You know, I think one of the biggest factors in my discovery of ballroom is the music. I used to watch “Dancing with the Stars” in its earlier seasons. While they still played too many billboard hits for my liking, they still had an okay mix of traditional music. I remember this one particular song they played absolutely captivated me. I looked up a phrase from the lyrics on the Internet, and found this song was written by a gentleman called Frank Sinatra. I downloaded it, and was satisfied for a while. But, pretty soon I wanted more. A neighbor caught wind of my new interest, and graciously let me borrow her CD of an artist called Dean Martin. I was hooked, and the rest is history. I also have a fondness for 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s music which derived from my family vacations when our preferred radio signal was out of range and we had to listen to “oldies” instead. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of “oldies” songs fit into my ballroom experience. From Dino and Frankie, there are a whole lot of Foxtrot songs. Music of the decades goes perfectly with Swing and Hustle. My love for “old” music, among other things (like the fact that I know only two people my age that dance ballroom) make me feel like I was born in the wrong decade. You know you were born a little late if…
- You wish you could tap because it’s in some of your favorite old musicals (and so you could celebrate International Tap Day properly).
- You disturb and surprise yourself with the outdated colloquialisms you use in your daily speech (mine are dude and man).
- You with absolute certainty that you’ll never get to talk to your celebrity crush(es) because most of them have unfortunately passed on.
- There seemed to be more good dancing back in the day, in your personal opinion.
- You wonder where all the real men went, but then sadly realize that your version of a “real” man came from classic black and white movies.
- You wish that late night TV could be more like the Dean Martin Variety Show.
- You revel in the fact that tap shoes, a cane, and a whole bunch of creativity can result in some of the cutest (yes, I said cutest) stage deaths ever.
- You’ve seen the movies he’s been in, and you know for a fact that Fred Astaire can sing, can act, and most definitely can dance. And, that his balding head has nothing to do with the fact that he’s one of the most talented dancers you’ve ever seen.
- You think the Beach Boys songs’ are great songs for cruising in your car (that’s a personal one).
- You have an entirely separate “oldies” playlist for the Beatles on your iPod.
- You head-bang to eighties rock in the car while the light is red (*shifty eyes*)
- If someone asks who Steve Perry is, you gawk. (He’s the lead singer of Journey, a popular eighties band).
- (The above statement can be applied to any band/celebrity of your choosing)
- You prefer Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and Rogers & Hammerstein to Sir (or should I say Lord) Andrew Loyd Webber *assumes crash position*
- You think the Bee Gees and Four Seasons have the best falsettos you’ve heard in a while.
- Cigarette? *blushes while wishing I didn’t know the real meaning behind that question*
- Despite your love for “oldies” you lip-synch all the latest hits at a social function, so you look like you know what you’re doing.
- You feel slightly embarrassed that all you sing during karaoke are “old”, and feel even more embarrassed when somebody asks you how the heck you know all said songs.
- But it’s all worth it when an older couple, thanks you for singing them 🙂
- Despite all your eccentricities, you’re happy to be born in the time period you’re in because there’s always YouTube to go back in time.
...Then Came Dance 