Has everyone become so brave that they’d rather show up to sit and talk, then get up and dance a great party? The rap group said “Goodie Mob” is the best song from their second album – Still Standing. The song was called – “They don’t dance la mo, they don’t dance la mo” – all they do is dis, all they do is dis.
Most of the time, most events go well depending on whether the client has family and friends who like to have fun and dance. Speaking of family, you know that every family has that crazy uncle or cousin who lives at every party and encourages everyone to dance. Then every now and then there are those few parties where as a professional DJ you know you’re playing all the good stuff but nothing seems to get the party started, they’re so dead you start hearing the crickets.
Lately I’ve seen some weddings end not long after dinner, perhaps through cake cutting or bouquet toss as they leave. Let’s face it, most people need the bride and groom to do something before they themselves feel comfortable enough to get up and dance. Unfortunate but some families don’t dance much anymore.
I’ve always been a more analytical type of DJ who has often tried to reason why certain events happen and others don’t. In the past I would mentally beat myself up about those situations because I felt like if a guest wasn’t dancing, it was my fault. But was it really?
Then there are those DJs who will say they never had a bad day as people didn’t dance and the dance floor stayed packed all night, yeah right! I was left wondering what they were doing and what I wasn’t, because I’m sure after many years of doing events I know what music makes people move. Then, I decided to investigate, and to my surprise most weren’t telling the truth about dance floor consistency. I realized that while a party might have all the right ingredients to make it a success, such as good food, drinks, and music, there are many reasons why every event won’t be a show stopper.
The first reason I thought of is most people who come to events can’t really dance. Properly funny but the only time you might see everyone get on the dance floor at the same time is if you are playing the electric slide, cha cha, cupid shuffle, etc. Yes line dances or step songs. Now there is nothing wrong with these songs because they are the songs that can break the ice at most events. They’ll get the whole crowd excited to join in, but of course we can’t play group dance songs all night because they haven’t made many of them yet. Besides who wants to hear them all night long, after you’ve danced two of them in a row, you’re probably tired and ready to sit down.
When some people get drunk, they often get up and dance, but what if it’s one of those events where a pastor or spiritual leader is present, and no one gets on the dance floor at least until they do or until they leave, lol. Not to mention they probably won’t be serving any alcohol at the event either. There is a saying that if there is no booze, there are no dancing shoes.
Then there are those who just show up to events to see who they are and what people wear like the fashion police. Excuse me; It’s a party, not a fashion show, where you’ll come and judge what people are wearing or who they’re with. Someone has spent their well earned money and has invited you to come help them celebrate, and part of the celebration includes dancing, of course. I can understand that not everyone at the party will be dancing for certain reasons, but it has become a depressing site to see people who would go out and buy a new outfit, get their hair done, and put on the nicest perfume/cologne just to show up for a great sit-down event.
I enjoy being a DJ but the future of parties is changing so I think more interaction and activities should be implemented to bring people back to the core.
If you’re planning an event, it’s good to know that if you have some activities organized first, they can act as an ice breaker that will end up with more guests dancing later on. Anyway, there are some people who will dance no matter what, but most people need you to do something just to help them get in the mood. The days of people just praying and dancing are gone.