I vividly remember going to my first big LA ad agency holiday party. While I’m sure there were amazing views, fabulously fancy food and drinks, and even a Donny Deutsch sighting or two, that’s not what stuck with me all these years. It was my boss. On the dance floor. She was all in, and though I should have been impressed by her non-stop feet, I wasn’t. Because I was 22 and she was almost 40 — and her moves looked…well, old.
Now that my non-stop feet are approaching the age my boss was all those years ago, I can’t help but wonder if my moves are…well, embarrassing. (For me, not my kids. For my kids, the answer is quite obviously yes. Absolutely.)
Goodness knows I’m keeping up with JT and Rihanna the best I can. And of course Teen Beach Movie was a great refresher course. (I mean not that we do those dances and sing those songs around our house, but if we did…) But for the last few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying private dance lessons.
Yes, I was recently selected to do a product review of Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2014. Rock out to my Wii in the privacy of my own living room? Yes, please! If you know me at all, you know this was like an early Christmas present.
Combine my love of dancing with modern tunes like Lady Gaga’s Applause and Rihanna’s Where Have You Been, and it’s a match made in heaven. (Though it has fun classics like Flashdance/What a Feeling and I Will Survive as well, I’m trying to chase down my youth with the new stuff, yo.)
The first time I turned the game on, Little and I went through the playlist and he chose every song he recognized from the radio. Heck, a 4-year old doesn’t understand the lyrics to Blurred Lines or Troublemaker, but this boy knows how to move. (According to the scoreboard, not as well as his mama, but what can I say? Other than, “Heck yeah!”.) He seemed to thrive without an audience too. And before we knew it, 45 minutes had flown by, we were both sweating like crazy, and we were late to pick up Big from the bus.
Beyond the fun I’ve had with Little, the thing about Just Dance 2014 that I love most is the timed workouts. I’ve been trying so hard to get back in shape (more to come on that), and one of the few forms of exercise I really enjoy — like enjoy the process of doing, not just the product — is dancing. I’ve tried to make it to dance classes in the evenings from time to time, but the reality of a traveling husband, needy kids, and long days means I don’t do well meeting someone else’s schedule. (Not to mention the fact that there are big mirrors and younger women who look far better strutting their stuff in them.) But with Just Dance, I truly get a good, full-body workout and it’s over within a few of my favorite songs — with a burned-calorie count to boot. And in the process, I’m learning some moves to step up my game come the next wedding or holiday party I get invited to (hint, hint).
So while this body might be aging, my soul — and my moves — are a bit younger than they were a month ago. And, if you ask me, that’s reason enough to Just Dance.
NOTE: Just Dance 2014 is available for Wii, Wii U, PS3, PS4, Kinect for Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It includes other very cool features not mentioned above like World Dance Floor (online multiplayer mode so you can play with anyone, anywhere), On Stage Mode (think back-up dancers and singing), and much more.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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