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"

Comments

  1. You can't dance? What are you talking about? Tim is still sitting on my couch with a fist full of dollars!!! I still can't stop smiling thinking about the gang dancing together! Great post with Van Halen to boot! Just Saying...

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  2. The was a certain superiority that Emma and Maddie had when it came time dance. A command of the situation at hand. Rythym. Beat.

    It is neat to see them get down with their bad selves.

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  3. Women and Children first

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  4. I am a dancer. I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living.... In each it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement, a sense of one's being, a satisfaction of spirit. One becomes in some area an athlete of God. ~Martha Graham, c.1953

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  5. From a Crowley guy who definately was not in line when they handed out the dancing gene, glad to hear that the girls have it. Matt, hopefully you can learn a few steps from the girls. Might Leif Garrett's 'I Was Made For Dancin' be on Just Dance 2? Just askin'

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  6. I always saw you as the Kevin Bacon character from Footloose out there in California. When someone would give you heat, you would challenge them to a dance off.

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  7. I had a doctor recommend Wii also for PT. Wonder if you could write it off with a script? Dance the night away!

    Boxing on Wii is another good one to try.

    Monique

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  8. If your anything like the Oulds men of an older age (my age)I know what you are saying, but it is still fun to have a go. Great post

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  9. Mr Crowley dances like Beyonce

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