For a Generation X-er like me, the question “Do you like Prince?” is pretty much moot. Who doesn’t? It’s not like metal hair bands, an ’80s fad you either found ultra-cool or ultra-cheesy.
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Sure, there are casual Prince fans, die-hard fans and everything in between. But I can’t imagine anyone who grew up in the ’80s, when Prince’s music saturated the Top 40 radio airways, and didn’t like at least some of his songs. They formed a significant part of the soundtrack of our youth. And who can keep still when listening to one of Prince’s livelier songs, like “Let’s Go Crazy”?
Prince’s music is among the most danceable. That is why ABC’s hit show Dancing with the Stars should dedicate an upcoming episode to Prince’s music to honor the legend after his death and set some of his tunes to ballroom dances. They did a Disney night recently. Why not a Prince night?
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I have come up with a few possible ballroom dances for Prince that I’d love to see on DWTS.
“1999”
“1999” sounded like science fiction to us children of the ’80s — so a tango would be perfect. Imagine that marching beat with snazzy costumes and a sexy dance pair!
“When Doves Cry”
This song would make a perfect cha-cha. (On a humorous note, for some reason, I thought the song title as a kid was “When Ducks Cry.” Don’t ask.)
“Purple Rain”
I am thinking a sensual rumba. Perhaps this one would be best for frontrunner Nyle DiMarco and his partner, Peta Murgatroyd.
“Delirious”
It’s bouncy, it’s fast… definitely a quickstep. The dancers would get enough aerobic exercise to last for days.
“Let’s Go Crazy”
A work of musical genius that dramatically shifts gears after the intro, like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and ends with a guitar piece that sounds like an auditory strobe light — it’s definitely another quickstep.
“U Got the Look”
This is a funky song I danced to at the orientation for incoming freshmen in 1987 at my Scottsdale, Arizona, high school — another cha-cha.
“Little Red Corvette”
We can’t forget “Little Red Corvette,” but unfortunately, I’m stuck on this one. It is such a beloved Prince classic and no Prince-themed show would be complete without it. But what ballroom dance goes with this song’s rhythm? Maybe a foxtrot?
On that note, I was in elementary school when “Little Red Corvette” came out and the sexual innuendo went over my head. I thought this was just a song about a cool car. Ah, the innocence!
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