Can you imagine the Abraham Lincoln rail-splitter dance?
Or the George Washington father of our country dance?
When we think of national or world leaders, dancing—and their distinctive brand of dancing—does not come to mind.
But now, the Trump dance has caught on. Trump supporters are doing the Trump dance. Family gatherings. Football players. Political rallies. Social media.
What exactly is the Trump dance? It is mostly a dance of the arms. Trump stands relatively still, though he sometimes does the arm dance as he is walking, entering or leaving an event. He alternately moves each arm from beside the neck area down to the thighs and back. Not much foot action. A little swaying of the hips. Occasional finger-pointing at spectators that gain his attention.
It's not much of a dance routine. Just ask any dance instructor. But it is easy to do, and tens of thousands of Americans are doing their own versions of the Trump dance. It is instantly recognizable that they are doing the Trump dance – not some other dance.
National and world leaders have danced (some) over the decades, but none have had a dance that caught on with the populace—until the Trump dance.
One leader was reportedly a great dancer but would not come to mind when one thinks of leaders and dancing. He was the heaviest President of the United States and, later, the heaviest Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. William Howard Taft. Three hundred forty pounds at five feet eleven. He had been a heavyweight wrestler at Yale.
The fascinating story of Taft and his dancing has been mostly lost to antiquity, so I will resurrect it here.
Young Taft was appointed by President William McKinley to be the Governor-General of the Philippines, newly a U.S. possession following the Spanish-American War. No one thought about Taft's dancing skills becoming a factor in his leadership in the Philippines. Not even Taft himself.
The Taft family and staff sailed from San Francisco to the Philippines in 1900 to take over there as the first family. The ship's crew was mainly Phillippino. After dinner each evening, the ship's band would strike up the spirited Philippine national song. The Philippines crew would take to the dance floor and perform an intricate dance to their national song. It involved all dancers in unison, somewhat similar to today's line dancing.
The Americans paid little attention to the native dance, except for Taft. After watching the routine, he took to the dance floor and attempted to follow. During the rest of the trip to Manila, Taft practiced dancing to the Philippine song. He got it.
After arriving in Manila, a giant welcoming celebration was given for Taft and party. Sure enough, the band struck up the national song, and the natives took to the floor. Unannounced, giant Taft joined in with the much smaller natives.
There was Taft, almost a head taller and almost triple the bulk of the native dancers.
The locals, their leaders and the local press were all delighted with that giant dancer Taft, their soon-to-be governor-general. It was the talk of the island.
Video was just in its infancy in 1901. I cannot find any record of a primitive film of the dancing giant Taft. Or even still shots.
At private dinners at his home of Chartwell, Winston Churchill would take to the floor and dance by himself, always to the songs that he loved. Mostly slow waltzes. The British press and public paid little attention. There were so many other Churchillian eccentricities that the solo dancing was not noticed.
Governor, U.S. Senator and Louisiana dictator Huey Long would take the dance floor by himself at New Orleans' Roosevelt Hotel, dancing to the music of his favorite band and conductor. He sometimes took the baton and conducted the band. He later maneuvered this favorite conductor into the conductor's position with the LSU band, which he showered with abundant resources.
No leader is known in history (or by Google) for popularizing his own dance step except Donald Trump.
Not that they haven't tried. Here is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu trying to do the Chicken Dance. Unsuccessfully.
During the campaign, Never-Trumpers mostly ignored the Trump dance or called it "silly." Now that Trump has won and thousands are doing the Trump dance, many Never-Trumpers have a one-word reaction whenever they see the Trump dance – "cult."
In stark contrast, the Trump supporters exude joy, energy, and optimism for our future when they watch the Trump dance or join in.
Jim ' Zig' Zeigler writes about Alabama's people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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