#139. The "Choir Side Step Dance."
Apr 11th by JonWhen I was in college in the middle of my disasterous rave phase, some basketball players from my school saw me dancing at a night club in Birmingham called “The Studio.” No big deal, except at the time I was “dancing” with two glow sticks that I had purchased in the camping section of Wal-Mart. I was swirling them about awkwardly to techno music like Will Ferrell with the ribbon in the movie, “Old School.” They made fun of me for months.
I would have been much better just doing that simple Choir Side Step Dance. (There’s got to be a better name for this move.) This is the thing choirs do when they shift from one foot to the other and kind of angle their shoulders. Back and forth. Back and forth. Work it out. Is it a side step? A two step shift? Hard to say, but all the American Idol contestants were doing it last night perfectly as they sang “Shout to the Lord*.”
Choirs invented this move in 1973 when they realized they wanted to dance a little but they didn’t have room on the stage. So they came up with this side move so they could still express about 12% of the funk without bumping into each other. But it’s gone viral and you see it outside of church now. At nightclubs, guys that don’t have any rhythm will pull this move off, right before the try to dance behind you. I’m sorry. On behalf of all men, let me please just say, we’re sorry. We interpreted you dancing with your friends and not making any eye contact with us whatsoever as you saying, “Hey complete stranger come dance behind me, let’s fall in love.”
*Yes, my head would have exploded if they had performed, “Our God is an Awesome God.”
Comments
I caught myself starting to do it at a hip hop show a few weeks ago
I actually prefer that to the “Baptist Bob”. We could never have broken out in any kind of dance. Are you kidding??? The old people in our church would have all croaked right there in the pew (their pew, I might add). Instead we could bob our head back and forth or a little side to side as long as your body didn’t move.
Okay, so it’s not a written rule, just definitly passed down. They all about passed out when we started clapping to some praise songs.
Fun times?!?!? Ahhhh memories!?!?!
Wow you were allowed to bob your heads?! Our pews would be full of passed out bodies if anyone ever attempted that sinful movement!
We've tried clapping (during the evening service when the really strict people don't come), but lets face it — Baptists ain't got no rhythm.
Um, some girls from work and I did this in the elevator of our office yesterday. Good times.
We called this “the elephant shuffle” because at one church I attended, this was the dance preferred by the larger adults. Younger people and more fit one would hop up and down in place.
I thought the same thing about the American Idol contestants! There was a certain weird moment where I kept thinking, “Did they have my old youth choir director choreograph this?”
Anyways, I couldn’t believe the last song was “Shout to the Lord.”
I often would call this “the penguin dance (or just the penguin); especially if you add a little sholder move to it.
I have to say this is the funniest post by far. I laughed so hard I cried and I had to make my coworker read so she would know what was so funny.
Also, I have to know when you were in Birmingham hanging out at The Studio (aka The Booty-O). I was there every weekend, and the Circuit, the Music Hall, you name it. Not that I am proud of it…but I can SO relate to the random guy coming up and dancing behind me, UGH, which is why this post is so funny to me.
I’ve been wondering what the deal is with the random man dancing attacks from behind. Also, I want to know who decided that this behavior is socially acceptable.
Oh yeah, the Circuit was a hole in the wall, nasty. Well who knows, we probably crossed paths at one of those places back in the day. Too funny…
I don’t see what’s wrong with the side step dance. Add a little wrong beat (aka caucasian) clapping and you have something there. Priceless!
ha!
I’ve always referred to that dance as “The Urban White Girl.”
This is the Mad Step-Together, the poster boy dance for white boys everywhere!
Don't forget about the church choirs that like the concept, try it from time to time on a "gospel" song, or a "spiritual", but never quite master the move… a group of old white people who can't quite synchronize. And a few who don't bother to move at all. Somehow it doesn't have the right "oomph", but that doesn't stop them from trying again in 2 months.
When I was in youth choir we called it "the Baptecostal shuffle."
At my church, we've applied it to our denomination and the youth always whisper "They're doing the foursquare step"
hahaha so awesome. i see this all the time. wait, AI did "Shout to the Lord"? I have to look that up.
around here we call it the "pentecostal two-step". Its as funky as the old folks can get. Just don't call it dancing
We once made a video of synchronized ribbon dancing. It's harder than it looks.