THE BIG CHRISTMAS DANCE

Dance It Off No Matter Who’s Watching.

via lavitastella.com

From the first junior high dance to your wedding day dance, music and movement play a bright spot.

Embarrassingly bright?

Probably, but only if you do it right.

Take all the dance shows, from Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, Soul Train, and the current Dancing With The Stars, and there’s enough awkward to go around.

But stand back and see what’s going on: Dancing.

If you’re a good dancer, taken the class and kept your balance, then get up and show some steps.

Everyone likes a good dancer and you’ve got a Christmas party coming up.

It’s shocking to see someone you know sliding around the floor like a pro, almost as shocking as hearing a friend speak a language you didn’t know about.

If you’re a bad dancer, what do you do when the music starts? Fake an injury? No, of course not. You just need a role model.

Look no further than Joe Cocker to feel better about your dancing. You’ll never be that bad.

Combining seizure and electrocution at the same time, Mr. Cocker dances and sings his way into our hearts where we welcome him with shiny shoes.

At the other end of dance spectrum, where grace and dignity reign, stand Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The ever-watchable duo reveal something new with each re-run movie you see.

There’s plenty of room between Joe and Fred & Ginger for all dancing baby boomer.

As a warm up to holiday dancing, imagine a party where millennial kids take to the floor with their mom.

Mom is a great dancer and the kids try to keep up. The swing dance had a few bumps when the kids let go of mom at the wrong moment.

Memo to boomers: hand onto your partner.

It got better with the freestyle segment of the evening. From dubstep to gatoring on the floor, the dancing fired up with each song.

Then James Brown’s Sex Machine came on.

Leg shaking spins and gravity-lite dips ruled the floor.

If you hear James Brown and feel the pulse of the hardest working man in rock and roll, don’t take that a reason to hit the splits.

At best, James Brown dancing will pull your groin; At worst you’ll strain your gootch.

How do you want to explain your limp the next day, pick-up basketball or a dancing injury?

Warm up, loosen up, and when you hear your song, jump up and twist the night away. It’s a classic, and so are you.

Make sure your kids get this message. They’ll call it a warning, but it’s an invitation.