Step Aside, Fred and Ginger

My daughter, Annabelle, and I had the post-Thanksgiving lazy syndrome today, so although it was beautiful outside (see above) we opted to lay on the floor in the kitchen and stare, play a few games of Yahtzee, and eat leftovers.

The highlight of the day came when I decided to educate her via Youtube about some of the most famous dancers of all time. Fred and Ginger were her favorites, but Gregory Hines and Baryshnikov were close seconds. Sammy Davis, Jr. fared well, too. I didn't mean for the lesson to get us off our butts, but after we closed up the laptop, we spontaneously leapt (literally) into a ballet/tap/nut-job dance contest throughout the house.

We tried to break the world record for ballet spins, or pirouettes (which, we found on Youtube, is officially 35) and after some strenuous and dizzying practice, got up to a grand total of 1 (one). We worked on our do-si-do, our arabesque, and our just-push-each-other-around moves, but found the most fun to be the flying leaps. With great effort we pushed out bodies to their limits, just like Mikhail, only to find we could launch ourselves not much more than five inches off the ground. Annabelle did imitations of my mid-leap facial expressions, which looked like a bug-eyed lizard sticking its tongue out.

I don't think I've ever found a more exhilarating or hysterically funny way to get myself out of the post-holiday doldrums, and I highly recommend it. Youtube's got everything you need to get inspired.

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