Exercise dance classes are nothing new. Your neighbourhood gym pretty much has them around the clock. So, what made this particular one special enough to go insanely viral?
Well—for one thing—it involves line dancing, funky music, and baby wearing dads!
Though the dads in the video “claim they don’t dance”, they actually do a pretty good job—as proven by having over a million views.
“They were ‘dancin’ and singin’ and movin’ to groove’ just to show these mamas how much they appreciate them. And that’s the greatest love of all!”
This isn’t the first time GroovaRoo Dance studio in San Diego, California made waves on social media.
Just recently, their baby wearing dancing mums became internet stars because of their performance of Vanilla Ice’s Hip-Hop classic, “Ice, Ice Baby”.
Dancing with babies in their carriers is uncommon, but the idea came naturally to founders Amber Anjali, a postpartum yoga instructor/doula and her husband Meeshi, a dance instructor, who were inspired by a baby wearing salsa class when they were vacationing in Europe.
Putting up a facility that offers baby wearing fitness and dance classes for parents was a fairly new concept; they weren’t prepared for the overwhelming reception: after only six months, they were offering classes in six locations.
A large part of their success is that it gave new mums and dads a fun way to work out while bonding and caring for their babies—it’s practical, too, because you don’t need to leave your baby with a nanny or caregiver.
“They come for the exercise, but then through the process, they find a community.”
“There aren’t a lot of activities where mums can feel comfortable bringing their babies and getting a workout,” Amber told TODAY Parents. “They come for the exercise, but then through the process, they find a community.”
“We like to say that our classes bring the sexy back. It can be really great for the mum to get her confidence back, and then also to share that with her partner once she gets home,” said Anjali.
“I had seen a need for mums to have activities to do after they have a baby,” she further told TODAY. “It can be a very isolating and challenging time for them.”
Want to have your own Baby wearing dance party? Find out how to throw one on the next page!
Before you go ahead and convert your living room into a dance floor and invite your friends for a baby wearing dance party, here are three things to remember!
1. Attend a baby wearing community meeting before you begin
Anjali shared with TODAY that, before every class, she reviews safe baby wearing techniques with the mums who attend.
As for parents who want to do this at home, she suggests searching online for a local baby wearing community and attend a meeting just to make sure their baby is strapped safely, before they get their groove on.
“They should make sure they feel comfortable using the carrier,” said Anjali. “There are a lot of meetings out there, and they’re usually free to attend.”
2. Choose your favourite music
“Pick a couple of songs that you really like dancing to, and go with it,” said Anjali, emphasising the importance of finding music you really enjoy working out to.
3. Go for simple steps
There’s no need for complicated movements, which makes baby wearing while dancing even more fun.
“A lot of what we do is just different kinds of rocking — and doing that for an entire song is great,” said Anjali. “It doesn’t have to be a choreographed dance, but just pick a few movements and rock with your baby and really enjoy bonding with them during that time when you have them close to you in the carrier.”
If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them with us!