It’s a dance-off!

That’s right, people. Like Kevin Bacon shouted over forty years ago: “Let’s Daaance!” Okay, so maybe we don’t live in a small southwestern town where they have a strict code against gyrating our hips in public, but that’s not really where this post is headed anyway, so stay with me as I waltz through this week’s topic.  

In many ways, I am not a typical guy, but there is one trait I share with a lot of the men I know: Dancing is not my strong suit (much to the chagrin and even embarrassment of my romantic partners through the years). I enjoy music and even dance tunes. My body feels the vibe, but parlaying that feeling into physical moves that don’t frighten small children is another story.  

Middle school dances were awkward social events that found me standing against the wall with the other boys, sipping punch and wishing I had the courage to ask someone to meet me in the middle of the drab-green linoleum floor. Bolstered by these experiences, I never attended high school dances, so it wasn’t until my first serious adult relationship that I was reintroduced to dancing. While parties, concerts, and dance clubs replaced the school gymnasium, I still wasn’t good at dancing, but at least I had the assurance of already having a partner who I was pretty sure wouldn’t leave without me after witnessing my white man’s overbite/side-to-side shuffle action. Like a 60-40 chance.

Weddings changed my opinion of dancing. It’s where family and friends of all age groups swamp the dance floor as soon as the first few notes of Kool & The Gang’s Celebration or Bob Seger’s Old Time Rock & Roll start up. And don’t get me started on the venerable chicken dance! Hips, knees, and elbows fly around in a dazzling display of life-affirming positive vibes. Faces light up, cares are forgotten, love is rekindled, and memories are made in the familial throng of toddlers, teens, moms, dads, and grandparents.  

It’s been amazing to watch people transformed by the power of music and dance, and there are two images stamped onto my brain. The first is of my teenage niece, caught up in the magical energy of a wedding and eagerly dancing with everyone she could find, regardless of which song was playing. I remember thinking we should all be that carefree. The other snapshot is of my wife’s uncle and aunt, both in their seventies, dressed in their matching finest and waltzing around the room, transported back in time, all aches and pains forgotten, if only for a few minutes.  

This brings me back to my seven-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon opening paragraph. If life truly is a dance we learn as we go, then let’s get out there and show off our moves! It’s no secret that life can be hard. There are so many challenges along the way, and we need to latch onto the good times whenever we can. And don’t wait for a wedding or family reunion! Any day is a great occasion to reset our rhythm.  

Dance in the kitchen with your significant other and/or your kids. Boogie down to your favorite tune in the car (two hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, please!), or shuffle down the grocery aisle with your shopping cart partner. Let the good vibes and endorphins brighten as many little moments as you can! Let that good feeling flood through you and bring balance to your life. It doesn’t matter if you do The Carlton, White Man’s Overbite, Electric Slide, Macarena, Texas two-step, or some version of the waltz. Celebrate the good times every chance you get.  

And now that I’ve successfully transplanted the Macarena ear worm into everyone’s brain, I will twist and shout my way out of here.  

Thanks for joining me for this brief vocabulary slow song. I hope you’ve envisioned some of your own favorite dance moments along the way and that you’re tapping your toes and smiling. And I’d love to learn of your special magical moves memories, so feel free to share!

And remember, whatever you are, be a good one! 

-Dave