Who’s Your Daddy on the Dance Floor?
The lawn mower? Or the torch of triumph? Learn from Prince William, Jimmy Fallon and some British dads as they show off their best moves…
Both my mum and dad are dancers - not the professional kind, but certainly enthusiastic ones. They've always been keen on their disco fox steps, but everything changed when Strictly Come Dancing debuted in Germany 17 years ago.
They signed up for dance classes faster than you can say "cha-cha-cha" and since then any place has become their ballroom: our living room, other people's living rooms, streets, gardens and even shopping centres have provided the perfect space to channel their inner Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astaire.
Was I embarrassed? Not at all. That, my friends, is passion, enthusiasm and yes, a touch of nuttiness. Well, I guess it is all part of our family charm.
Prince William and His Incredibly Royal Shimmy
This week I stumbled across a video of Prince William showing off his best dance moves at a Taylor Swift concert. Check it out - he can really move! And his shimmy? Pure gold. It’s amazing to watch him enjoying himself. I mean, he's a royal with a lot of responsibilities, but in this moment, he's just a dad going crazy on the dance floor - free and happy.
This has led The Guardian to publish an in-depth article on the science of dad dancing and why it's good for you. It's a great read, particularly as it goes into how hormones affect dance moves. Spoiler alert: the bigger the moves, the more testosterone is pumping. Ha ha. Suddenly a lot of club night encounters make sense.
But the funniest part of the article was about a competition I wanted to visit as soon as I read the title.
The Holy Grail of Dancing: The World Dad Dancing Championship
There's this mini-festival in England called DadFest - a beautiful place where kids and their dads can enjoy some unique quality time. There's archery, woodworking and all sorts of fun activities in the countryside. And... there's the World Dad Dancing Championship - the highlight of the festival.
And I have gone down this delightful rabbit hole and dug out some videos that I hope will make you laugh as much as I did.
Enjoy the crazy British dads… well, and Jimmy Fallon.
Meet Conrad Gillespie: The Fred Astaire of Devon
Two journalists from Sky News interviewed Conrad, one of the champions of the competition. And the subtitle of this interview could be: Brits vs. Americans.
They just don't know how to deal with him. Ha ha. This guy is crazy - and he puts all his craziness into his moves and onto the dance floor. I love him!
P.S. And if anyone knows where to buy that outfit, let me know.
Who it is for? Dads and people who love going bonkers once a while
Time to invest: 4.48 (but the real interview and dancing starts at minute 1.14)
DadFest – We Definitely Need More of This
BBC One covered DadFest a couple of years ago. It's a lovely video and I think other countries should copy the concept. I know when I was a kid I would have loved to see my dad performing crazy moves out on the dance floor.
Time to invest: 4.44 min
Who it is for? Parents, kids and the one uncle that always starts dancing at family gatherings
Jimmy Fallon: The Evolution of Dad Dance Moves
And while I was trapped in the rabbit hole of dads dancing on YouTube, I also found the incredible performance of all the classic moves by Jimmy Fallon. I love 'The Lawnmower', but the ‘Belt Grabber’ is also quite fancy.
Time to invest: 2,44 min.
Who it is for: Fellon Fans and everyone who wants to expand their dance move repertoire. I will certainly copy some of them.
So dads all over the world, get up and dance. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. The crazier the better. And if you would like to learn all the moves, check the website of DadFest. They got you covered.
Cheers,
Katie