Old People Dancing
January 9, 2009 3:47 PM Subscribe
I just love to watch old people dancing. I hope that when I'm this old, I'll be able to do the same!
Yep, it's true! Now if'n you don't wanna watch, GET OFF MY LAWN!
posted by not_on_display at 4:12 PM on January 9, 2009
posted by not_on_display at 4:12 PM on January 9, 2009
I thought these videos were awesome. I love watching people do their thing. Particularly this guy, who just kind of bops around for a minute, then finally can't take it any more, puts on his hat, and commences to seriously boogie.
posted by HopperFan at 4:14 PM on January 9, 2009
posted by HopperFan at 4:14 PM on January 9, 2009
You kids, get off my cardboard!
posted by filthy light thief at 4:22 PM on January 9, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by filthy light thief at 4:22 PM on January 9, 2009 [2 favorites]
I love it too.
When I'm old, it'll finally be life-affirming and sweet to see me dance, instead of awkward and ugly.
posted by Countess Elena at 4:22 PM on January 9, 2009
When I'm old, it'll finally be life-affirming and sweet to see me dance, instead of awkward and ugly.
posted by Countess Elena at 4:22 PM on January 9, 2009
There's a way to make these videos even better -- I'll bet you didn't think it was possible. Mute your computer speakers and blare your favoritest, happiest dance music of your own choosing. Or just put your music collection on shuffle.
posted by pazazygeek at 4:37 PM on January 9, 2009
posted by pazazygeek at 4:37 PM on January 9, 2009
blare your favoritest, happiest dance music of your own choosing.
I favor Boots Randolph's "Yakety Sax". Or "Duelling Banjos".
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:43 PM on January 9, 2009
I favor Boots Randolph's "Yakety Sax". Or "Duelling Banjos".
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:43 PM on January 9, 2009
You realize they're all stoned on prescription drugs, right?
posted by binturong at 4:45 PM on January 9, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by binturong at 4:45 PM on January 9, 2009 [2 favorites]
The San Diego octagonal gazebo looks like the setting for another old guy dancing around that was linked here some time ago. He was really good, dancing with a little girl. I'd like to see that one again.
posted by StickyCarpet at 5:00 PM on January 9, 2009
posted by StickyCarpet at 5:00 PM on January 9, 2009
My wife and I are going dancing tonight. I'm 66 and am one of the youngest dancers there. (if you call what I do dancing) The oldest regular dancer in our group is 92, his partner is 88 and they dance at least 4 times a week.
posted by Jumpin Jack Flash at 5:10 PM on January 9, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by Jumpin Jack Flash at 5:10 PM on January 9, 2009 [3 favorites]
Jumpin Jack Flash: My wife and I are going dancing tonight. I'm 66 and am one of the youngest dancers there. (if you call what I do dancing) The oldest regular dancer in our group is 92, his partner is 88 and they dance at least 4 times a week.
I want video!!
posted by not_on_display at 5:27 PM on January 9, 2009
I want video!!
posted by not_on_display at 5:27 PM on January 9, 2009
Tagged for ageism.
posted by humannaire at 5:28 PM on January 9, 2009
posted by humannaire at 5:28 PM on January 9, 2009
Flagged for awesomeness.
posted by humannaire at 5:28 PM on January 9, 2009
posted by humannaire at 5:28 PM on January 9, 2009
I love visiting SW Louisiana and watching the older couples dance. Most of them glide around like they're on wheels it's so smooth and lovely. I don't know anything about them - they could have just met - but I assume they've been together in love for decades and that's way their dancing is so beautiful.
And the tango - oh my - so sensual always.
One of the highlights of my wedding was turning around and seeing my 71 y/o mother dancing with a man half her age to the Lost Bayou Ramblers by punching the air. I don't know how that dance emerged out of the atmosphere of loud cajun music, spicy food and alcohol, but it was wonderful to see.
Dancing feels good. I'll be in one of those videos some day. On Preview, Jumping Jack have a wonderful time! I'm jealous!
posted by dog food sugar at 5:47 PM on January 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
And the tango - oh my - so sensual always.
One of the highlights of my wedding was turning around and seeing my 71 y/o mother dancing with a man half her age to the Lost Bayou Ramblers by punching the air. I don't know how that dance emerged out of the atmosphere of loud cajun music, spicy food and alcohol, but it was wonderful to see.
Dancing feels good. I'll be in one of those videos some day. On Preview, Jumping Jack have a wonderful time! I'm jealous!
posted by dog food sugar at 5:47 PM on January 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
Even Yakkity Sax could not improve this.
posted by jessamyn at 5:49 PM on January 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn at 5:49 PM on January 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
My favorite "old person dancing clip" is of Doris Eaton Travis performing Irving Berlin's "Mandy" on her 101st birthday in 2005 - a number she danced at 15 years old in the 1919 Ziegfeld Follies.
posted by elkerette at 6:04 PM on January 9, 2009 [4 favorites]
posted by elkerette at 6:04 PM on January 9, 2009 [4 favorites]
"I just love to watch old people dancing. I hope that when I'm this old, I'll be able to do the same!"
Well, yes... if you use sunglasses with UV protection and get regular eye exams, chances are good that you'll be able to keep watching old people dancing... if you live that long, that is.
posted by markkraft at 6:19 PM on January 9, 2009
Well, yes... if you use sunglasses with UV protection and get regular eye exams, chances are good that you'll be able to keep watching old people dancing... if you live that long, that is.
posted by markkraft at 6:19 PM on January 9, 2009
I want video!!
posted by not_on_display at 5:27 PM on January 9 [+] [!]
My wife says..."No way!!"
We're off.
posted by Jumpin Jack Flash at 6:24 PM on January 9, 2009
posted by not_on_display at 5:27 PM on January 9 [+] [!]
My wife says..."No way!!"
We're off.
posted by Jumpin Jack Flash at 6:24 PM on January 9, 2009
I also really love watching old people dance.
But I hate the way most of these videos are presented; those sort of snickering, Oh My God, Hilarious Old People CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? clips "clandestinely" filmed by boring cellphone Facebook idiots. Or the ones where they overdub shitty Top 40 onto them after-the-fact.
One of the best things is when you see old people who get up and dance to music that they really know and that clearly meant a lot to them throughout their lives. And suddenly you can see, right in front of you, exactly what they were like when they were years younger...reflected back into who they are now...and how they still love dancing.
For some reason, when that happens, especially if they're really good dancers (and you can just tell that they've always been really good and that they KNOW what their partner is going to do next), I always smile this huge smile like an idiot and I feel like I'm going to start crying.
posted by chococat at 7:28 PM on January 9, 2009 [7 favorites]
But I hate the way most of these videos are presented; those sort of snickering, Oh My God, Hilarious Old People CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? clips "clandestinely" filmed by boring cellphone Facebook idiots. Or the ones where they overdub shitty Top 40 onto them after-the-fact.
One of the best things is when you see old people who get up and dance to music that they really know and that clearly meant a lot to them throughout their lives. And suddenly you can see, right in front of you, exactly what they were like when they were years younger...reflected back into who they are now...and how they still love dancing.
For some reason, when that happens, especially if they're really good dancers (and you can just tell that they've always been really good and that they KNOW what their partner is going to do next), I always smile this huge smile like an idiot and I feel like I'm going to start crying.
posted by chococat at 7:28 PM on January 9, 2009 [7 favorites]
I also really love watching old people dance.
Old People: No.
Older-Than-Me-People: Yes.
posted by terranova at 7:57 PM on January 9, 2009
Old People: No.
Older-Than-Me-People: Yes.
posted by terranova at 7:57 PM on January 9, 2009
Beautiful sentiment, chococat. Watching these videos made me wonder if anyone here or on youtube have ever belonged to a Moose or Eagles Lodge, or gone to a bar that has a variety of ages. People of all ages love to dance from the bittiest kid who has just learned to stand to the oldest person who can still stand.
posted by SuzySmith at 8:31 PM on January 9, 2009
posted by SuzySmith at 8:31 PM on January 9, 2009
Very, very, very NSFW.
That's a coincidence, because while I was watching these videos, my initial response was -- wow, it's like a vertical lemonparty before they lose the clothes.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 11:02 PM on January 9, 2009
That's a coincidence, because while I was watching these videos, my initial response was -- wow, it's like a vertical lemonparty before they lose the clothes.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 11:02 PM on January 9, 2009
This was actually one of the things that always vaguely bothered me when I sang with a German men's choir for a few years. While I'm in my early 30s, the typical singer is well into their retirement. We always had a polka band play after our annual concert, some nice music to listen to while we chatted with friends over wine and beers, maybe a light lunch. And always, without fail, the dance floor would be filled with gray haired guys and their wives, having a grand old time.
And there I sat, run down and exhausted at half their age. It was wonderful to see them enjoying themselves so much, but man it made me wonder just how far I had gone wrong that I couldn't summon up the energy to follow along.
posted by Kyol at 11:20 PM on January 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
And there I sat, run down and exhausted at half their age. It was wonderful to see them enjoying themselves so much, but man it made me wonder just how far I had gone wrong that I couldn't summon up the energy to follow along.
posted by Kyol at 11:20 PM on January 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
I love watching these people dance, not only because they look happy, but because they come from a generation for whom dancing was a larger part of their social activity than it is for us. They also took pride in their skill, pleasure in their own grace.
I have this creeping fear that when we're that age we'll still be standing at the back of the room with our arms crossed, bitching about how much the band sucks.
posted by louche mustachio at 2:37 AM on January 10, 2009 [2 favorites]
I have this creeping fear that when we're that age we'll still be standing at the back of the room with our arms crossed, bitching about how much the band sucks.
posted by louche mustachio at 2:37 AM on January 10, 2009 [2 favorites]
No "Old People Dancing" video collection is complete without footage of my 85-year-old grandmother dancing what she herself named "The Mechanical."
posted by saladin at 4:41 AM on January 10, 2009 [6 favorites]
posted by saladin at 4:41 AM on January 10, 2009 [6 favorites]
Glad someone called out the mismatch between the tone of the FPP and the tone of half those videos. Most of those videos are by sneering insecure teenagers who don't have the self-confidence to take anything seriously.
posted by autodidact at 5:03 AM on January 10, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by autodidact at 5:03 AM on January 10, 2009 [2 favorites]
my 85-year-old grandmother dancing
That totally helped me do a 180 on my otherwise not-promising morning. Thanks!
posted by jessamyn at 9:28 AM on January 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
That totally helped me do a 180 on my otherwise not-promising morning. Thanks!
posted by jessamyn at 9:28 AM on January 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
Glad someone called out the mismatch between the tone of the FPP and the tone of half those videos. Most of those videos are by sneering insecure teenagers who don't have the self-confidence to take anything seriously.
If you run the FPP through a "Different People" filter:
I just love to see black people dancing... [17 videos of black people dancing differently/awkwardly]
I just love to see disabled people dancing... [17 videos of disabled people dancing differently/awkwardly]
I just love to see gay people dancing... [17 videos of gays dancing differently/awkwardly]
And if I become a member of this out-group, I hope I'll be able to do the same!
So just wondering when we'll be seeing these on the Blue... if it's truly just innocent shitz and giggles.
posted by terranova at 10:31 AM on January 10, 2009
If you run the FPP through a "Different People" filter:
I just love to see black people dancing... [17 videos of black people dancing differently/awkwardly]
I just love to see disabled people dancing... [17 videos of disabled people dancing differently/awkwardly]
I just love to see gay people dancing... [17 videos of gays dancing differently/awkwardly]
And if I become a member of this out-group, I hope I'll be able to do the same!
So just wondering when we'll be seeing these on the Blue... if it's truly just innocent shitz and giggles.
posted by terranova at 10:31 AM on January 10, 2009
Yeah, I was hoping my audience would pick up the tone I wished to convey in my FPP the right way. In spite of THOSE DAMNED TEENAGERS being all like, "old people are retards, watch!", they inadvertently captured the essence of what it is to be alive, the joy that they themselves haven't had the time or wisdom to experience, but just don't know it.
So yes, there is a disconnect; no, I'm not saying "laugh at the old people," I'm saying, let this happiness into your world; and no, it wouldn't be analogous if I said, "I love watching mexicans/gays/arabs/republicans dance." I just love watching Uncle Henry and Aunt Martha have a dance at the family picnic or to a random street musician. It makes me smile.
saladin: No "Old People Dancing" video collection is complete without footage of my 85-year-old grandmother dancing what she herself named "The Mechanical."
That. was. so. awesome.
posted by not_on_display at 10:59 AM on January 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
So yes, there is a disconnect; no, I'm not saying "laugh at the old people," I'm saying, let this happiness into your world; and no, it wouldn't be analogous if I said, "I love watching mexicans/gays/arabs/republicans dance." I just love watching Uncle Henry and Aunt Martha have a dance at the family picnic or to a random street musician. It makes me smile.
saladin: No "Old People Dancing" video collection is complete without footage of my 85-year-old grandmother dancing what she herself named "The Mechanical."
That. was. so. awesome.
posted by not_on_display at 10:59 AM on January 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
saladin, can I go camping with your family?
posted by kamikazegopher at 11:14 AM on January 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by kamikazegopher at 11:14 AM on January 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
Glad you liked her, folks. She'll be tickled to hear that she's got fans.
What's truly remarkable about the old gal is that, when told later that her performance had been filmed (so wrapped up in Terpsichorean bliss was she that she was unaware that cameras were rolling), she told my mom that, had she know she was being taped, she would have broken out some of her more impressive and technical moves.
That dear old woman is a hoot and a holler.
kamikazegopher: We are currently accepting audition tapes. Note that obviously sober performances will be ignored by the judging panel.
posted by saladin at 1:39 PM on January 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
What's truly remarkable about the old gal is that, when told later that her performance had been filmed (so wrapped up in Terpsichorean bliss was she that she was unaware that cameras were rolling), she told my mom that, had she know she was being taped, she would have broken out some of her more impressive and technical moves.
That dear old woman is a hoot and a holler.
kamikazegopher: We are currently accepting audition tapes. Note that obviously sober performances will be ignored by the judging panel.
posted by saladin at 1:39 PM on January 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
Personally, I love to watch birds dancing.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 11:05 PM on January 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by [insert clever name here] at 11:05 PM on January 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
Frankie Manning & Dawn Hampton dancing together. Combined age 173 or so.
posted by turbodog at 1:30 PM on January 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by turbodog at 1:30 PM on January 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
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posted by binturong at 4:08 PM on January 9, 2009