Do you dance with your father?

[KevinL]

Or your mother, for that matter?

Lots of women getting married do father/daughter dances, and men getting married sometimes do mother/son dances as well. How often have you danced with a parent?

Do you have memories of learning to dance by standing on your parents feet? Did your parents teach you to dance?

Just curious, 8^)

Kevin

[Sagitta]

My parents did not tecah me to dance. My dad is an excellent dancer but somehow he didn't want to or couldn't tecah me. My mother is a total dutz. She is one of those who gets really flustered and can't keep to the beat, and doesn't know where to move her feet...

Next time I go and visit my parents I'm going to do so at christmas time. Then I'm going to get my mother dancing. Hopefully there will be an event that she has to attend and then I'll have my way with her. :twisted: But that is still a ways off.

[Pacion]

My Dad is the first guy I recall dancing with. He would often dance around the house :lol:. On a Sunday evening, a certain radio station would play classical music including Strauss for about 3 hours or so? He would grab whoever was nearest and start dancing with us :lol:

One of the last occassions I remember dancing with him took place a few years ago. I went to visit, and we were washing the car in the driveway. Some song - Frank Sinatra or Shirley Bassey or something like that - was playing and he took me and we were slipping and sliding in the soap suds on the ground. As the song came to an end, we suddenly heard clapping :shock: our next door neighbour's son and some young friends of his were watching us over the fence :lol: I went bright red but my Dad just laughed :oops:

[pygmalion]

:cry: I love my Daddy. :cry:

He was the first dancer in my life. Not a very good dancer, but he loves dancing, and danced a lot of swing around the house when I was little. He's almost 81, so he's a real 30's/40's era swing kid. He didn't dance so well to the freestyle stuff my older siblings loved in the sixties and seventies, but he still danced.

And he loves classical music, but Viennese waltzes most of all. Gotta call tonight. 8)

[dancin_feet]

The only time I ever danced with my father before he died was a function I went to in my mid teens (14 maybe). Everyone got up for a progressive barn dance. The waltz part at the end of the barn dance is more of a side together side skipping type of movement, rather than an actual waltz. I was moving around the circle and came upon my dad. When it came time to do the waltz part, he actually did proper waltz! I was shocked because I didn't know he could dance at all.

Unfortunately he died a couple of years later, and I never got the chance to dance with him again. I often wonder what he would think if he danced with me now.

[TemptressToo]

OK, since this is getting so sad and depressing...

My Dad (who is 47) is not a trained dancer at all. However, growing up we always had fun doing this strange little polka looking thing (where I mostly resemble a rag doll being tossed about).

I just LOVE embarassing my boyfriend when we go bowling. Anytime Daddy or I get a strike...we hope up, go into closed position, and do our little polka thing in a circle.

SO funny...

I'm a Daddy's Girl, can you tell?

[pygmalion]

Believe me, when your Dad is 81 like mine, being able to call and talk with him will NOT be depressing. Not at all. 8) :D

That said, if the title of this thread was,"do you dance with A father," my response would have been totally different. My SO is a father, and he's a fun dancer. But, truth be told, he's a fun and really good freestyle dancer. He's just not my Dad. A Dad, just not mine. :D

[salsachinita]

I am a Daddy's girl too, but he has too many left feet :shock: :lol: ........

There IS a story though. My best friend Monica's dad had always been a REALLY serious kinda dad, until he had his first stroke. After that he was so much more fun to be with.......even took the time to dance at salsa events with us.

One night in '96 (I think?) a bunch of us went salsa dancing, M's dad did a fabulous merengue with me, then he announced that he was going home coz he'd had his fun & now tired. He died that night in his sleep.

I had my best friend's dad's last dance :cry: :notworth: :cry: ........

[SCBailarina25]

My grandmother (my Father's Mother) was Venezuelan, and had a brother who was a professional dancer until he was diagnosed with polio at 19. My Father grew up in a household that was full of music and dance, but never actually got "into" dancing, and though he is a very passionate person, dancing was never one of his passions. But, to this day, he does dance a bit, though never on a dancefloor, and never with anyone but me or his wife. I remember when Sally Potter's "Tango Lesson" came to vhs. We rented it, watched it together, and he would tango walk me around the house, doing his best medio corte and tango rocks. :lol:

[LindyQuest]

I remember dancing with my father, I can't remember many specific situations, but bits and pieces of memories...dancing at weddings...dancing to my old Beach Boys record in the backyard...dancing at family parties...dancing at my Brownies' Father-Daughter dances...etc. He always does the same steps, a variation of ECS, simple but fun.

I've tried to get my mother to come dancing with me; she and my dad are divorced, and I think it would really be great for her to come out dancing! But she always declines, saying she's not coordinated enough. Maybe I can get her to just come and watch sometime, at least. :D

[KevinL]

Thanks for the replies ladies!

I'm hoping my daughter has some nice memories when she gets older.

Does anyone else have a good story about dancing with thier dad? Or for the guys, dancing with your mom?

Kevin

[LauraB]

My parents took a few dance lessons from my last partner, and they loved it. They would bring the boombox out into the empty garage in the evenings to practice. I dance with my dad every chance I get, at weddings and parties. The lessons they took were a couple years ago, but my dad remembers everything, from samba, swing, and rumba, to waltz, foxtrot, and tango. He dances with my mom when I'm not pulling him onto the floor. He's great!

[D-spot]

I am the father and I get my daughter to dance with me every time she comes from NZ to see me. Proud daddy, happy daddy.
Once she gets over the embarassment she likes it (or at least that's what I keep telling myself).
D-spot
(softy)

[danceguy]

Hmm, maybe the title of this thread should be "do you dance with your family members?" :)

My parents were never into dancing, although I know that they danced at their wedding...and I think my dad may have taken some Ballroom when he was a kid, I'll have to ask him. My mother passed away several years before I started dancing, so unfortunately we never got to dance. However, I know that she's watching me out there while I'm dancing...:D ;)

I did learn recently that my father's parents were avid social dancers when they were younger...I believe someone in the family said "they used to really cut a rug"...so I need to make a point to ask them more about it. As my grandpa is from NY I really want to find out if he ever did Mambo or any Latin dances...maybe this is why I'm so drawn to Salsa. :P

Best,

SG

[virginiadancegirl]

The last (and only) time I really remember dancing with my dad was at my wedding. Certainly nothing with form...My mom wants me to teach him now, so he might dance with her a little more.. She is losing her balance due to illness, so I"m not sure they will ever be out there like my mom visualizes...

And in the hopes that my daughter WILL be able to dance with her father...I am getting ready to start teaching my husband.

[Pacion]

Goodluck Virginiadancegirl. I hope your Mum does get her heart's desire.

[MadamSamba]

Oh, such wonderful stories. What a fabulous thread, Kevin!

My mum and dad are both fabulous dancers, but severe heart conditions don't really allow it.

I did a one-minute jive with my mum once, but she got quite sick after it, I never dared do it again, but I'm told she too could "cut the rug" in her younger days.

Ditto with Dad. He's having bypass one of these weeks and, I keep telling him, he's only safe from dancing with me until then. After the bypass, he's gonna dance with me! :)

[Adwiz]

I've enjoyed this thread. Some of the comments remind me of the father/daughter dance scene in Dirty Dancing Havana Nights or the one in Father of the Bride where Steve Martin has a game of one-on-one with his daughter just before her wedding.

As many of you know, I dance with my 15-year-old daughter and we have competed a few times (came in third in our last Standard event). We're actively looking for a partner closer to her own age, but I really enjoy dancing with her and will miss it when she's moved on. She's a beautiful dancer, with 12 years of ballet, and now rapidly moving past me in her capability at the Ballroom dances. A delightful partner, very light, who follows better than anyone I've ever danced with.

When she was tiny, I would lift her in my arms and swing her around through a Waltz or Slow Fox tune and she would throw her head back and giggle with pure delight. Never did I think I would someday be dancing with her in competitions. It's a great experience and we've bonded so much emotionally through the process.

One day we were talking about the future and I told her that while I would always be her biggest fan in future competitions, I would miss dancing with her. She said, "we'll always be able dance together, Daddy." Then she started talking about how we could do a show dance for her grad or wedding, with the theme of a dad who raises his little girl, dances with her, and then lets her go. I was deeply touched.

[SDsalsaguy]

Wow. That's beautiful Adwiz. Thanks for sharing.

...and ditto on the thanks to Kevin for such a great thread too.

[Sakura]

And he loves classical music, but Viennese waltzes most of all. Gotta call tonight. 8)

:D :cry: My Granddaddy: he's the one I have to thank for being brought into Dance (along with my Nana!). He's going to be 80 in December, so he's pretty close to your dad's age, Pygmalion! He was always trying to get me to get up and dance with him, telling me, "No! Look at me! What're you looking around for?!... No. You've got to follow the man! Keep your knees bent! Look at me! Now, follow!" :D :lol: He was great. But now... He can't dance with me, no matter how much I'd want him to.. :cry: :cry: His health is getting worse, bad arthritis, and one of his legs has given out on him about three times now, resulting in nasty falls... He loves the Viennese waltz as well, and I can't wait to learn it so that I can make a nice big video of me doing it with my dance teacher and send it to him; telling him that it's thanks to him I've gotten to do this. *sniffles* I really think I'm gonna cry now! :D :wink: Wow...

As for my dad -- he refuses to learn any acutal dances. He's got more than two left feet, according to him (and my mum!), so the only time I'd ever danced with him was at a few Brownie/Juniors Father/Daughter dances... So, yup, my Granddaddy's tops. I owe everything to him.

Sakura Kitty :kitty:

[Sakura]

(You know -- I think I need to call my Granddaddy tonight too! Thanks for the idea Pygmalion!)

Adwiz, your story was absolutely wonderful and beautiful as well. I hope that you get many more meaningful dances with your daughter both now, while you are her partner, and thereafter. :D

Sakura Kitty :kitty:

[virginiadancegirl]

Adwiz...not fair to make me cry at work!

That was so beautiful and touching... I am sure my daughter will start dancing very soon...and can only hope her fathers learns enough to dance with her.....

How sweet.....

[Sabor]

i think if my parents see me dance they'll probably think i'm crazy :lol:

[Pacion]

It would only be confirming what the rest of us know already Sabor :tongue: :mrgreen: :friend:

[dancingdragon]

What a great thread! I have fond childhood memories of dancing with my parents at weddings - both parents, at the same time! We did this weird kinda three-way-shuffle thing that barely passes for dancing by my current definitions, but it was fun at the time! I danced with Dad at my 21st, I think it was a Bee Gees number. :oops: :lol:

I have so much enthusiasm for dance that I have finally almost convinced Mum and Dad to give it a go - they've gone from "Oh my God, ballroom dancing? We used to watch that on TV and crack up laughing!" to "You know, we really should give it a try sometime" to "Oh, your teacher's starting a new ballroom class next month? We might join that." I really hope they do, so I can share this great part of my life with them even more. :)

[cocodrilo]

Salsachinita, that's so sad about your Dad :cry:
I'm lucky & thankful mine's still around!

I don't dance with my Dad, but I let him kick my butt at tennis!!! :wink:

[SDsalsaguy]

Salsachinita, that's so sad about your Dad :cry:
Sad and sweet story, for sure, but it wasn't her dad cocodrilo... :?

[cocodrilo]

Thank goodness for THAT!!! I misread M's for MY! :oops:
Guess I had better start wearing those glasses I just got :shock:

[Pacion]

I am resurrecting this thread for the newer members. :D

Are there any guys who dance with their mums?

[twnkltoz]

My father does a little country, but I love him anyway. ;) He and I learned to dance at around the same time, but totally separately. We did a WCS at my wedding. We both go to these kind of cowboy reenacting events that often have dancing, so we do a little swing and a little freestyle together (his partner gets all the good dances! :x ). He's the only one I'll freestyle with. I hate freestyle, but we get all goofy--it's funny.

I also dance with my brother--he got me into dancing, and now I coach him some! We're doing pro-am together.

[setsuna713]

SO my dad can't dance... at all :lol: But my mom on the other hand danced socially all through college. She and I get to have these really great conversations about dancing, and I've almost convinced her to take a Hustle class with me (I've never done it and she hasn't done it since college). Maybe together we can teach my dad to dance :P

[ThatHaitianSwede]

I dance with my mom! :D

All the time actually. Being 16, she is in the process of teaching me how to dance. So we do it all the time, at home, at ballroom... A little Salsa, Cumbia, Waltz, Cha-Cha, and Hustle we do a lot together.

[SuzieQ]

My father wouldn't be caught dead on a dance floor--and has no understanding of what the attraction is to me. :(

My husband dances with our daughter--she is the one who got us all started dancing--hopefully she'll appreciate the memories when she gets older, even though their relationship is a little strained right now. I dance with her a lot, too--or at least did, until she ran off to college last week!

I got to dance with our son at his wedding last month! It was really sweet, not anything structured.

[kakarot]

Good day everyone,

A very nice and interesting thread. I do beg forgiveness for barging in with my same old types of questions.

I assume most people (myself including) dance with their parents or family members on some occasions.

My question is, how many of you dance or danced tango with your immediate family members? If you did, was it different than dancing with other people? Meaning, do you dance tango to the fullest when dancing with family, with ganchos, leg wraps, etc?

Thanks in advance,

Kakarot.

[Peaches]

Good day everyone,

A very nice and interesting thread. I do beg forgiveness for barging in with my same old types of questions.

I assume most people (myself including) dance with their parents or family members on some occasions.

My question is, how many of you dance or danced tango with your immediate family members? If you did, was it different than dancing with other people? Meaning, do you dance tango to the fullest when dancing with family, with ganchos, leg wraps, etc?

Thanks in advance,

Kakarot.
That presupposes that there are people here on D-F who dance AT, and whose parents/family members dance AT. That's a tall order.

My dad doesn't dance, really, and certainly not AT. If he did...I would probably feel very awkward dancing CE with him. As non-sexual as the dance is to me, there would be something different about it being my father. If, OTOH, I grew up in an environment where it was normal for him to dance AT...I imagine I would feel much different.

Regarding the OP... My mom was always dancing around the kitchen to whatever music she happened to be blaring at eardrum-bleeding volume at the time. She would drag anyone who veered too close into it and propel them around the kitchen as well. Nothing even remotely close to BR, or even anything recognizable as freestyle, but she was happy. Dad knew to stay out of reach. :)

My mom's parents don't dance for religious reasons. I remember seeing my dad's parents dance on a couple of occasions (weddings, 50th anniversary)...just hug'n'sway.

There was no dancing going on at my wedding, so I never got to dance with my Dad then. I did get to dance with him at my brother's wedding. Midway through the first dance they separated and my brother got my mom and his wife got her dad...I had been told in advance to grab my father and dance with him. That.was.HARD. Very special, but very difficult...both of us very aware that this was the father/daughter dance we didn't have from my wedding, him apologizing for not knowing how to dance like I did, me telling him that didn't matter to me, both of us trying to joke to keep from crying.

Hmmmm...crying now...

[Zhena]

My parents danced (folk dance) when I was growing up. My father was in a performing group but my mother only danced socially. They would occasionally bring us to performances when it wasn't too inconvenient to have a bunch of children (there were five of us). They didn't dance at home, so it wasn't until I was almost in college that I danced with my dad.

My dad took me to a beginning folk dance class in the summer before I left for college to get me started. At that time, the folk commnuity was splitting into different types and after that first summer I mostly learned the dances done by the younger people -- line dances from the Balkans and Israel -- while my parents stuck to the partner dances done by the older people. We went to different classes and parties, and rarely danced together. For a while we danced at the same recreation center on the same night -- the "old" people in one room and the younger ones in another. That was over thirty years ago, and the SAME "old" people are still dancing in the same room and the same "young" people are in the other ... except that the "young" people are now all over fifty. My parents stopped going to the old group well before DH and I started up again with the young group. (We essentially stopped dancing for 15-20 while we raised our children.)

My dad and I didn't do a formal father-daughter dance at our wedding ... we just danced. DH and I did a waltz once around the floor, then we pulled everyone else in ... well, we pulled in the dancers. There were a few miscellaneous non-dancing friends and relatives in attendance.

My mom has health problems and hasn't danced in years. My dad is also slowing down, but he still dances. He's been taking classes at a community college, including ballroom and West Coast Swing. He's come to a ballroom social with us a couple of times. He also came with me to our WCS teacher's latest "musicality" workshop.

And ... our daughter dances. She's done a couple of showcases with DH, and loves to dance with him. But she won't go to most socials with us because she doesn't like to dance with men she doesn't know. She would prefer us to go back to the studio where we started and where she still takes lessons. Maybe someday .....

Hmm ... our daughter has danced with my dad only playing around at family gatherings ... we need to get them together someplace with a decent floor ....

[flashdance]

Not with my dad. But I do dance with Ruby our dog - she eats my socks and yaps :mrgreen: Maybe I should youtube it or wotever you call it these days.

[wonderwoman]

aw heck no lol

[j_alexandra]

Thanks for resurrecting this thread.

I always thought my father was the best dancer *ever* and wanted someday to be able to dance as well as he did. He has great rhythm, terrific style, and, I now know, basically does the Carolina Shag to pretty much everything. As I've progressed from group classes to private lessons, we've occasionally had some first-class fun doing Kitchen Dance, and he's noticed the changes in me as a dancer. But also, as the years have gone by (he's 89 now), his health has changed, and he now has balance issues, so we don't Kitchen Dance as much as we used to.

This summer, when I did my first comp, he was there in a ringside seat, a memory I treasure.

[Zhena]

This summer, when I did my first comp, he was there in a ringside seat, a memory I treasure.


I also treasure the memory that my parents were there when DH and I did our first big showcase outside of our studio ... a Viennese Waltz routine in March 2006. They sat through the entire day -- 8 a.m. to early evening -- of alternating competitive rounds and showcases because we were only no. 9 (of how many?) in the entire day! And when the competitive part was over there was only a short break before dinner and general dancing and a floor show. My mom could hardly walk when it was time to go home. I think I got in one general dance with my dad ... it was before he took up ballroom so he was shy about getting out on the floor.

(Hijack: I went back to my records to check the date ... I found the judge's comments for our competitive rounds on the same day ... one was "well rehearsed" for our waltz ... which was great, except that we used routines only for showcase dances, not for competition.)

[Terpsichorean Clod]

Good day everyone,

A very nice and interesting thread. I do beg forgiveness for barging in with my same old types of questions.

I assume most people (myself including) dance with their parents or family members on some occasions.

My question is, how many of you dance or danced tango with your immediate family members? If you did, was it different than dancing with other people? Meaning, do you dance tango to the fullest when dancing with family, with ganchos, leg wraps, etc?

Thanks in advance,

Kakarot.
I think you might find this thread an interesting read: http://danceforums.com/showthread.php?t=26892. :)

[dcharmd1]

i think my parents are still trying to figure out the mystery of where in our family tree did i inherit the interest in dancing...i dont ever remember in my lifetime ever seeing my parents try to dance to music

[Nate F.]

Well my first introduction do dancing was social and so my whole family would go and dance. I started taking it more seriously and take lessons and the such but my parents still dance at the socials. Every time we go to a social it is tradition to ask my mom at least once. The problem is that she only ever dances with my dad and he doesn't lead, so whenever he wants to do a move he tells her exactly what he is doing! Obviosly, this makes it very hard to dance with my mom and try to lead! Oh well, it is still fun!

[Terpsichorean Clod]

Well my first introduction do dancing was social and so my whole family would go and dance. I started taking it more seriously and take lessons and the such but my parents still dance at the socials. Every time we go to a social it is tradition to ask my mom at least once. The problem is that she only ever dances with my dad and he doesn't lead, so whenever he wants to do a move he tells her exactly what he is doing! Obviosly, this makes it very hard to dance with my mom and try to lead! Oh well, it is still fun!
Maybe when you dance with your mom, your dad should stand nearby and call out the moves for the two of you to dance. ;)

[Angel HI]

Not the same thing, I know, but did my daughter's (9 yrs) first father/daughter dance recently. Don't know who was more proud; she or I?

[old dog]

What a different and thoughtful thread. Thanks for reviving it, Kakarot.

Both my wife and I grew up in homes where there was never any participation in -- nor even any mention of dancing as far as we can remember. We think our mothers would have enjoyed ballroom dancing, but doubt very much if our fathers would have had any inclination to get involved.

By the time we started dancing, we lived far from our parents homes and our surviving parents never had an opportunity to see us dance, though we shared some pictures with them before they passed away. Our children were also married and long away from home.

Regretfully, there was no dancing at our wedding reception. We are now just three years away from our 50th wedding anniversary and already making plans for music and dancing. If our parents were still with us, believe me, we'd find a way to get them involved.

Guess this is another argument for taking up dancing much earlier in life.

[Lioness]

My father can't dance, for which I am glad. He is one of those types who would just do dancing to pick up girls, and would think he is so much better than he is.

So no, not his type of thing at all.

However, my mum was the one who got me in to dancing, and I've danced with her in many parent-child competition events, and just generally in situations of 'Mum, I'm lacking a boy! Can you dance this with me please?'