And They Laughed.
Shane got in the car and said, “I need to work on my dance moves.”
“You do?” I asked, perplexed. Shane is a fun and wonderful dancer. “Why?”
“Because I showed my friends my dance moves,” he said. “And they laughed.”
My stomach turned into a pit of some kind of asphalt.
They laughed.
Shane grew up with High School Musical, among other things. His well-practiced dance moves are based on Disney movies and episodes of Lab Rats. He dances spectacularly – with lots of jumps, spins, wild arm motions, kicks and clapping to the music.
And they laughed.
Because in real life, nobody dances like they do on television. In real life, everyone is too self-conscious to be bold, like Shane is. Dancing is more of an embarrassing chore than an art. Their arms hang limp as they slide their feet languidly back and forth toward one another, looking around to make sure no one is watching.
Or they stand against the wall, afraid to even get on the dance floor.
Shane is ready for a dance (which is still two weeks away). He practiced in front of a full-sized mirror for half an hour, still jumping and spinning and looking awesome.
My husband and I tried to dance with him, gently leading him to a place where he might not do too much. Bill moves around all over the floor, waving his arms and shrugging his shoulders as he goes. I think it’s adorable, but he won me over with his ability to swing dance.
I was afraid to move (or speak) as a child, but I’ve learned some line dances along the way – and now I sashay somewhat to the beat of the music. Obviously, neither of Shane’s parents starred in any Disney films.
But we tried to show him how not to draw laughter from a fourth grade crowd who won’t know how else to respond to someone who can really dance. Shane just kept grooving.
This event promises to be a great disappointment in the life of my fourth grader. He’s asked out not one, but two girls. He has a date with the most beautiful girl in the class. And he is ready to dance like John Travolta (even though he has no idea what “Travolta” means).
And the fourth graders will probably all stand around and eat chips, holding up the walls of the gymnasium and waiting for the bell to ring.
It is anyone’s guess what Shane might do.