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Joy of August 25: Impromptu Dance Party
The feet started tapping as I folded my freshly laundered socks. I found myself shuffling while hanging shirts. I knew the signs. I had been here many times before, and it was only a matter of time before I broke into an impromptu dance party.
Now you might wonder — what song would induce someone to such madness? Tonight, it was the Gershwin classic “I’ve Got Rhythm,” which was on the soundtrack for the 1992 musical Crazy for You. I love this musical. (Fun fact: I tend to love musicals with plenty of enormous dance numbers.) When I was younger, I spent a delightful day dancing with my Mom-Mom. She had a piece of plywood that she kept, who knows where, and she put on her tap shoes, and we had a ball dancing to the soundtrack.
But what if I don’t like obscure 1992 West End musicals? Fret not, my fine reader. An impromptu dance party can happen with any song; the only qualification is that it makes you move your feet.
And what joy there is to be found in dance parties! A) I guarantee you will end up in a better mood than when you started. B) It helps even the most mundane chore seem fun (otherwise known as the “Spoonful of Sugar” Effect.) C) It is glorious to spend some time not thinking about anything. No one cares about what move comes next in an impromptu dance party; you follow the feet, arms, or whatever body part is compelled to move. If you want to do a whole number featuring just “jazz hands,” then you do you. Bob Fosse would be so proud.
So if you are feeling somewhat low tonight, might I recommend an impromptu dance party? Because it doesn’t matter if you actually “have rhythm,” it only matters that you have fun.