Video: “Lose Yourself to Dance” — Burning Man 2013

Burning Man is an annual gathering that takes place at Black Rock City—a temporary community erected in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. The event is described as an experiment in community and art, influenced by 10 main principles, including “radical” inclusion, self-reliance and self-expression, as well as community cooperation, gifting and decommodification, and leaving no trace. First held in 1986 on Baker Beach in San Francisco as a small function organized by Larry Harvey and a group of friends, it has since been held annually, spanning from the last Sunday in August to the first Monday in September (Labor Day).

At Burning Man the community explores various forms of artistic self-expression, created in celebration for the pleasure of all participants. Participation is a key precept for the community — selfless giving of one’s unique talents for the enjoyment of all is encouraged and actively reinforced. Some of these generous out-pourings of creativity can include experimental and interactive sculpture, display of art cars, and temporary architecture — among other mediums inspired by the yearly theme chosen by organizers. The event takes its name from its culmination, the symbolic, ritual burning of a large wooden effigy (“the Man”) that occurs on the Saturday evening of the event.

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Copyright 2013 Burning Man. The video and photograph are included in Vox Populi on a ‘Attribution-NonCommercial-Sharealike 3.0 Creative Commons’ license. The text is adapted from Wikipedia and the Burning Man website.