In recent headlines, a video has taken the nation, possibly the world, by storm. Boasting over 13 million views, this video has affected the lives of more people that the total populations of Minnesota and Wisconsin combined. After seeing this video, people may never again view children, music, or dancing the same. What video am I talking about? Yep, you guessed it: “Baby Dancing to Beyonce – ORIGINAL!” (Click here to view the video.)
If you haven’t already seen this YouTube gem, my first question is, “What rock have you been living under?” Secondly, I urge you to check it out. It is one of the cutest, sweetest, funniest things you may ever see (aside from my daughter, of course).
In it, a young child is seen dancing to a music video of Beyonce’s hit, “Put A Ring On It.”The diaper-clad diva (or should I say divo, since the baby is a boy?) bops up and down, throws his hands in the air, and even adds some leg kicks to the routine. His parents can be heard in the background, cracking up.
I’m sure that all parents can relate to this scene. Babies seem to have a natural knack for busting a move on the dance floor (or, in this case, on living room floor).
Our daughter started “dancing” at an early age. When music came on, she’d stop what she was doing and rock back and forth. She did the same when we would sing or whistle to her. It was adorable, and I can’t wait to see which moves she tries out next.
Marcel Zentner, a psychologist at the University of York in England, conducted a study on the phenomenon of babies dancing. His research found that, “…it is the beat rather than the other features of the music, such as the melody, that produces the response in infants.” He went on to say, “We also found that the better the children were able to synchronize their movements with the music, the more they smiled.” (You can watch the dancing babies participating in his study here.)
This study has prompted me to play music more regularly around my baby. If babies have the ability and desire to move to a beat and enjoy doing it, I think I’d better cultivate and encourage the skill.
Next question: If every person was born with a natural desire and ability to dance,how did I end up with two left feet?