Strollerderby : dancing

The Funkiest Dancing Kid Ever – Part 2

Brett Singer — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:00:00 GMT

So the funkiest kid ever has a name, or at least a nickname: Mad Skillz Henry, according to Buzzfeed. And he has a second video. Here you go:

It's still good, but what made the first one so special was that he barely seemed to notice that the camera was on him. This time he's clearly mugging. Not to take anything away from Mad Skillz. He still has... well, mad skills. (That's what all the kids are saying these days, right?) But I prefer his early work. You know. Before he sold out.

Source: Buzzfeed

The Funkiest Dancing Kid Ever – Part 1

Little Girl Dancing to "Single Ladies": Disturbing or Adorable?

Peeper Madness - Peeps On The Pole

Baby Born With Two Penises Healthy, Recovering

Dad Accused of Selling Daughter For Beer and Meat

Finish Line - April Fools And More

Family Awarded Millions For Circumcision Mistake

Madonna Adoption Denied, Appeal Filed

The Funkiest Dancing Kid Ever – Part 1

Brett Singer — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:00:00 GMT

They say little boys can't dance. Well, anyone who says that has never seen this kid.

Come on! How good is he? His sister (I'm assuming that's his sister although I don't know) is relegated to backup duty, which in this case is right. Somebody sign this kid to an exclusive contract, quick.

Source: Buzzfeed

Read more:

Little Girl Dancing to "Single Ladies": Disturbing or Adorable?

Peeper Madness - Peeps On The Pole

Baby Born With Two Penises Healthy, Recovering

Dad Accused of Selling Daughter For Beer and Meat

Finish Line - April Fools And More

Family Awarded Millions For Circumcision Mistake

Madonna Adoption Denied, Appeal Filed

Can You Do the Hula Better Than This Kid?

JeanneSager — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:28:00 GMT

We figured you could use a pick-me-up in the middle of the day. And what's better than a baby, a diaper and a cheese-eating grin?

A baby, a diaper, a cheese-eating grin and a hula hoop.

Courtesy goes to the Daily What for finding baby JC and his smooth moves. Seriously - he's better with that thing than I am. I'm a white girl - we can't dance. And apparently we can't hula hoop either.

Sigh.

I'll let JC's hips do the talking . . .

Do you feel better now? No? What kind of parent are you? Sheeeeeeeeesh.

Family Movie Night – Happy Feet

Brett Singer — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:30:00 GMT

I'm particularly glad to have a chance to write something about this one. While it certainly has its flaws, there are some parts that are terrific.

"Happy Feet" is about a bunch of penguins. According to the movie, each penguin has a "heart song" that develops over time; by singing it, the non-flying birds mate, make more non-flying birds, and life goes on. Mumble, though, is different. When he sings, he sounds like a cross between an elephant seal and fingernails being dragged across a chalkboard. He can, however, do a mean tap dance (the incomparable Savion Glover provides the audio for his fancy footwork). This does not endear him to the tribe, and even his parents would rather he be somewhere else. So, like Rudolph before him, he leaves, eventually meeting up with a group of Hispanic penguins (more on this later), and going on a journey to find out why there aren't as many fish to eat as there once were.

By far the best aspect of "Happy Feet" is the music. It came out in 2006, and by that point the novelty of the "mash-up" trend in music had peaked in popularity. The tunes here aren't original, but the songs chosen, and the arrangements used, are so clever that I was mesmerized. The opening number features Prince's "Kiss", blended together with Elvis' "Heartbreak Hotel", with little musical quotations from Salt N' Pepa ("Let's talk about eggs, bay-bee" – slight lyric change there), Lionel Richie ("Hello"), and even Mr. Mister ("Broken Wings"). If that sounds horrible, give it a try, because in my opinion it works. The animation is also top-notch, almost on a level with Pixar's. This also means that the scarier parts (killer whale attacks, elephant seals, and so on) are that much more frightening, but neither of my kids seemed to mind.

This film generated a ton of controversy from the conservative quarters of the country because of its extremely blunt pro-environment message. While I personally agree with what they were saying, it does get very heavy-handed towards the end of the film, and inserting actual humans is strange, although I have to admit that it is effective. If you look at some of the user reviews on Amazon, there are various complaints that this is not a "happy" film at all. That's not entirely without merit; one character almost chokes to death on plastic soda rings, and there are those icy predators that always seem ready to munch on Mumble and his pals. But again, the proof is in the kids, and both of my boys were fine with the "less happy" parts.

Speaking of those pals, I'm always a little bit surprised about the way certain races are portrayed in animated movies aimed at children. In this case, Mumble hooks up with a group of short penguins who like to whistle at girls ("Ay, mami!") and speak with thick Hispanic accents. He calls them "the amigos" in case anyone misses the joke. Their leader, Ramon, is played by Robin Williams, who also plays a Barry White-style penguin who sits atop a tower of pebbles dispensing advice. Not to be overly politically correct, but this sort of thing happens all the time: the Black and Hispanic hyenas in "The Lion King" are another example (and of course, there are all of these). It's not enough to un-recommend the movie but it's worth mentioning. I'm also not a big Robin Williams fan, but I know other people can't get enough of him. Having him play two somewhat racially insensitive characters in one film is almost too much, but the animation, music and tap dancing more than make up for it (I'm a big Savion Glover fan).

Bottom line: some truly great moments (the music, animation and tapping) offset some weird ones (the ultra-heavy-handed environmental message). Recommended, unless your political sensibilities run heavily to the right, in which case this film will probably make your head explode.

image: Amazon.com

Family Movie Night: Meet The Robinsons

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Egyptian woman gives birth to septuplets because she wanted a boy

Children opposed to healthcare (Onion Video)

5 reasons it's a good thing I had boys

Hunka hunka burnin Barbie

Retarded movie boycott

Upcoming Sesame Street Guests

More stuff YUPPIE parents like

The Dark Knight -- parents strongly cautioned (to go see it)

S&M Barbie

Hulk want puny blogger to review Hulk movie

In the Family Groove

Amy Kuras — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 21:40:00 GMT

I'm starting to feel like a teenager again, looking out my window and sighing angstily about why I must live somewhere so uncool. Yeah, okay, the New York Times just listed Detroit as one of its hot travel destinations for 2008, and we have fabulous Family Hootenanny shows where I got to meet Elizabeth Mitchell (my daughter would totally quit preschool and follow Elizabeth Mitchell around like a Deadhead if we just let her drive).

But what we don’t have is, say, a Baby Loves Disco visit, or anything like this. A club in Tuscon''s Historic Hotel Congress throw open its doors to families for an afternoon the second Sunday of every month. There's music, dancing, drinks for both grownups and little ones, and even a Battle of the Baby Bands.

Sounds like a blast. I'd be interested to hear from any Tuscon residents who've been to know if it's as much fun as it sounds. And given I outgrew my club years long before becoming a mom, I wonder if the whole scene would be more fun now that 1) it's smoke-free and I like it that way 2) I know exactly who I am sleeping with 3) I will be in bed by the time I used to be hitting the dance floor.

Still, this seems like a great way for the whole family to get out and shake their groove things in unison. I love when grownup fun and kid fun can converge, don’t you?

Screw Soccer--Can Your Kids Dance With the Fever?

Kelly Mills — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:08:00 GMT

Oh, I'm sure sports are good and character-building and all, but let's face it: When Junior grows up, how many chances is he going to have to wow his fellow accountants at the office holiday party with his knee dribbling skills? Are your little angel's slugging skills going to help her show up fellow executives at the company outing to a local nightclub? Do you even have any funky moves yourself to bring it this holiday season, or are you relegated to photocopying parts of your party or wearing tinsel as a feather boa in order to impress your office mates? Go forth after the jump and learn.

All I can say is: Be schooled. In the mysterious and life-affirming ways of disco. You don't have to know what these folks are saying to get down, get down. Music is the universal language. Then sit your children down in front of the monitor and say, "Study hard, kids. Someday this is gonna go on your college application, and the fact that John Travolta has nothing on you will give you such an edge, Harvard will be begging to give you a full ride."

You are welcome.

Baby Loves Disco Contest: Like Studio 54, But More Diapers and Less Liza

Kelly Mills — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 17:04:00 GMT

So you think your baby can dance? Stride Rite is holding a Best Little Dancer in America contest. Apparently the Baby Loves Disco train will be stopping in 12 cities in search of the kid with the most funk. I don't think there's a real train, but judging by these sample videos, I don't think there's gonna be too much funk either. Because so far it looks like the bar has been set nice and low. Nobody really seems to be putting their heart into it. And you know what that means: if your kid has even the tiniest bit of rhythm, maybe he or she could be a big winner.

There are two age categories: ages 0-3 (I'm sure the 0-year-olds will have just dazzling footwork) and ages 4-7, with one winner and ten runners-up from each category. Voting is online, so even if you don't feel like making your child compete, you can still tear apart the dance skills of small children from the safety of your computer. And a portion of the proceeds go to charity. The rest go towards gold lame pantsuits and coke for the competitors. Ah, the 70s.

UK Show Puts Wee Waltzers in the Spotlight

Jessica Ashley (Sassafrass) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:01:00 GMT

Soccer moms, watch out. Pretty soon, the ballroom dance parents will be beating you out for supreme yelly status, screaming from the sidelines as their kids quick-step, waltz and mambo their way to ribbons, trophies and into the finals: "Pivot! Twirl! Extended toe! No spaghetti arms!" And even better, all this will all be captured on a new TV show.

OK, not really. We all know ballroom performers and audiences (and I assume, parents) are far more dignified to yell and scream, especially if they are in the UK and especially if they are being featured on the new British show Baby Ballroom: The Championship. The new television show will seek out the UK's top 14 ballroom dancing couples under the age of 12, and will the seven best who advance into the finals. Baby Ballroom will also feature celebs from the ballroom biz that who've crossed over to big and small screen fame, including judge Pierre Dulaine, the inspiration behind the Antonio Banderas film Take the Lead.

Honestly, after reading quotes from some of the hardcore competitive kids -- like this one from 10-year old Welsh dancer Elena about her nine-year old counterpart Lloyd: “I love to dance. It makes me really happy. I can’t wait for my dance lessons every week and dancing with Lloyd is great fun." -- I hope this fun-sounding, kid-spotlighting, family show makes it across the pond soon.

The Daddy-Daughter Dance: One, Two, Three, Awww!

Karen Murphy — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 19:07:00 GMT

Maybe it's a Southern thing, I don't know, but in Leesburg, Virginia they're still cranking out the Daddy-Daughter dances. Yep, 50 tiaraed and bejeweled little princesses recently bunny-hopped and hokey-pokeyed with their suited-up daddies. I could totally make fun of this but at the same time it's kind of sweet, you know? Okay, saccharine-sweet maybe. But daddies should definitely dance with their daughters. Shouldn't every little girl get to have a memory of getting all dressed up and standing on her daddy's feet while twirling around to music?

And at least it's not a Purity Ball. Ew.

But please, next time you have one of these dances, Leesburg Virginia? Please leave out "Butterfly Kisses." I'm begging you.

Strollerderby : dancing

The Funkiest Dancing Kid Ever – Part 2

The Funkiest Dancing Kid Ever – Part 1

Little Girl Dancing to "Single Ladies": Disturbing or Adorable?

Peeper Madness - Peeps On The Pole

Baby Born With Two Penises Healthy, Recovering

Dad Accused of Selling Daughter For Beer and Meat

Finish Line - April Fools And More

Family Awarded Millions For Circumcision Mistake

Madonna Adoption Denied, Appeal Filed

The Funkiest Dancing Kid Ever – Part 1

Little Girl Dancing to "Single Ladies": Disturbing or Adorable?

Peeper Madness - Peeps On The Pole

Baby Born With Two Penises Healthy, Recovering

Dad Accused of Selling Daughter For Beer and Meat

Finish Line - April Fools And More

Family Awarded Millions For Circumcision Mistake

Madonna Adoption Denied, Appeal Filed

Can You Do the Hula Better Than This Kid?

When Kids Toys are Dirty - And We're Not Talking Mud

We Hate Kids' Shows Too; Really

Family Movie Night – Happy Feet

Family Movie Night – Hairspray

Family Movie Night: Meet The Robinsons

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Egyptian woman gives birth to septuplets because she wanted a boy

Children opposed to healthcare (Onion Video)

5 reasons it's a good thing I had boys

Hunka hunka burnin Barbie

Retarded movie boycott

Upcoming Sesame Street Guests

More stuff YUPPIE parents like

The Dark Knight -- parents strongly cautioned (to go see it)

S&M Barbie

Hulk want puny blogger to review Hulk movie

In the Family Groove

Screw Soccer--Can Your Kids Dance With the Fever?

Baby Loves Disco Contest: Like Studio 54, But More Diapers and Less Liza

UK Show Puts Wee Waltzers in the Spotlight

The Daddy-Daughter Dance: One, Two, Three, Awww!