The TV Addict 

Not too long ago I wrote here about the bond my eleven-year old niece, Ainsleigh, and I share over our mutual appreciation of the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL series. One of the many (many) things we talk about when endlessly gabbing away about the movies, are the musical numbers and their dance moves, whether it be Troy’s humorous thrashing around in “Bet On It,” or his wobbly knees in “Work This Out.” (A lot of our conversations, surprise surprise, revolve around Zac Efron).

So when Disney re-released HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 on DVD in a new Deluxe Dance Edition that included the promise of a dance-along that would teach us the movies to the dances in HSM 2, neither of us could resist.

After popping in the DVD and going to the “Dance Along” feature on Disc 2 the first thing we were both impressed by was the fact that the actual HSM cast were the ones giving the dance instructions with typical Disney cheer and encouragement. What we were a little let down by was the fact that the “Dance Along” feature only covers two songs, “What Time Is It” and “All For One.” Sure, it would have been a lot to ask the HSM stars to go through all the songs in the film, and a lot of the songs are maybe not ideally meant for instructions, but Ainsleigh and I were both hoping for more. We both shared in particular disappointment that we couldn’t do “Work This Out.”

Quickly realizing we should make do with what we have, we got to work, starting with “What Time Is It” which broke down the big finale of the song that takes place in the cafeteria.

It didn’t go so well. After going through the individual elements and the full number several times, the only thing we really had to show for ourselves was a lot of sweat, laughs and bruises (we collided a fair amount of times), as well what one could call (at best) a spastic reinterpretation of what the dance should actually be. We were actually fine until the move where one has to make a goal post with one’s arm and throw one’s knee up and move to the … well, I’m still not sure what direction. At that point things devolved into us trying to do what looked right, which is really a nice way of saying we ended up looking a lot like a bunch of people suffering from seizures bumping into each other. I’m still amazed that with the knee move that I didn’t somehow ended up turning the wrong way (which was actually really the right way)and nailing my niece right in the eye.

Slightly discouraged and overwhelmed (but nevertheless with a greater appreciation for dancers in HSM) we decided we’d risk exhaustion and try out “All For One.” Besides, it’s Ainsleigh’s favorite song, so how could we not?

It went very well. In fact, I’ll even indulge a little bragging and say I did a better than Ainsleigh. You may reprimand me for rubbing it in that I danced better than my eleven year niece (or maybe you’re wondering whether I should maybe pick less embarrassing things to brag about), but given that I’m 6’1”, 195 pounds, and about as coordinated as a drunk trapeze artist, I take my victories where I can. The fact that it’s a simpler dance, and the instructions only cover about a minute of it, didn’t hurt my efforts either. Most importantly though, it was fun. Not just the dance itself, but the fact that Ainsleigh and I could pull it off well enough that it was comparable to what the HSM gang were doing on screen. It actually gave us a pretty strong sense of accomplishment, and for me – personally – made me really realize why people get involved in dancing (synchronized or otherwise) in the first place. Say what you will about HSM, regardless of your tastes, there’s something to be said about a film that very well may encourage kids to not only be more active, but find their ways to the joys of dancing.

That may be why long after Ainsleigh had sat down on the couch, I was still practicing the moves on “All For One.”