If you are even just an occasional visitor to my little bloggy thing, you know by now that I occasionally diverge from theme to address a random top-of-mind topic. Today’s random topic is Dancing. More specifically, I’m curious about the state of dancing in this country.
Why, you may ask, is this even a blip in your tiny mind?
First and foremost, I love to dance. I cannot imagine how music doesn’t affect some people. I hear music (most music, let’s be fair) and it just goes through my whole being. The rhythm gets my heart pounding and my shoulders twitching and my feet moving. I find myself swaying to the beat almost without realizing it.
What brought this to mind, though, was my Bear. Simply put, the boy loves to dance. Seriously, he is, as my uncle would have said, “a dancing fool.” He will watch the same Bubble Guppies ditty on our DVR over and over while committing the song to memory and simultaneously creating his own little dance routine, which he then will demonstrate to me with the pride of a Broadway choreographer.
Bear’s joy of movement and dedication to his craft are impressive (and not just a little hilarious, I admit). It made me wonder whether boys these days – older boys, primarily – retain the same reticence to dance that was prevalent in boys of my age when I was growing up. Back in junior high school, boys attended our periodic dances for the sole reason that girls would be present. By high school… let’s just say that prom seemed to be a reluctant afterthought. Between those events, boys I knew tended to express their love of music by playing air guitar or sitting and nodding their noggins to the beat rather than putting on their boogie shoes.
These days, from my extremely muddy viewpoint, this dance-a-phobia appears to still haunt the teenage male, aside from a fortunate few. Why is this the case? Why are boys discouraged from letting music seep into their bones? Why do adults let their sons believe dancing shouldn’t be seen as a fun or “cool” thing to do?
Ladies, come on, don’t you agree that a man who can move well on the dance floor is fantastically attractive? I mean, truly, think about male music stars… think of Usher. Take a moment. Okay, now focus; eyes (and mind) back here, please. His voice is smooth and his smile is sexy, but it’s those moves that really seal the deal on how appealing the man is. Am I right? It doesn’t have to be a “sexy” thing, by any means, and often it’s fun, even barrier-destroying, just to see a person – male or female – who’s able to express the joy of movement and music through dance. If we acknowledge the appeal of a man who can dance, why don’t we encourage or even teach our boys to dance these days? Why is dancing seen as an embarrassment rather than an edge over the competition that we should hone and refine?
I, for one, will continue to praise my Bear as he spins and emotes and bops around the family room. His adult years are a long way away, but I’m all about giving my son an edge for when that time comes. Young ladies of 2028, look out!
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