Those of you who visit this blog regularly know that three out of the four members of my immediate family dance. DH is the lone holdout, not because he can’t dance, but because his interests lie elsewhere (music, outdoor sports, putzing around the yard). He’s also on the shy side and dancing, which of course involves performing, gives him the heebeejeebees.
But last year, good dad that he is, he agreed to perform a Filipino folk dance, the Tinikling for our kids’ school during international day. I made the choreo short and simple and we survived it. The kids, who were all preschoolers, were suitably impressed. For those of you unfamiliar with the Tinikling, it’s a rural dance involving jumping and dancing through and around a pair of clapping bamboo poles.
This year, SB is in a full-fledged elementary school, and they too have an international day. One of the moms must have told someone who told someone who told the assistant principal and organizer that I danced, and she sent me an email asking if I could do another number.
I asked DH again and he said yes. But I did warn him that I was going to make the choreo a little bit more complicated because, well, we’re entertaining older kids this time around, 5th and 6th graders who we all know are a more difficult crowd to please than preschoolers.
Last night was our first rehearsal and it went…okay. We definitely need to practice more. I’ve included some jumping deep knee-bends and a move I nicknamed “the helicopter” right in between the clapping bamboo. During practice DH often forgets the choreo and kind of does his own thing, which the kids would probably love because kids think it looks hysterical when your feet get caught in clapping bamboo.
Here’s a clip of us dancing the Very Simple Tinikling last year. Enjoy!
