How To Dougie

As anyone mesmerized by The Evolution of Dance knows, dance has changed over the years. Different moods characterize different eras such as social change in the sixties, technology revolution in the eighties; the dance of the time clearly reflects those moods. (Wow, can you tell i’ve been helping with way too many high school English papers??)

So now there’s this thing called Dougie. Apparently, it’s so popular and engrained in teen culture that it morphed from nothing to a verb practically overnight.

I asked my daughter recently what characterized Dougie. Was it a specific move, like the Moonwalk? or a unique rhythm, like a waltz? or more an reflection of something tangible, like the Robot?

No, Mom. It’s dougie.

Is it named after a guy named Doug? I know a guy named Doug. Maybe if I try to move like he does, that’s Dougie? Although I think maybe he wouldn’t appreciate being called Dougie as if he was 5 again. But then maybe he wouldn’t have to go to work every day and support his family and wash the car and mow the lawn…so maybe he would want to be Dougie again….but I digress.

So, as I now do anytime I am curious about absolutely anything, I turned to The Tube of You for an answer.

More accurately, my daughter turned to the Tube of You while I sat curled up in a blanket in a nearly recliner. It’s getting cold out, you know…..

After watching the song that started it all, and videos of people dougieing (that word looks even weirder than it sounds), and following along with an instructive video (admittedly still wrapped in a blanket in my chair), I am not much closer to understanding Dougie As An Art Form.

I don’t think i’ll be seeing signs proclaiming “The American Ballet Theater Presents The Dougie Nutcracker.”

But who knows? Maybe it will become this generation’s Chicken Dance?