Dance Dance Party Party Revolution

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I wrote about creepy babbys over at the AV Club.

This week my friend Erica invited me to attend something called Dance Dance Party Party with her. What is Dance Dance Party Party? Well it was described to me as a female-only one-hour dance party. "No instructors, no fitness goals, and nothing to prove." I was kinda excited: I like to dance but I hate a lot of the things that go along with going dancing, like staying out too late, crowds, too-loud music, paying money for everything, etc. The other thing that was this could potentially be sort of cheesy. I am all about the ladies but for some reason the phrase "all-female" gives me pause unless we're talking about an athletic team or maybe Congress. I was worried that this would be a "let the goddess in" scenario where we all had to feel connected to each other and smile encouragingly at each other and be like "go girl!" even if we didn't mean it I would just want to leave and feel bad about it. The other, lesser thing is that Erica is a professional choreographer so I was mildly worried about looking like an ape in front of her but we had a drink beforehand to loosen us up. DDPP is held at a small dance studio so there would be NO BAR.

What?

We got there though, in workout gear since that's how you're encouraged to dress (I still put on a lot of eye makeup though because it felt weird to get ready to go dancing without doing SOMETHING fancy, even if I was wearing sweatpants). They turned the lights out and as promised started with a "warmup" song, where we girls, 20 of us maybe, started moving around a little awkwardly. I was promised that this was normal so I shut my eyes and got into it.

Then the second song came on (the whole playlist is here) and I started dancing for real. I learned the following things the next few songs:

1.) Dancing is much more fun if you don't have anything in your hands. Carrying purses, carrying drinks, your coat: these are all items that inhibit the kind of wild gesticulation that I apparently like if I have no limits.

2.) Dancing is much more fun if you're in comfortable clothes. I realized that when the lights are off and nobody seems to be watching I like to go all-out and jump around a lot. A lot. You cannot do this in high heels and a strapless bra.

3.) Dancing is much more fun if you're not afraid to sweat. Here is where the no-boys thing maybe has something going for it. Sweat was pouring off everyone's faces, onto the floor, steaming up the mirrors. A lot of that carefully-applied eyemakeup probably ended up on the floor. As much as I hate to say it I don't think we'd feel so free to wipe the sweat off our faces with our arms or take off our t-shirts if there were dudes there.

4.) Silhouette dancing is best. At first I danced with my eyes closed but then I realized that standing near the door, in one mirror I could see myself but only in silhouette. I felt like I was in my own music video.

So Erica and everyone else who loves DDPP was right: I am converted and I will go again. It was a great workout, which I think a lot of social club dancing tries to avoid, but it didn't have some of the judgy things going on that you experience at a gym class, IE if I wasn't feeling a song too much I didn't feel self-conscious about slipping outside and getting some fresh air for a few minutes, and I certainly didn't feel like anybody was caring about my ridiculous moves, nor vice versa.

Dance Dance Party Party! I'm down. I even want to DJ sometime. I encourage you ladies to check it out if there is one in your town, and rub it in the faces of all the men who wish they could but can't. This is just one of the many ways we women are taking over the world, one Roger Rabbit at a time.