Just Dance
One of the things I love most about my family is
how much we like to dance. No, nobody in
our family is very good at dancing, however we dance all the time anyway. Throughout high school it was perfectly
normal to come home to my mom doing “the guns” in the kitchen as she makes
afterschool snacks. I remember after she
met my stepdad, Karl, one of the first things she said to me was “Anna you’ll
love him he does such a good running man”. Everyone in my family has the same dorky dance moves. And with the only exception being the father
daughter tap dancing class that Lily and Karl took the older members of the
family try to limit our dancing to just inside the house. But this isn’t the case for the younger members of my family, Lily, Jamie, Henry, and Rosie dance everywhere they
go. In the grocery store, on the
sidewalk, outside the gas station, sometimes it will be a full minute of
freestyle, other times just a quick moonwalk.
They dance everywhere they go and I love it. It’s the video’s I get of
them dancing that make me the most homesick.
I love the carefree attitude they have and how they don’t care about
anything other then the fact that they just want to dance.
-Anna Kirwan
Anna I loved reading this blog about your family. One of my favorite memories of you is you're go-to six step dance move. It's so goofy but you can dance it with such pizzazz and enthusiasm! When ever you pull out your signature moves, you can get anyone in the room to smile and dance with you! It's great to hear that the family is just the same! :)
ReplyDelete-Adair
I really enjoyed reading this blog! It makes me think about my family and miss them even more. Your story was entertaining and relatable which is why it was so awesome to read! The picture was great and just added to the image I already had of a goofy family dancing all over the place!
ReplyDeleteGreat Post!
Kids definitely have no shame in dancing, it tells a lot about how as we grow up we become a bit more afraid of judgement and it takes away from expressing ourselves. I liked how you embrace the "dorky-ness" of your family's dancing moves, after all its about enjoying yourself and not so much about being talented at it. Your brothers and sisters must be hilarious to be around moonwalking through the grocery store!
ReplyDeleteThis story is so adorable! It's great to hear about a family who does silly things together. I have to say, the first photo is amazing. Both pictures show how much fun your family has when they are dancing.
ReplyDeleteNot only is it great to be able to have that care-free attitude about dancing when you're not really good at it, it's even better to be surrounded by loved ones who do the same thing. When everyone gets into their goofy zone, it feels like nothing else matters. I can testify to this, for my family and I also have random dance spasms throughout the day (along with loud and obnoxious singing). There's my dad's "I'm sexy" dance, my "Class is cancelled!" dance, my sister's "Free homework pass!" dance, and so on. To me, it's bonding.
ReplyDeleteAniyah (Yasmeen) Pendleton
I totally understand what you mean! I love to dance and it is because I come from a family of dancers. My brother and I always come up with routines and do them together when I go home. So I understand when you talk about getting homesick, everytime I hear he has a new routine or hip hop class he is in, i wanna go home so bad. The only difference is in my family if you don't do the moves perfectly, you get laughed at. But family is really important and anytime there is something the whole family can bond over, you cherish it. Dancing is love in my family and I see it is in yours as well.
ReplyDeleteDancing is such a great form of self expression! I really love that your entire family does it. The pictures on your post were really adorable too. I have seen so many people be embarrassed about "busting a move" in front of others. I think your statement about dancing being carefree is so right! There shouldn't be any thought behind what you're doing. It should just be fun.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about this, it reminds me of my sister. She is 18 months older than me but she still doesn't care what people think. If it will make you laugh, she'll bust a move right there in the middle of the parking lot or at the beach. It's sad that so many kids grow up learning to be afraid of judgment and stop doing the things they love... like dancing in the grocery store. That's why I look up to my sister so much, she isn't afraid to be that random person dancing in the store.
ReplyDeleteI loved this story. I come from a family that loves to dance as well. The funny thing though about this story is that you said the younger kids are the ones that do it the most. Well, I am in college and I am the one who dances at random times in my family. My sister is in high school and my mother is the coach at the high school and they both dance all the time too. We have times in our household where we will dance for an hour. That includes many line dances as well as dances we have seen on youtube or the television. Thank you for this story you made my day. And I loved the pictures.
ReplyDeleteI love to dance as well! Dancing is a great way of communicating and expressing your feelings. It sometimes can be a stress reliever. Although I am not a great dancer myself, I tend to dance a lot, especially in the car. I believe that there are no cons about dancing. It's great for entertainment and great for setting the mood in any environment, whether it be at a wedding, prom, party or any other form of events. Dancing is supposed to be carefree, even when you are in competition.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about your family and how dancing bonds all of you together. One of my favorite quotes is "dance like no one is watching," it seems like your family is constantly doing that. I can't imagine attending a father daughter tap dancing class. I think my Dad would fall over laughing if I even suggested such a thing but I'm sure in your family it was a great source bonding and laughter. I love that your family sends you videos of them dancing. It has to make it feel like you're with them even though there is distance between. It sounds like a wonderful way to stay connected.
ReplyDeleteSomething about children, and their carefree attitude to do what they please at any moment of the day is infectious. It must be their innocence, or their imaginative minds and spirits. It's something I feel many people, as we all get older lose. We lose that ability to be free spirited in a sense as life tackles us down. It's been quoted several times that the joyous, carefree nature of children is a lesson that can be taught to all adults. This is something I notice in my nephews when I have the chance to spend time with them, my stress of the days are forgotten and the child inside me comes out to play. It's almost therapeutic to be so carefree, and fun. It seems like this is what you miss Anna, hopefully you'll see your little child inside soon and get to dance the night/day away with your siblings. Best!
ReplyDeleteDancing is something that me and my mom do all the time too! Anytime I come home, she expects me to teach her a new dance move that our age groups are doing. Some she tend to get and others just look a H.A.M. When I was younger, I attended a dance studio. I guess this is why dancing has always been in my heart, but it seems like our families would get along very well!
ReplyDeleteI have been a dancer since I was 3 and it is a great feeling being able to freely dance around without a care in the world. My family didn't necessarily always join in but they were as close to stage as they could get at every recital. I get homesick as well looking back at old videos of my friends and I. It seems so long ago when in reality it was just a few short years ago.
ReplyDeleteAnna, I loved this post! Maybe it's because I know you and your family fairly well, but I really enjoyed reading about the fun, carefree attitude present in your family. Dancing around, goofing off, and, yes, even making a fool out of yourself lightens the mood and can easily put a smile on someone's face. Many people I know are too serious and don't know how to loosen up; clearly, this does not describe your family! Your silly family dance moves not only bond you together, but they also are something that you miss about not being around them. I really enjoyed reading this, because it made me think of the weird little things my family does that are almost like inside jokes between us. In my opinion, life is made up of the little things, because they are what truly matter; your family seems to understand this idea perfectly.
ReplyDeleteNice job on the blog post!
Anna, I do the exact same thing! I dance everywhere without a thought. At work my co-works like to hide behind the corners and watch me make a fool of myself as I dance all across the store. I just can't help it. If there is a song playing, either out loud, (or in my head), I've just got to dance! I thought it was really funny how you said that when your mom first met your stepdad she said "Anna you’ll love him he does such a good running man". I think that is hysterical! I hope that you all continue to dance everywhere and anywhere! -Jenna
ReplyDeletegreat post. I can relate to parents dancing as well. My mom and dad will have random dance offs, mostly in the kitchen. Its absolutely brutal to watch. I can understand why now my mom is against having phones in the kitchen, so we can record them!
ReplyDeleteCJ