The first time you see Matt Harding dancing, you may laugh. (I certainly did.) This is white guy dancing at its silliest. Or perhaps you’ll shake your head, and wonder that someone who is so NOT a dancer would be willing to dance on camera, again and again, and then share his videos with the world. But that’s what Matt has done twice now, first in 2006, and again this past month.
It’s in the sharing that Matt’s latest dancing video gains its power. Over 14 months, in 42 countries, Matt danced his trademark knees-up, elbow-swinging dance… and people from all over the world joined him. Children and adults, by the handfuls or by the hundreds, danced around Matt on beaches, in desert villages, and in city parks. Their dancing may also make you laugh, but I doubt that will be your only reaction. If you find that tears roll down your face as you watch this, you’re in good company (and not only mine).
I have a few favorite moments in this video; one is from the Solomon Islands, at about 1:37. What was your reaction? Which parts moved you, made you laugh or cry?
Tags: 5 Comments
5 responses so far ↓
Did you know there is no music while Matt and friends are dancing? It is added later. I learned this when I got an email invitation to Gasworks Park this spring, to participate in the Seattle dance. We are fans of Matt but couldn’t make it that day, alas. He is such a sweet guy. When our kids had questions for him, he took the time to answer, including this: “I am really scared of big spiders. I saw one at night in the jungles of Guatemala and I nearly peed my pants.”
Oh, yes, laughter and tears. My favorite moments are definitely 1:53 and 2:37.
We love this video in our household and whenever I feel stressed and disconnected it’s a wonderful remedy. 2:37 is my favorite moment - it’s sweet. We love recognizing places we’ve been to and it makes us long to travel more. I love to dance and it doesn’t matter if it’s music I can hear or just in my head - the joy of just moving is what I like. It is evident in this video that these people are experiencing the joy of movement - it doesn’t matter how silly they may look. Definitely laughter and tears both!
I love the shot in Yemen right after the one you like. I love the shot when the big wave hits him too, made me laugh so hard!
For sentimental reasons - Iceland. But there are so many moments of exuberance, goodwill, spontaneous joy - the whole video is pure emotion, on a lovely scale.
I hadn’t seen the new version - so thank you SO MUCH! for sharing it