Entertain the Possibilities

Afternoon Dance Break - Chill Vibe

11/9/2018

Dancing with the Sunset

Dancing with the Sunset Photo: Anna Perlini

Afternoon Dance Break is a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. Want more dancing? Find past ADBs here.

Yes indeed, boys and girls, women and men, dudes and dudettes. It's time for an Afternoon Dance Break. Your chance to get up, jump around, sing and dance like no one's watching (and pray that they're really not). Get silly for a few minutes, and get down with your bad self while you're at it.

Goodness knows there's plenty to stress out about these days, so take a minute to shake it off. You know you'll feel better after just a few minutes.

Today's tunes come from Cut Copy and Saint Motel. Hit the Play arrow and enjoy.

Post-Pitchfork Afternoon Dance Break

7/23/2018

Not Pitchfork, this photo is of the Future Music Festival, Randwick, Sydney, Australia. Photo: Eve Rinaldi

Each summer I look forward to the Pitchfork Music Festival held in Chicago's Union Park. Three days, 3 stages, diverse programming across so many genres and styles of rock, hip hop, and jazz music. Over the years we've built a little community of music lovers that makes camp under the trees. Love it. This year we dodged more than a few raindrops but still kept the party going as long as the music played.

I'm not ready to say goodbye just yet, so let's indulge in an Afternoon Dance Break featuring just a few of the artists who made Pitchfork 2018 another rousing success.

The playlist Is just under 15 minutes -- perfect timing to move away from your workspace, stretch your body, shake shake shake, and get a little silly with yourself. Turn it up!

Afternoon Dance Break - Still Rockin'

6/15/2018

Afternoon Dance Break Still Rockin

Social Dancing Stevens and Emma Under Arm Turn - Photo by ToddCombs

Afternoon Dance Break is a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. Want more dancing? Find past ADBs here.

Today's dance break honors two talented musicians who have been bringing joyful music into my life for a long, long time: Chaka Khan and Joan Armatrading.

We had the pleasure of seeing Joan in concert last night - her new album is available now, check it out. It was great until Sharon Shrill-Whistle sitting next to me decided to bust my eardrums with her enthusiastic sound effects. Dude, use your indoor whistle.

And I cannot wait until Chaka rocks us all at the Pitchfork Music Festival next month -- I feel for you, girl! She's got a new single that dropped yesterday. Get it while it's hot hot hot!

Afternoon Dance Break - Keep it Moving

5/9/2018

Old Man Dancing to Techno

Old Man Dancing to Techno - image by Kevin Christopher Burke

Afternoon Dance Break is a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. Want more dancing? Find past ADBs here.

Get up, get down, twirl it around, touch the ground. It's time for a dance break -- just two songs to let loose, release some stress, get silly, and put a smile on your face. Go on, you know you want to, it's time to dance!

Afternoon Dance Break: Hit the Floor

4/10/2018

Dancing to Connect Program

Dancing to Connect Program at the Onassis Cultural Center (U.S. Embassy Athens, State Dept Photo)

Afternoon Dance Break is a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. Want more dancing? Find past ADBs here.

With so many stressful things going on in the world, plus family or personal troubles that many people also cope with, sometimes the only thing to do is SHAKE IT OFF.

Yes, take 7 minutes right now to indulge in a personal dance party. Just two songs to move your body, shake it, shimmy it, lip sync, play air guitar, whatever it takes.

I promise, you'll burn off a little stress and end up with a smile on your face, ready to tackle the rest of your day. So hit Play, turn up the volume, and Hit the Floor!

Afternoon Dance Break - March it Out

3/14/2018

Samba Atlason Jakobsdottir

Photo credit: Ailura - derived from this work: Samba Atlason Jakobsdottir

Yes folks, it's time for a mid-day, mid-week, mid-March Afternoon Dance Break. Time to get up from the desk, break your routine, do something physical, shake out the stress, and put a smile on your face.

We've got just two songs in the ADB playlist - just enough to shake it (don't break it), rock it, roll it, bop it, stroll it, hip it, hop it, boogaloo and Tyler too.

OK, you don't have to do any of that, but I bet you'll find a little bounce in your step and a bob to the head as you give a listen to fun new songs from some of my current favorite artists.

Click the links to learn more about: Janelle Monae + MGMT

Afternoon Dance Break – Nice Footwork

9/15/2017

Jack Delano Tap Dancing Class at Iowa State College 1942

Jack Delano, Tap Dancing Class at Iowa State College 1942

Yes. It’s been a while. It’s been a week. It’s been far too long since we’ve taken an afternoon break to celebrate … the DANCE.

Now we are here. Let’s do this thing.

Hit the Play arrow on this boss playlist and turn up the volume – way up.

Get yourself up and then get on down – TGIF!

Boss tunes from Earth Wind & Fire + Purple Disco Machine + The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - click the names to visit their websites.

Afternoon Dance Break – Boogie Blues

8/1/2017

Dancin' the Night Away (photo: Professor Bop)

Dancin' the Night Away - Photo by Professor Bop (click the photo to visit his site)

Afternoon Dance Break is a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. Want more dancing? Find past ADBs here.

Yesterday was a special day for a special gal so we enjoyed a special night out (on a Monday no less!) to hear some damn fine blues music courtesy of The Cash Box Kings at Evanston’s premiere listening room, SPACE. They were so good – especially featured singer Oscar Wilson – we’re not quite done with it yet.

Please get your listening ears on and set your backfield in motion. The Cash Box Kings are on deck to help you boogie your blues away.

Afternoon Dance Break – Shake it Down to the Ground

5/26/2017

The dancer by Rohan Reid

The dancer by Rohan Reid

Afternoon Dance Break is a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. Want more dancing? Find past ADBs here.

Dance because it’s Friday. Dance for the weekend. Do a holiday dance in memory of Americans who died while serving in the military. But mostly, dance because you can … and it feels so good!

Today’s Afternoon Dance Break artists are Brian Culbertson + Phoenix. Click their names to visit their websites and learn more.

Afternoon Dance Break – Strike a Pose

3/30/2017

This photograph depicts Betty Bloomer (center), the future Mrs. Gerald R. Ford, Jr. The photo was possibly taken at Bennington College Summer School of Dance. Image courtesy of The U.S. National Archives

Afternoon Dance Break is a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. Want more dancing? Find past ADBs here.

How cool is it that former First Lady Betty Ford is exceeding her youthful squad goals in the photo above?
You can exceed your own goals for mid-afternoon stress relief with a shake-it, groove-it, move-it, jiggle-it, wiggle-it Afternoon Dance Break featuring artists Spencer Ludwig + a new one from Blondie.

Afternoon Dance Break – Hit the Floor

3/17/2017

Irish céllí dance by Jesse Millan

Afternoon Dance Break is a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. Want more dancing? Find past ADBs here.

Don’t think. Don’t talk. Just dance.

Click on the artists' names to learn more about them. Eva Shaw & Mally Mall + Laura Mvula & NK-OK

Afternoon Dance Break – Dance the Stress Away

2/3/2017

Afternoon Dance Break - Dance the Stress Away

People started dancing - Etno Histria -- by Ekke from Durham, United Kingdom via Wikimedia Commons

Afternoon Dance Break is a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. Want more dancing? Find past ADBs here.

It’s finally Friday after another intense week. (Is that an understatement? I can’t even tell anymore.) I’m ready to get up and dance the tension away – how about you? We’ve got two great stress-busting songs for you today, including the new one from Arcade Fire featuring the Divine Miss Mavis Staples. This has a totally new fresh sound for them both – and yes, I can dig it!

Click on the artist’s names to visit their websites and learn more. Austra + Arcade Fire featuring Mavis Staples.

Crank it up!

Afternoon Dance Break - Funkalicious

1/6/2017

Dancing Sabar in Dakar, Senegal

Dancing Sabar in Dakar, Senegal Image: Yaye Dib Sabar

Afternoon Dance Breaks are a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. Want more dancing? Find past ADBs here.

Here we are – heading into the first weekend of the New Year. Don’t know ‘bout you, but I’ve got more than a little steam that needs to be burned off so let’s get right to our first Afternoon Dance Break of 2017.

Shake it, don’t break it with funk favorites from Alissia + Deep Street Soul featuring Tia Hunter. Click on their names to learn more.

Afternoon Dance Break – This Jam

10/24/2016

Dancing in the Rain

Dancing in the Rain Image: Caitlin Doe

Afternoon Dance Breaks - a chance to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind.

I realize it’s been a while since our last Afternoon Dance Break. Too long. Let’s rectify the situation immediately, shall we? Oh yes we shall.

Wait, wait. Here’s a dancing fun fact for you before the rump-shaking begins. Might as well say we got some edu-tainment out of this ADB, right?

According to the estimable online source, Paperblog:

A three-hour ballet performance is roughly equivalent to two 90-minute soccer games back to back or running 18 miles; and

A male dancer lifts over 1 ½ tons of ballerinas during a performance.

Okay, now let’s bring on the boogie. You can learn more about today’s artists by clicking the names to visit their websites – Kungs + Cookin’ on 3 Burners + Lizzo

And then hit the Play arrow below, turn up the volume, and get on up to get down, down, down!

Afternoon Dance Break – The Fort Worth Shuffle

8/18/2016

Western Square Dance Group

"Western Square Dance Group" by Deirdre

Afternoon Dance Breaks - a chance to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind.

Let’s get right to the boot scootin’ playlist before we get schooled on country dance.

We’ve got some high-energy tunes to shuffle your bustle from Rascal Flatts + LANco.

Press Play, turn it up, and get to stepping.

Here is a bodacious amount of information about two stepping – of which the Fort Worth Shuffle is one variation, with polka steps added to the mix – from no less an authority than Texas Highways Magazine.

Most country dance patterns use some type of two-step or “shuffle-step” footwork, often mixed with spins and turns borrowed from swing dancing. […] Basic two-step footwork begins with two quick steps followed by two slow steps danced in six counts to a four-count rhythm. Two-stepping couples progress counterclockwise around the dance floor […]

Sounds simple? It should be, except everyone has his or her own idiosyncratic style of two-stepping. Just like making chili or margaritas, two-steppers concoct endless variations from the same basic ingredients. In addition to the traditional Texas two-step with its side-to-side shuffling, there’s the progressive two-step (a simple walk with a quick-quick skip), the nearly stationary Arizona two-step (or rhythm two-step), the California two-step (or nightclub two-step, popular in discos), and the triple two-step (a.k.a., the Fort Worth shuffle), which blends rapid, polka-style triple steps with a fast walk.

Hmm. I like the Kitchen Zen of that: Just like making chili or margaritas, two-steppers concoct endless variations from the same basic ingredients.

Afternoon Dance Break – Get Down with Your Bad Self

7/22/2016

Afternoon Dance Break

Image: Photograph by Michael Zittel @ Serrbiz

Afternoon Dance Breaks - a chance to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind.

Did you know? According to the Guinness World Records:

The largest Cha-Cha Slide dance was achieved by 3,231 participants at a Girlguiding event at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, UK, in October 2011.

Interesting I guess, but it’s got nothing to do with today’s Dance Break. No cha-cha slide, no Girl Scouts. Just a couple of current pop hits that’ll get you up and dancing in no time. Shake it!

Click to learn more – Selena Gomez + Peter Bjorn and John

Afternoon Dance Break – Disco Fever

6/23/2016

Disco Fever

Disco Fever Image: Pixabay

Afternoon Dance Breaks - a chance to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind.

Today’s dance break features a couple of right-now songs that sound a whole lot like disco hits from yesteryear. I’m flashing back to 1976 when my mom signed up for disco dance classes and forced me to be her at-home practice partner. I was a total rocker at the time, and would have been mortified if my friends knew I could “do the hustle.” After all, this was only a few years before the infamous Disco Demolition Night, when a crate of disco records was detonated in Comiskey Field.

But these days I’m really digging the nu-disco sounds and can’t stop from moving and grooving, bopping and bumpin’ all around the living room when these boss tunes come on. Please – hit the play arrow, turn it up, get up and get down.

Click to learn more about the artists – Moon Boots + Justin Timberlake

Afternoon Dance Break - Rave

6/10/2016

Atomik Reaktion

Atomik Reaktion - By Rikfriday

Afternoon Dance Breaks - a chance to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind.

What exactly is a rave anyway? Professor Wikipedia says:

A rave is a large dance party featuring [snip] electronic dance music (EDM). The music is amplified [snip] to produce a deep bass sound. The music is accompanied by laser light shows, [and] visual effects and fog machines.

A sense of participation in a group event is among the chief appeals of rave music and dancing to pulsating beats is its immediate outlet. Raving in itself is a syllabus-free dance, whereby the movements are not predefined and the dance is performed randomly, dancers take immediate inspiration from the music and their mood.

That’s kind of poetic, isn’t it – a syllabus-free dance.

Anyway there you have it. Even better, here you have it – the Rave Playlist. Hit the Play arrow, turn it up loud, and get down with your dance break. (The first track is a slow build but so worth it!)

Click the names to learn more about the musicians – Jamie xx and Beck

Afternoon Dance Break – Gimme a Beat

5/16/2016

Janet Jackson Number Ones Tour 2011 Photo: J0 anna from Vancouver, Canada

Janet Jackson turns 50 today – Happy Birthday, Miss Jackson! (if you're nasty) Long established as a fine artist in her own right, along with her famous siblings, Janet has been moving and grooving, body-rolling and shimmying, executing precision-edge choreography like it’s nothing for her whole career. All the while singing her heart out with a kitten-soft yet powerful voice.

Check out this video (it's a little silly in the beginning but gets real good starting at 2:40) and then crank up the playlist -- it’s time to start dancing. Miss Jackson wants it that way.

Afternoon Dance Break – Do the Jerk

5/3/2016

Do the Jerk

Hullabaloo Dancers in 3D Image: Wacky Stuff

There has been a long dry spell since our last Afternoon Dance Break so to make up for lost time today’s post is a two-fer. We'll take a look at two entirely different dance styles called “jerk”, one from the 1960s and the other from the late 2000s.

Until I began writing this post I had no idea about current day jerkin’, which comes from West Coast hip-hop culture. For a little tutorial, peep this video from The Ranger$ dance crew.

And for the youngsters out there who had no idea there even was a 60s jerk, take a look at this video clip.

Alright, let’s put it all together in one cool playlist and start dancing! We’ll start with the old school jerk and finish with the new.

Programmer’s note: Although The Capitols recorded Cool Jerk in 1962, this playlist features a cover by Human Sexual Response which was my very favorite new wave dance song in 1980. Enjoy!