You're Never To Old To Try New Moves: How Tik Tok Reminded Me To Keep Dancing

As a retro enthusiast, when I first heard of Tik Tok, I immediately wrote it off as an app for “young people”. After all, it is only three years old. If you are in anyway a collector, you know the age of something is imperative. I humbly admit that this does not apply to the digital world. Tik Tok, is not for the young, it is for the young at heart. Ironically, many of the videos uploaded pay homage to vintage media moments. I love seeing the recreation of 80s, 90s and early 2000s, iconic fashion looks. I find it amusing, watching young adults act out old movie scenes. But what I enjoy the most about the app, is the dance challenges. Trying to participate and imitate the moves in the challenges reminded me of my youth and the multi-faceted benefits of dancing.

When you think of dancing what comes to mind? Did you say movement of the body in a rhythmic way, usually to music? Yep, me too. However, if you ponder the question, you will realize dancing is so much more than that. Dance is a form of expression, a form of art, and a form of spirituality. It is one of the few ways in which we can articulate our emotions without words. There have been times when I was feeling low on energy, heard a song, decided to dance to it, and immediately perked up.

I have never been a student of any formal dance style. However, thanks to music videos, I spent a ton of time trying to reconstruct dance routines. Back in the day, trying to duplicate the moves of people like MC Hammer, Michael Jackson, and Madonna, use to have me feeling like an undiscovered “Fly Girl” (only a certain generation is going to get that reference). Fast forward and Tik Tok’s dance challenges are doing the same thing. When you are younger, there are certain things that you don’t take into consideration. Learning and remembering choreography is a great way of keeping the mind, body, soul, and spirit healthy.

According to mythology, dance was created by the gods as a way to assist humans in physically connecting with the spirits. Coincidentally, medical studies have shown consistent movement, like dancing, is great for releasing tension in the brain, heart, circulation system, muscles, and joints. Sometimes we miss the little miracles. Have you ever seen a baby start wiggling when a song comes on that they like? In that moment, you are witnessing the manifestation of the mind, body, music connection. It is involuntary. Countless adults do it as well, we just don’t stop to think about why.

Dancing is fascinating because it has so many perspectives. There are liturgical or religious dances like the Zula Ritual dance or the Islamic Whirling Dervishes. These dances are done for the sole reason of connecting with and honoring a higher power. Then there are dances that highlight the culture of a particular region like, the Detroit Jit, the Chicago Step, the Cleveland Shuffle, and the Memphis Jook, just to name a few. Moreover, some dances have become synonymous with the music they are danced to, like tango, disco, and salsa. Nowadays you can practice many styles of dance from your home from ballet to belly dance. Thank you Tik Tok, for reminding me of the benefits of dance, and the many ways in which it enhance.