National Dance Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of September, as is Batman Day. What’s the connection?
The Batusi, obviously:
And doesn’t this wrap those two up with a little Bat-bow on top?
But since we’ve already written about Batman Day, let’s focus on the feet. National Dance Day was established in 2010 to celebrate dance and encourage Americans of all ages to incorporate dance into their lives as both a form of exercise and artistic expression.
We think that’s just dandy. After all, the Straz regularly presents acclaimed companies such as Pilobolus and Dance Theatre of Harlem. At the Patel Conservatory you’ll see dancers from the tiniest of ballerinas to those on the cusp of a professional career.
Dance friendly are we! We encourage you to celebrate National Dance Day by dancing any way you like, even if you’re just flailing your limbs in a semi-rhythmic fashion. Dance like no one’s watching, as the saying goes.
Except that someone’s always watching. And recording. Your artistic expression will become a meme and you’ll be a worldwide sensation for several minutes.
If the flail just isn’t you, though, we have several suggestions for celebrating National Dance Day on and off your feet.
Listen to dance music. Ballet, disco, polka. All good. Whatever floats your boat and moves your feet.
Do the Twist.
Twist again, like you did last summer.
Throw a twist party.
Dance to the music.
Dance in the dark.
Dance in the moonlight.
Dance the night away.
Dance with tears in your eyes.
Do you know how to pony like Boney Maroney? Book a trip to the Land of 1,000 Dances.
Dance about architecture: “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture” – Martin Mull. Not Elvis Costello. Not Frank Zappa.
Finish what the B-52s started: In Dance This Mess Around, the new wavers declare that everybody goes to parties, and that they do all 16 dances. The song, however, only names eight. Help the band finally find closure with this song by making up more dances. Here are a few to get you started:
The Staph Infection
The Hai Karate
The Orange Roughy
The Chrissy Shrimpton
Your turn. And, oh yeah: Dance this mess around.
Also:
Dance on the graves of your enemies.
Dance with Mr. D.
Dance dirty.
Dance clean.
Phew! That’s a lot of dancing. Let’s put our feet up and watch movies where other people dance.
All That Jazz (1979): Roy Scheider plays director Bob Fosse’s chain-smoking, pill-popping, womanizing doppelganger: a choreographer who is either pushing his limits or has already pushed past them.
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969): Dance marathon exploits desperate couples during the Depression. One of director Sydney Pollack’s finest films.
Too dark? Hey, dancing isn’t all Happy Feet, y’know?
