A few days ago, I went with some friends to watch my Washington Wizards completely emasculate the Seattle SuperSonics. Like all sporting venues, Verizon Center has peculiar promotions during timeouts to distract you from the fact that you just dropped $125 to watch two losing teams keep you moderately entertained. One particular thing they seem to do at every game is The Wizards DanceCam, where they scour the crowd for whomever can do the silliest jig. This is usually whimsical fun (although a recent incident in Memphis was anything but), as middle aged accountants jump up doing their best "wash the clothes" dance. Even though "Crank Dat' Soulja Boy" is soooo 07', it still gets a nice enough crowd response and numerous kids (and parents) jumped up and did their best impression. Never mind the fact that this ode to ejaculation is being pumped in front of 20,000 spectators on Kid's Day.
Still, as I watched kid after kid 'Crank Dat', it made me ponder: Why exactly are dances so damn difficult nowadays?
I'll confess, while I don't have two left feet like Barack Obama, I'm also no Shabba-Doo (yes, I just severely dated myself). Heck, I still don't know how to do the "new" Electric Slide, and that jawn's been out like 20 years now. I just learned how to Crip-Walk last year. So, while I'm pretty proficient with the basic two step (which nevar goes out of style), watching AverageMentee do stuff like Batman That Hoe! and Aunt Jackie makes me wince.
When I was a youngin', the dances were real easy. There was The Reebok. The Wop. The Cabbage Patch. The Pee Wee Herman. The Runnin' Man. The Prep. All these dances were simple 2-3 steps or arm/hand motions. Even a somewhat uncoordinated pre-tween like me could pick them up in a jiffy.
Today's dances? Not so much. I'd hate to be a 7th grader at a middle school dance in 08'. It wouldn't be pretty.
I'm sure I sound like an old head to some of my younger, more rhythmically blessed readers and these dances obviously aren't for my demographic, but seriously, why it gotta be like that?
The Aunt Jackie
The Cupid Shuffle
The Soulja Boy
Damn, is it just me, or am I just gettin' old?
I won't even get started about the music itself. That's a tired subject in and of itself.
And since we're on the topic, I (obviously) don't get out much, so I must ask: Are grown folks (30+) actually doing these dances when they are played in the club? If so, is this grounds for AB issuing the standard "kill yourself" or simple mindless adult fun?
Am I right, or am I right?
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
They Don't Dance No Mo'
Tags Popped: Bloggy Style, Negro Nonsense, Observations, Raise Your Own Damn Kids, Web Junk
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Average Email
Average FAQ
Average Bio
AB @ AOL BlackVoices
AB @ NPR
AB @ WashingtonPost
Posts
6 AverageComments™:
It's not just you. I'm 26 which means I'm too old for those dances. I can do the Chicken Noodle Soup though thanks to that choreographer who appeared on Oprah last year :-)
At 37, my kids thought it was really cool that I could do the Chicken Noodle Soup....I was too embarrased to admit that was same dance you did when you couldn't get your feet to cooperate doing THE SMURF!! How's that for dating one's self?!!!
I can to the Aunt Jackie (It's just like that old dance we use to do in the early 90's with a little more movement with it) and the Cupid shuffle. You can keep the soldier boy...
AB, I'm pretty old...and even I can do the Cupid Shuffle. It's the same dance as the Electric Slide, or what was known as the "Bus Stop" when I was in elementary school. (I think I've topped all the other people dating themselves with that one!) I concur with the other poster who said you can keep the "Soulja Boy". With work and kids, how often does the over 30 set get out to clubs anyway? My friends and I usually do house parties when we do manage to get together, and to answer your question--no, we don't do these dances. Hell, we don't even listen to this music.
Always remember that the older generation thinks the newer generation's music is wack. I'm 40and I remember my Dad listening to WKYS here in DC up until the late '70s and that is when the first rap record by the Sugar Hill gang hit it big. He was never into disco, either.
So, I don't listen to their music or do their dumb dances, but it's their thing. It's just history repeating itself. About twenty years from now, someone who is a teenager now will be blogging about the "sorry" music out there.
I am 30+ and I dont know any of those dances either. Hell, I dont think I know the cripwalk too!
LOL
Hell, when I go to "the club", Im usually going to an 80s night or a Prince Fan Club night. I think I just might hurt myself if I attempted any of those dances in those videos, lol.
L
Post a Comment