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Menu of Special Dances and Activities The following items assist me in bringing people together in the spirit of playfulness and celebration They are, of course, optional so choose as many or as few as you like. Feel free to create your own or alter any of these to fit your own tastes - just let me know.... Toast 'Em - Using a wireless microphone, guests are invited to share with the guest(s) of honor a story, a joke, or some heart-felt sentiment . This gives guests a chance to share their feelings and sense of humor . Don't Worry Be Happy - Using the popular song of the same name, Michael reworks the lyrics to honor the featured guest(s) and involve everyone in a sing-along chorus. Choir was never this easy! Can't Help Falling In Love (with you) - Elvis may have made it famous but Michael uses it to involve participants in a serenade of our guest(s) of honor or a general crowd warm-up. Chicken Dance - Practically everyone has done this dance. Yes, its silly but people still love to be a chicken! I also have a Chicken Dance International that includes sections of a polka, Mexican hat dance, Irish jig, Italian tarantella, and hora are sandwiched between the chicken. Macarena - By now, everyone has been exposed to this dance. Michael can demonstrate for those who need instruction and throw in a few twists to keep you guessing. Partner Macarena - With an arm around your partner's waist, 2 become 1, can you still macarena? Love Train - Done to the 1973 song of the same name by the O'Jays, this dance gets people to join hands and take off for destinations unknown. Electric Slide - This is an extremely popular line dance that people usually need no instruction for. I can teach the dance or simply put on the traditional music and let the dancers take it away. Let's Go Crazy - Using an instrumental version of this classic Prince song, Michael facilitates a let-go into lunacy. Insanity never felt so good. U Can Dance - Michael gets people to form a circle and leads them through a variety of dances like the swim, the sink, the jerk, the mashed potato, the pony, and the sprinkler. Then he chooses a person to step into the middle and everybody gets to teach each other a few moves! Dancing with Myself - Throw the idea of having a partner out the window, it's time to cut loose on your own! Get wild and crazy with your own individual style. You Spin Me Round - A circle dance where the inner circle of men lock arms and face the outer circle of women holding hands. Both spin in opposite directionsand when the music stops, each person finds a partner in the opposite circle and spins some more. This repeats several times. Get dizzy with several partners! Conga Line - Another single line dance that gets the whole crowd involved. Basic steps can be taught or free form expression works well too. There are lots of variations that can happen once we're on our way. Bunny Hop - Participants form a single line, facing one direction, and perform various steps. Another one that kids of all ages love to do. Limbo - How low can you go? Hand Jive - A tradition from the 1950's that tests your coordination and sobriety. Locomotion - A variation on the conga line originating back to 1962 with the song performed by Little Eva. Versions by Grand Funk Railroad and Kylie Minogue work well too. Back-to-Back Dancing - Standing back to back with your arms linked with your partner's, take off on an adventure. Check out everybody else! River Dance - Kick up your heels and do a jig. Everyone gets a chance to shine during this Irish dance extravaganza. Do the Dance - This line dance was created by a DJ from Los Angeles and has its own special music. Hip hop meets disco for a group dance performance! Shout - Everybody has danced to this party anthem but we use it for a revival meeting in honor of our featured guest(s). It's nondenominational and guaranteed to raise your spirits. Hokey Pokey - This time honored circle dance is great for kids of all ages. How can you fault a song that states that waving your hands in the air and turning in a circle is what "it's all about" (also comes in funky and hard rock versions - specify). Zorba's Dance - Using the theme from "Zorba the Greek", this is a circle dance that starts slow but ends up flying. Traditionally, napkins are used to join the dancers but hands work just as well. Go Forth Ye and Multiply - A popular dance at weddings, this one starts with the featured couple on the dance floor. After a minute or so, Michael will announce "go forth ye and multiply" and the couple goes and finds two more dance partners. This continues until the whole crowd is involved. Musical style can be slow, fast, a waltz, a polka, a tango or a swing - it's your choice! Disco Line - A line of women face a line of men and
the end couple meets and dances down the center of the two lines. Songs
like"We Are Family", "Staying Alive", "Get Down
Tonight", and "Good Times" are excellant songs for this. The Stroll - A song and dance that dates back to 1957, the Stroll needs two lines with men facing women. Everyone is instructed in a basic step and then the end couple meets and proceeds down the line. The Celebration Circle - This is a group dance that requires very little instruction. Everyone forms several circles around the guest(s) of honor and as the music begins, the circles are instructed to perform various movements. This dance gets everyone involved and kickstarts the party. Great for weddings, birthdays or any occasion with a featured guest(s). Let the Sun Shine In - Go back to the 60's and "give peace a chance" because "all you need is love" in this group sing-a-long complete with tamborines and shakers. Cotton Eye Joe - A simple country dance done with several lines of two to six people traveling in a circle. Easy to learn, easy to do and lots of fun! Done to traditional music or to a newer contemporary dance version. Virginia Reel - Who says square dancing takes hours to learn! This dance requires a partner and an orientation but it is easy to follow and a "reel" good time. Anniversary Celebration Dance - This is a tribute to the commitment couples have given their marriage. It begins with an invitation for all married couples to come to the dance floor and then, as the song progresses, we proceed in 5 year increments, asking the shorter marriages to step aside. This eventually leaves the longest married couple with our guests of honor. We can then ask them their secret, how they met and give them a round of applause. Elvis - With wig, shades and matching sideburns, the King sets fire to the dance floor in his "Blue Suede Shoes". Bus Stop - A line dance from the 70's that's simple to learn and perform. Walk forward, walk backward, twirl right and left, and we're off. All aboard! Irie People - Inspired by a trip to Jamaica, Michael dons rasta hat and involves guests in a call-and-response chorus. Guests may get inspired to invent a few calls and moves of their own. It's a party! Dred Can Dance - This simple island dance transports you to the tropics without having to pay the plane fare! Pick the coconuts, put 'em in the basket, row the canoe, and get happy. Merengue Mania - Done with two lines, men facing women, meet at the end and merengue (it's as easy as walking) down the middle. Olé! Everybody Polka! - Get a partner, learn the polka shuffle and its off to the races. Change partners once, twice - you're a pro! |
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