Dance the Night Away

Have you seen her? So fine and pretty

Fooled me with her style and ease

And I feel her from across the room

Yes, it's love in the third degree

Ooh, baby, baby

Won't-cha turn your head my way?

Ooh, baby, baby

Ah come on! Take a chance

You're old enough to

Dance the night away

Whoa-oh, Come on girl, dance the night away

It is a well-documented fact that the Crowley men are not dancers.  From Grandpa Tim, down to yours truly, we all must have been distracted when the good Lord handed out the dancing gene because we surely missed out.  Now I'm not saying we can't dance.  I'm saying we can't dance well.  OK, not even fairly well.  Sure, we can pull out rare moves at a family wedding, but in the end, video evidence verifies these were only haunting attempts at greatness.

Curiously, the Crowley wives have not been impacted by the same genetic disorder. They glide from one end of the dance floor to the other and shift from one dance style to the next without missing a beat.  Despite this clear superiority, they have put up with our shortfalls without a snicker.  Perhaps it is their way of keeping us on the dance floor while the other husbands remain glued to their chairs, or a simple way to bolster our pride.      

Fortunately, this disorder has passed by my girls.  As a complete fluke, it appears that in place of a gene essential for glycogen breakdown, my wife has passed on a fully functional dancing gene.  I noticed this early in their life as they seemed to have the ability to keep a beat much better than their old man, but I dismissed it as beginners luck.  Gladly, I was wrong.

As you have read on other blog posts, we are open minded to any and all ways to combat the effects of Pompe disease.  During our last doctor's appointment, we learned that in addition to swimming, the treadmill, and yoga, dancing is a good cardio exercise we should consider for the girls.  Learning this, we rushed out and bought the new Nintendo Wii game Just Dance 2. 

If you haven't seen this game, the definition is simple.  You stand in front of the TV with a Wii controller and try to reproduce the dance moves shown on the screen. While it seems quite easy, I learned three important lessons after my first attempt. First, this game is a great way for our girls to get some fun cardio exercise.  Second, the different dances give them a variety of exercises perfect for their arms and legs. Third, I never should have tried to reproduce Beyonce and Jay-Z's moves.  I thought I was bad, but not that bad.

The other night the girls were playing the game, and before I knew it a whole group of kids were in front of the TV dancing away.  There were the swimmers, the gymnast, the basketball players, the lacrosse players, and a couple Pompe girls all dancing together with no cares, only smiles.  Nowhere in the group was a trained dancer and nowhere in the group was a concern about muscle diseases.  It was just a bunch of kids, kicking off their shoes and leaving their inhibitions aside in favor of a little exercise and more importantly, a little joy.  

So, it is a fact that the Crowley men can't dance, and questionable if we can be taught. However, Emma and Maddie promised to teach me.  I don't expect any quick rewards, nor plan to try out my new Beyonce moves at the next family wedding.  But, what I plan to do is follow the lead of a few kids near to my heart, and I suggest you do the same.  When the weight of the world becomes a bit too heavy, and when your mind is filled with all the important things that must get done, set your inhibitions aside, kick off those shoes, and remember to...

Take a chance

You're old enough to

Dance the night away

Dance, dance, dance the night away

All the best, 

Matt

Credit to: Van Halen, "Dance the Night Away"