contests’ and, from the realm of philosophy, it includes ‘an occurrence regarded as a bare instant of space-time as contrasted with an object which fills space and has endurance’ and ‘an occurrence regarded in isolation from, or contrasted with, human agency.’

The premise presented here goes somewhat further and suggests that an event is anything that happens at a given place and at a given time, involves people in action and which includes a set of recognisable rituals that enable the participants to readily access the experience and to ‘make sense’ of it thereby creating a feeling of fulfilment and self-worth in the participants. Events, after all, can, and should, change people’s lives.

In creating events we should never forget that in so doing we satisfy three of the most basic of human needs namely, the need to gather (socialisation), the need to acknowledge (celebration) and the need to infer meaning (ritualisation).

Abraham Maslow had quite a bit to say about what makes us tick, what drives us and what our priorities are when it comes to survival, both individually and as a species. Just as we learned to make tools and to speak, we also learned simple ways to facilitate our need to meet others, to build communities, to collectively protect ourselves and each other and the primary tool we developed to serve these needs was ‘the event’. It’s not hard to see the hunt as it is undertaken today in primitive times as the hunting party. Someone had to organise the hunting party (the event manager), notify the participants (the marketing manager), get the weapons sharpened and distributed (the logistics manager), ensure the safety of the team (the security manager), distribute the catch (the catering manager), write the song to celebrate success (the entertainment manager) and do the cave painting to ensure a long-term historical narrative (the designer). In truth, nothing much has changed, and if you have a formulae that works why change it?

While Maslow went some considerable way to identifying and codifying his pyramid of needs it is also apparent that there is considerable movement possible between the strata and that this is critical to an understanding of why we engage in events. Suffice to say that the rhetoric Maslow engages in has great meaning to us. At every level we find an interaction between Maslow’s language and those needs that events can satisfy in us. Creativity, spontaneity, acceptance, belonging, expression are simply a few of the trigger terms Maslow uses.

All these lead us to events as a means of expressing our needs and of satisfying them. The needs act like a drug and we need to regularly indulge our hot-wired addiction, an addiction to being well, being safe, being loved, having a place, being valued and expressing our true and unique selves. There is also the unwritten need to see ourselves, while maintaining our uniqueness, as being part of a universal scheme.

In short, we are hot-wired for socialisation and the future of the species is dependant on it. We’ve always been dependant on being able to seek out a mate, and the best way we’ve found of doing this is through a shared activity that will enable us to identify that best possible mate and the best possible procreative opportunity. It can be as basic as that.

In 1968, years before there was such a thing as ‘the event management industry’, Peter Brook defined an act of theatre as follows: ‘take any empty space and call it a bare stage. A man walks across this empty space whilst someone else is watching him, and this is all I need for an act of theatre to be engaged.’

When responding to the question ‘what is an event’ a similar distillation to that used by Brook might lead us to define an event as ‘something that happens in a given place at a given time and people engage with it’. In this model, the people factor is the critical one.

Then, of course, there is the question that underpins all the other questions: why do we engage in events? And what is this thing called ‘ritual’ and what is its place and why are we, as human beings, drawn to this type of activity.

The answer lies in the needs fulfilment we gain from what we engage in. Once this is acknowledged then the cycle is complete.

We engage in events because they make us feel good, but they also satisfy far more fundamental needs, the need to meet others for the purpose of perpetuating the species, for socialisation and for collective and communal security. Events focus us and provide us, if you like, with a gene pool of like-minded people and an opportunity to present our wares in a safe and nurturing environment. All we have to do is identify the universal requirements and comply with the collective, and sometimes unique, expectations of ‘the group’.

Moore and Myerhoff, early secular ritual theorists, assert that ritual has six formal elements: repetition, role playing, stylisation, order, staging, and social meaning. Each of these components can be found in all of the events we create.

In support of this proposition, Charles T. Goodsell in ‘Administration as Ritual’ states ‘ritual is a culturally constructed system of patterned and ordered sequences of words and acts. When performed socially (rather than individually), it has the effect of endowing certain interpretations of reality with a legitimacy that is recognized by the social group. Ritual, by dramatic means, both declares and demonstrates – through display and enactment – certain propositions to be unquestionably true. The extent to which ritual involves participation by believers varies, with religious ritual normally requiring more participation than secular or civic ritual. Also, the propositions reinforced may refer to elaborate doctrinal systems, on the one hand, or mere attitudinal pre-dispositions, on the other. In any case, rituals both carry forward past traditions and shape current culture. In doing so, they may consist of explicitly staged performances or be combined with instrumental activity, as exemplified by courtship rituals and military formations.

It is clear from this that events per se and ritual as a concept are inextricable linked.

If we can answer the ‘why do we do events’ question, we can answer the ‘what’ question in ways that will ensure that the events we create serve and satisfy the deepest of human needs.

If we conceive our events with this in mind (event planning), and make sure those who need to know are informed (event advertising, promotion and marketing) then what we create (event production) will ensure that our participants exit our event wanting to tell others how satisfying the experience has been (event evaluation) and will return when we next create a similar experience (back to event planning, only better informed). Others will want to engage in the experience by assisting with the provision of resources (finance, people, time) when they can see that what we’re doing has all the hallmarks of success.

Every link in the process chain of creating an event will be riddled with rituals of one sort or another, and the refinement of the event rituals themselves will determine how successful we are in satisfying all participant needs (and our own). We should be able to identify what these rituals are and unashamedly embed them in the events we create.

After all, ritual is a fundamental human activity and is invariably engaged in as a means to a deeper understanding of the activity engaged in. Events are no different.

In defining ritual, Dictionary.com uses the phrases ‘established or prescribed procedure’, ‘observance of set forms’, ‘prescribed, established, or ceremonial acts or features’, ‘any practice or pattern of behaviour regularly performed in a set manner’, ‘a prescribed code of behaviour regulating social conduct.’ Each of these relates closely to every event we might set out to create and each contributes to completing the jigsaw that event management is.

In an interview with Mary Jane Fenex and Matthew Rick, Ken Kesey is quoted as saying ‘ritual is necessary for us to know anything’ and he certainly has a point.

The principle complexity in linking event theory with ritual theory is best explained by Ronald Grimes in Beginning in Ritual Studies (1995) when he writes of the range of ritual theories that ‘so far, ritual studies has no theory unique to itself. And it would be nice if we were able to employ them as phases in a single method rather than as mutually exclusive alternatives chosen on the basis of academic specialisation.’

The same can be said of event management theory as this relatively new academic discipline so far lacks a depth of credible and cohesive study. Both studies are, as Grimes continues, in a ‘mediating position’ that ‘is itself liminal and distinctive.’

There are, however, linguistic parallels that clearly connect the disciplines within the ‘hermeneutical mandate for an interpenetration of horizons’ and to this end the use of Grimes’ categories and parallel rhetoric are worthy of discussion in an attempt to further inform the debate about events, what they are, what place they have and needs they serve in human society.

A ritual can, therefore, be defined as any set of actions, customary practices, habits, stereotyped behaviours, traditions or routines that are enacted, primarily for their symbolic significance, and which are determined by some agreed and shared community lore. Actions determined by obligation, stipulation or required by rule can be included in this model.

In the discipline of psychology, ritual is defined more technically as a behaviour repeated methodically and adopted to neutralise or avoid disquiet or anxiety. This often relates in very fundamental ways to the rituals embraced in the creating of events.

Excluded from this rather broad definition of ritual are acts such as those that might be determined exclusively by logic (ritual acts are not necessarily logical), those chosen at random, by accident or through necessity.

Rituals can be engaged in by a single individual, by groups or by whole communities. They invariably involve a particular place and, on occasion, the place (or venue) can travel, along with the objects that identify the ritual and its participants. Often, but not always, these are objects that are essential to the ritual or the ritualising of associated actions. Imagine, as an example, the opening of the Olympics without flags and uniforms to identify the countries participating or an Olympics without the five circles providing a reminder of the deeper meaning of the event.

Frequently the ritualistic actions of sub-groups within a community will set that group apart, either making them a unique subset, an elite or, alternatively, determining them as underclass or even outcasts. These subsets can often be defined by shared beliefs, values, physical or intellectual abilities or disabilities, specific tastes or activities. Events are often focused on such groups, example being ‘Star Wars’ conferences genre-specific music events and motor cycle club ‘runs’.

Event related rituals are often about compliance with organisational obligations or ideals, sometimes of a religious nature, and are primarily designed to satisfy the emotional needs of the practitioners. They can be used to strengthen social bonds, assist in gaining social acceptance or approval and often just for the pleasure of the ritual itself. Organisations such as Rotary International, University of the Third Age and the various Chambers of Commerce create event that fit this model.

Events with stylised rituals embedded in them can include rites of passage, dedication ceremonies, weddings and funerals, graduations, club meetings, sports events, seasonal activities such as May Day, Halloween, Christmas parades and more.

These activities are replete with symbolic action either prescribed by tradition or regulation, and are thus, at least in part, ritualistic in nature.

When conceptualising an event, or creating a feasibility study for a new or existing event, we should always consider the rituals that might underpin such an event or interlink with the expectations of our potential participants. This process involves asking questions, and is always about asking the right questions about the right things. Some questions will have greater pertinence than others. Charles Winquist suggests that developing a hermeneutical consciousness will enhance our capacity to see what is questionable. He calls this way of thinking ‘questioning darkly.’ (Winquist 1981, 32).

Linking event management theory and ritual through use of a hermeneutical methodology would seem to make good sense as it provides an academic meeting ground for this comparative, yet inextricably linked, duality. ‘Foundational questions yoke the actuality of immediate experience with concepts and images of possible connections that surround the experience and define its place in the material and imaginal worlds. Questioning loosens experience by asking how experience looks against a different background, under an expanded horizon or when integrated through different formal patterns.’ (Winquist 1981, 32).

Engaging with Winquist’s proposal would give us a practical tool that would enable us to access participant’s more profound motivations and influence our choice of target markets and the evolution of our subsequent communication plans.

Grimes’ categories, and the rhetoric event manager’s use, are closely inter-related. Grimes lists, as categories for his questioning, ritual space, ritual objects, ritual time, ritual sound and language, ritual identity and ritual action.

Event managers, in their planning and preparation, might use categories such as Venue (Ritual Space), Design, Staging and Properties (Ritual Objects), Date and Time (Ritual Time), Entertainment and Culture (Ritual Sound and Language), Logistics, Roles and Tasks (Ritual Identity), Time Line and Run Sheet (Ritual Action).

While the former interfaces with the metaphysical and the latter with the practical, the two sets inform each other and, when used together, can provide a rich, new identity to the events planned, a deeper understanding of the needs of the participants and a means whereby these components can be more accurately accessed.

In suggesting a questioning matrix for his six categories, Grimes emphasises the importance of questions that generate more and deeper questions and the need to constantly modify the questions asked to suit an individual ritual event. There is no ‘one size fits all’.

For the purpose of example, Seido Karate can be used to exemplify how these questioning options can be used in relation to events. While neither a cult nor a religion, Seido Karate is a martial art, has a rigid philosophy, is fiercely hierarchal, has a uniform, has elements of competitive sport in the tournament system while maintaining it’s ‘arts’ and fundamental meditative elements, acts as a social activity, requires that students engage in community work and is underpinned by rituals that are observed internationally. While Seido Karate is used as an example, virtually any activity or event can be interposed into Grimes’ questioning criteria.

In relation to the Ritual Space category, Grimes recommends an in-depth exploration of the space, is it indoors or outdoors, is it randomly chosen or purpose-built, are the spaces profane, neutral or sacred, what shape is it, what size, what colour, are users possessive of the space, are there any user hierarchies etc. These are similar questions to those an event manager might ask but, asked from the perspective of the rituals engaged in and participant needs, the answers may be quite different allowing for new knowledge and new perceptions to be entertained.

When deciding on a venue, an event manager must always consider the manner in which the venue (space) will be used, what the theme might be, how it will be decorated, what colours used and what properties and set items might be included. Any designer would want to address hermeneutic questions that link into the participant use of the space and its phenomenology, in short, it’s ritual set. What objects are associated with the participants journey through the event, what are the physical dimensions of any object, what is its ‘biography’, is it a hard or soft object, what is its power, does it require linkage with other objects to function fully, what is its status and does it exist in any form outside of the venue or the event.

At this point it is worth noting that Bell (1997) states that ‘a ritual never exists alone’ (Bell C.1997:171) and this is so in the holistic approach taken to the rituals that saturate events. They cross from one facet of an event to another, often linking the component parts and creating a sense of purpose and meaning for the participant.

Crossing the barrier between sport and art is Seido Karate. Each Seido Karate class is an event as defined here. Rituals practiced in Seido Karate and other martial arts underpin the physical disciplines which are often extremely rigorous and challenging and enable them to be achieved. The rituals begin prior to entry to the event and last far beyond the specific end of the event, infiltrating every element of the event process and becoming a critical part of the karate-ka’s wider life.

This holistic event experience is not rare and, in fact, most ritualised event activities would, to some extent, mirror this as exemplified in the performing arts (ballet, theatre, opera, music), sport (Olympics, World Cups), cultural events and religious or spiritual proceedings.

Kerr in Seido Karate Bowing-In Ritual (2008) identified ‘that the ‘Bowing In’ ritual is part of other rituals and that it also has smaller rituals within it. Before this ritual takes place, there is a ritual for entering the building, entering the training floor and a ritual way of kneeling down during the ‘Bowing In’. The class ends with ‘Bowing Out’, the same ritual as ‘Bowing In’ and concludes with the ritual cleaning of the floor.’ (Kerr, 2008)

‘Bowing In’ is essentially a formal ritual of respect and Bell (1997) describes this behaviour as ‘a disciplined set of actions marked by precise repetition and physical control.’ It is a ritual that does not change and ‘is governed by close attention to detail, discipline and self-control’ (Bell C. 1997:150). A variant range of rituals permeate the entire training process and extend beyond the dojo to everyday life. An example of this would be that Kerr, currently a shodan (1st dan, black belt), would always be referred to by her rank of Senpai by other students regardless of where they might meet up. She would be greeted with the traditional ‘Osu!’ and her hand would be shaken in the traditional Japanese martial arts manner.

Training is not restricted to indoors but regardless of location the ‘Bowing In’ ritual takes place. Wherever the training takes place the ‘Shinzen’ will be identified. This is usually a banner or sign with Sei Do Juku (the place of the ‘sincere way’) in Japanese kanji transcribed on it. This is the focal point of the space.

It can be said then that the category choices and subsequent questions suggested by Grimes have, as illustrated, some degree of fluidity but it can be argued that this gives them a more integrated strength.
The choice of date and time is critical for event planners whether planning a one-off event, a series or a repeat occurrence. The more substantial the tradition within the genre or form, the more likely there are to be established rituals that are critical to staging success.

Conventional event management thinking would primarily determine dates and times in relation to existing or anticipated competition and appropriate seasonal placement. When adding a ritual element to this mix of observations they might include more focused questions such as ‘is this event a commemoration of some other event’, ‘is the event locked into a particular time of day or week’, ‘what is the seasonal significance’, ‘do participants perceive of this event as changing, evolving or devolving’, ‘do the elements have a function beyond just the weather’ and ‘if we change the date and/or time, will this disrupt the event in any ritualistic way.’

It would be easy to see the first Seido Karate class of the year, for example, as simply the event that gets everyone together to train for the first time and to organise it as such. If this were the case, any date early in the year after the holiday break would suit. This would, however, limit the impact and effect of the class for the participants as it would remove the ritual elements that give this particular occasion true significance. ‘Many aspects of Seido Karate are very formal in the style of traditional Japanese martial arts which are derived from Japanese social etiquette and Samurai etiquette and the practice of zen meditation. Seido students formally and ritually practise respect, for the place of training, for seniors and fellow students.’ Kerr (2008).

The first class of the year further amplifies the importance of these ritualistic elements because this class has a 300 year old tradition called Kagami Biraki or ‘opening the mirror’ and traditionally it takes place on or around the second Sunday in January.

The mirror is one of three central symbols in Japanese mythology. The others are the jewel and the sword. It is a samurai tradition dating back to the 15th century that was ‘adopted into modern martial arts starting in 1884 when Jigora Kano (the founder of judo) instituted the custom at the Kodokan, his organization’s headquarters.’

Japanese tradition tells a story of a god who was banished for his pitiless nature. In his cave he found a mirror. His reflection made him ask why he was such a malicious person. After years of reflection he returned home and everyone noticed a big change in his disposition. Japanese people are encouraged to engage in this type of reflection as a way to self-improvement.

Kagami Biraki officially begins the training year and represents a renewing of the spirit and renewed dedication to training. Members of the dojo assemble to receive a message from the head of the dojo and to train. This message usually includes a statement of self reflection from the leader and students are encouraged to follow this lead and seize this opportunity for honest, self-reflection of the previous year. To not include an understanding and acknowledgement of the rituals that underpin the practice of this martial art would be to reduce its practice to a simple activity and remove at least two of the three primary human threads that explain why we engage in events at all, namely the need to gather (socialisation), the need to acknowledge (celebration) and the need to infer meaning (ritualisation).

Events as we know them in the 21st century have enormous power and presence. They can, as they always have, change lives and strengthen friendships while enriching and colouring the experience of being human. They can enhance the quality of life in a community and for the individuals within that community, whether it is a country, a village or a ‘community of interest’ such as a sports or senior citizens club. Events can have a huge economic impact as evidenced by the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, the various world cups and celebrations such as the millennium.

We forget, at our peril, that events are about people, human behaviour, our need to socialise and our need to make sense of the world around us.

In ‘Habits, Rituals, and the Evaluative Brain’, Ann M. Graybiel observes that ‘habits and routines are woven into the fabric of our personal and social lives as humans. One can scarcely call to mind the events of a day without running up against them.’

Indeed, William James suggests that, those ‘ruts’, fashioned carefully, are invaluable aids to making one’s way through life and are critical in social order.

As event managers, we provide the opportunities for others to broaden their experiences and to live fuller, richer lives.

What a privilege – and responsibility – this is.

References
1: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/event
2: Brook, Peter (1968). The Empty Space.
3: Sally F. Moore and Barbara G. Myerhoff, “Secular Ritual: Forms and Meanings,” in Moore and Myerhoff, eds., Secular Ritual (Assen and Amsterdam: Van Gorcum, 1977);
4: Charles T. Goodsell ‘Administration as Ritual’: Public Administration Review, Vol. 49, No. 2, Special Issue: Minnowbrook II. Changing Epochs of Public Administration (Mar. – Apr., 1989), pp. 161-166 Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the American Society for Public Administration.
5: http://blotterati.com/ken-kesey-interview (loaded October 23, 2009, 8:41 pm).
6: Bell C. (1997). Ritual Perspectives and Dimensions. New York. Oxford University Press.
8: Kerr Andrea. (2008) Seido Karate Bowing In Ritual
9: http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=156
10: Ann M. Graybiel ‘Habits, Rituals, and the Evaluative Brain’, Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 2008. 31:359–87. The Annual Review of Neuroscience is online at neuro.annualreviews.org. This article’s doi: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.29.051605.112851
11: James W. 1950 [1890]. The Principles of Psychology. New York: Dover

Auckland, New Zealand

Friday, 09 April 2010