Still participating in the Slice of Life March Challenge–Day 22
I’m not a huge Facebook user, but I do enjoy glancing through every day or so and taking a look at what friends and family are up to. I even post a picture once in a while. Sometimes I click on other people’s links and get sucked into a time warp, emerging shaking my head. A little dazed and confused. And, yes, often concerned–I mean, why is there a site about what people wear to Walmart? Who cares?
Anyway, yesterday a childhood friend had posted a link titled “This mashup of famous dance scenes is your new favorite video.” Beneath it said, “Where else can you see Beauty and the Beast, Magic Mike, and Cameron Diaz all in one place?” In a moment of weakness, perhaps induced by a desire to avoid all things report-card related, I clicked. After an odd advertisement, which seemed to have a target audience of cats, the words Shut up and Dance with me filled the screen. The music kicked in. The video started. I was hooked. Transported.
While Walk the Moon sang “Shut up and dance with me”, clips of dancing scenes from movies filled my laptop screen. What is there about dancing that just screams JOY? I couldn’t stop smiling, a full stretch-your-face smile, trying to identify the movies–Risky Business, Grease, Billy Elliott, Happy Feet, Dirty Dancing, Beetlejuice, and so many more.
And then, over half-way through, for a brief moment, Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer filled the screen. In the patio scene from The Sound of Music. Their eyes locked. Their arms linked, lifting and forming graceful arches. Slowly, turning, they danced the Laendler and tears filled my eyes.
Tears don’t come easily to me, but something about that moment in the midst of such powerful joy moved me. Perhaps it’s my life-long love of all things Sound of Music. Perhaps it’s the youth of these two aging acting legends. Perhaps it’s knowing that in the background the Baroness watched, hurting, and the Nazis gathered. Perhaps it’s simply the longing and love captured in this moment.
I have now watched this video mishmash multiple times and each time I smile and feel my mood lift. Then that moment happens. Julie Andrews. Christopher Plummer. And each time my eyes tear up. And as I watch again and again, I’ve been considering music and dance and how they encompass so many emotions. These video scenes capture not just joy, but the emotional crux of each movie–as if the feeling has intensified to such a degree that mere dialogue can’t hold it any longer, it just spills over into song and dance. These moments are imbued with raw, powerful emotion, often joy and celebration, but more subtly, grit, defiance, longing, love, and determination. Transcendent.
So, I shared the link on my Facebook page, hoping to entice others into watching this mishmash of videos–One that moved me to joy and yet brought tears from one achingly poignant moment. And this morning, I opened my laptop and clicked on the link again. “Shut up and Dance with Me” filled the air, I sat back to watch, smiled and then, once again, was moved to tears.
http://theberry.com/2015/03/17/this-mashup-of-famous-dance-scenes-is-your-new-favorite-video-video/
Nix the comfort zone 
I so enjoyed this video, too. I love the way you write about why the scene with Julie Andrews and Cristopher Plummer gets to you—“Perhaps it’s my life-long love of all things Sound of Music. Perhaps it’s the youth of these two aging acting legends. Perhaps it’s knowing that in the background the Baroness watched, hurting, and the Nazis gathered. Perhaps it’s simply the longing and love captured in this moment.” YES. This is beautifully done. Thank you.
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Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments.
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We can be surprised and touched by so many things. The internet is a strange place, to be sure! Thank you for sharing the link… I’m going to check it out.
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I saw this video also and, like you, tried to name all the movies. You are right, it is pure joy!
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Oh. I love Sound of Music, too. Last year, the girls at school got together for a sing along while we watched the movie. I was surprised some of my younger colleagues had never seen it. Shocking.
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Dancing is joyful. Thanks for sharing your reaction to the video and including the link.
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Music + dance = joy + happiness
Sound of Music is one of my all time favorite movies. I would watch the video link just to see a clip of som!
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I WILL watch it now. I did see the link on FB but didn’t click. I so agree about the WalMart pics…”Who cares…” Exactly. I am a sucker for any of the animal videos, though. Did you happen to see the special with Diane Sawyer and Julie Andrews this week on the 50 anniversary of SoM. It was delightful. Off to the dance! D 🙂
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Hope you enjoy the video–next time I fall down the rabbit hole into the internet, I’ll check out the Diane Sawyer/Julie Andrews special. Thanks for commenting.
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I love this slice and agree about the power of music! I think it is adorable how you keep on watching the video over and over again! Thank you for sharing this slice, especially your description of the sound of music scene…you wrote that with such vivid detail!!!
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I love the Sound of Music – so your connection to it spoke to me too. Can’t wait to watch it later
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I love that scene from the Sound of Music. Did you see Diane Sawyers’ look back at the movie? It was amazing.
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What fun it was watching this video.. Many movies i knew; some I didn’t.
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Watched the video and got my daughter to watch along! I love Sound of Music and love the thoughts you shared. That movie has so many poignant and commonly shared human emotions, so many hopes and dreams. The first time I saw it, in a packed theater, there was a mom with a bunch of kids sitting behind us. During the scene where the Baroness is introduced as future stepmother and the children are kissing her, a very loud “yuck” came from behind when the first boy kissed her cheek.
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I can’t wait to watch this video. Music often moves me to tears and emotional places. It’s what I truly love about it. Thanks for sharing!
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