The Wedding Dancer

Some of you have experienced a wedding dance with yours truly. Things have a way of getting out of hand fast, especially if the DJ is brave (and smart) enough to play lots of Michael Jackson music. Well, those days are becoming more and more behind me now (I didn't say they're gone completely) but there is hope the legacy has been passed on.

Enter Natalie. Last Saturday night, at the reception of a wedding I presided at, there was a dance. And while Pastor Keith wasn't exactly feelin' it, his 3 year old daughter Natalie most certainly was. No one asked her to go out on the dance floor. She didn't take anyone with her. She just knew that this was where she needed to be. And so she wasted little time, took zero breaks, and just danced her little heart out. Sure there were times when it was just arms flailing and shoulders swaying, but she stayed out there, all by her lonesome often. When the inevitable creepy old guy tried to take her hand and give her a twirl, Natalie was quick to deny that request with a look that said, "I don't think so." When the crazy little boy her age swarmed her for the Tanzmanian Devil break dance moves, she side-stepped herself out of danger with ease. When the floor flooded with people eager to do the newest choreographed dance (it was Electric Slide in my days), she followed along, did her best to keep up. I knew well enough to let her be, knowing that she wasn't interested in sharing the dance floor with her Mom or Dad - thereby letting Mom take the walk of shame when the attempt was made...and promptly denied.

Yes, she even did a pretty good "Elaine" (Seinfeld fans - you know what I'm talkin' about) a few times. All in all, it was a proud #YouGoGirl moment for her Mom and Dad. But especially for her "I love to entertain the crowd" dancin' Daddy :)