Song and Dance

2004-07-14

I have a recommendation for all of you out there. Set up a musical number for your day. Just choose a time and a place and prepare to do a quick little song and dance routine as though it's perfectly normal. Here's how.

First, watch a few old musical movies. Make sure they're the old ones or emulating them might make you seem weird. You want to get a good feel for the kind of circumstances where people break into song.

Try to find a good place and time for a musical number of your own. If you can get a few friends to join in, it'll be better. Draw the environment where you will perform so that you can plan the dancing.

Make up a simple song about something that would happen in your environment. Try to make sure that all the friends helping you have a line or two in the song. It looks better when everybody has a part.

Practice as much as you can. Everyone should practice singing and you should go through the dance routine as much as possible. These rehearsals will make sure that your routine goes well. The smoother your execution the more natural it will seem. The goal is to make the whole thing look spontaneous.

Once everything is in place, just break into song. It's just that easy and everyone will love it.

Imagine that you are walking into a store at a mini-mall. You notice a woman on the sidewalk arguing with her kid. Then she starts singing, "Why won't you behave? Why be like your father? Why won't you try to play along?"

Then some strangers who happened to be walking by form a circle. As they shuffle around the mother and child, as with one voice they intone, "Your mother wants the best for you. She needs a little rest from you. Why won't you try to play along?"

The kid throws his arms wide and belts out, "I'm just a kid. I don't know better. What can I do but be me?"

The mother sings, "Children need to do as their told." The choir adds, "That is why your mother scolds." Then mom finishes, "It's in your best interest don't you see?"

The kid does the finale, "It's in my best interest, yes, I see." Joined with the choir and mother, "It's in his best interest, and he sees."

The strangers of the choir continue on their original path as though nothing happened. The mother and child go on with their shopping. You stand there stunned for a minute before snapping back to reality.

You can do this sort of thing and it helps disrupt the tedium of everyone's lives. You'll be doing a community service. If your local laws prohibit this sort of thing, don't do it or you could end up doing a different kind community service. If it's allowed though, it's your civic duty to perform a song and dance number.