“You’ll look ridiculous if you dance.
You’ll look ridiculous if you don’t dance.
So you might as well dance.”
Gertrude Stein
—
You are not average. You are a Dancing Queen, Young and Sweet, Only 17.
My book, “Sweat with Brook Benten,” has been three years in the works. It will be published on Monday. Somebody pinch me! If you took all of my birthdays and smashed them together, I still wouldn’t be as excited as I am for this book launch.
But if you tried, one birthday would take up more bandwidth than the rest. It was my 40th.
I choreographed a dance, spent eight weeks breaking it down over the internet, and organized a Flash Mob. It is referenced in the Dance Like a Mother chapter in my book.
There, I refer readers to my blog if they have a hankering to learn the dance. *Please note that dates and locations mentioned in these videos for performing the dance, Flash Mob style, have passed. These videos and instruction for the dance are for your movement and entertainment only.
Put on your boogie shoes. We’ll flash back to the choreo from my 40th.
Although it was a one-and-done birthday dance, let this blog be my witness that I want you dancing this dance at my funeral.
For the love of life, the certainty of death, and all of the good times in-between, I present to you the Dancing Queen!
“Dancing Queen” features simple moves that anybody can do. I’ve broken it down into eight parts.
The version of the song we’ll be using is “Dancing Queen” from the motion picture Mamma Mia performed by Meryl Streep, Julie Walters, and Christine Baranski. Whether Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your music, download that song to practice with the soundtrack.
Part 1 of 8
Part 2 of 8
Part 3 of 8
Hold on to your air guitar, Dynamos! Part 3 is the most challenging of the 8-part choreography breakdown.
I break all of this down, first, facing toward you. I have already inverted my movements so that you can follow on the appropriate lead, as we will perform it in the Flash Mob. That means, consider me your “mirror image.” If I say right, I mean your actual right. When watching me face you, I’ll be mimicking your movements just as if you are looking in a mirror. Don’t overthink that– “she’s saying right, but it’s really her left.” (Leave the overthinking to me.)
In the end, I’ll turn around so that you can watch my backside and follow me, step-by-step, move-by-move, in tandem. We should be moving in synchrony.
Part 4 of 8
Once you’re comfortable with Part 4 (below), turn on the music (Dancing Queen, version from the Mamma Mia! motion picture) and dance along.
I break all of this down, first, facing toward you. I have already inverted my movements so that you can follow on the appropriate lead, as we will perform it in the Flash Mob. That means, consider me your “mirror image.” If I say right, I mean your actual right. When watching me face you, I’ll be mimicking your movements just as if you are looking in a mirror. Don’t overthink that– “she’s saying right, but it’s really her left.” (Leave the overthinking to me.)
In the end, I’ll turn around so that you can watch my backside and follow me, step-by-step, move-by-move, in tandem. We should be moving in synchrony.
This particular tutorial is a little tricky, because it includes parts where you are facing forward and backward, but, Dynamo, you have come this far- I trust you will catch on. It may help to remember that all of this leads right, and when you turn around (to the lyric “gone”), pedal your right foot around, waving with your right hand.
Part 5 of 8
After quickly jogging your memory of the chorus choreography (Part 5), we’ll turn on the music and put together this much, from the top! I’ll face the same direction as you to be sure there’s no confusion on footwork.
Part 6 of 8
Part 7 of 8
I’ll explain the moving pieces in this tutorial (in the real deal, I’ll be doing one thing while you do something else for the ending… we’ll all come back together). I’ll lead the tutorial mirroring you, then I’ll turn and do the same moves facing the same direction as you to be sure there’s no confusion on footwork.
Part 8 of 8
This tutorial puts the whole dance together! With the assistance of Julie Anna, I’ll lead you through the entire dance! When I’m facing your same direction (mirroring your movements), I accidentally botch the arms after the air guitar, shimmying them the wrong way… it’s documented and noted. {Sorry, folks, it’s hard to know the proper lead in my head, but reverse it to be your mirror image!} After leading the moves with the music, facing toward you, I’ll face the same direction as you to be sure there’s no confusion on footwork. This video is one of the longer ones, but that’s just because it’s the whole routine, performed twice– one time, mirroring you; one time, mimicking you.