The holidays are past, and everything is new and bright with resolution. But it’s cold outside—really cold this year, in our area. Pretty soon we’ll find ourselves in the middle of a soul-crushingly long stretch of winter. I’m learning to dread the month of February. So often the kids are sick, I’m worn out, and everybody is stir-crazy. Actually, worn out doesn’t begin to describe how I feel; I’m usually just about to the point where I think I should have become a hermit.
The past few winters, the kids and I have noticed that good, loud music really helps. And dancing. Wild, unabashed, how-am-I-going-to-explain-this-to-the-doctor-in-the-emergency-room-dancing. The kids are experts, and I’m…well, I’m relearning.
There’s lots of good music out there for wild dancing, but I really don’t think you can beat a huge orchestra. Classical music does not deserve the staid and stuffy reputation it seems to have in some circles. Here are the top five stereo-blasters at our house:
5. Mars, the Bringer of War, from “The Planets”, Gustav Holst
4. Scheherazade, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
3. Infernal Dance of King Kashchei from “The Firebird”, Igor Stravinsky
2. Ride of the Valkyries from “Die Walküre”, Richard Wagner
1. Danse Bacchanale from “Samson & Delilah”, Camille Saint-Saens (the kids don’t know what a bacchanal is, but they’ve got the energy level down pat)
So move the furniture out of the way, clear the floor, and have at it!
