i watched Someone Great at my weekly Netflix Party romcom night. (Yeah, let that sink in and let’s move on.) i thought this movie would make me miss my ex. Instead, Someone Great made me super depressed about not going out to bars and parties and yes, i also miss doing drugs and drinking. i miss strangers and bathroom friends and live music and sticky dance floors and fast bartenders. These are opportunities that simply do not exist right now. i miss them. We all do.

So i decided to dance. i am not a great dancer but i like to do it. i like a floor with a few people that isn’t too crowded. i like a DJ who pays attention to their audience. i decided to dance at home and be my own DJ.

A cute plan, but it doesn’t scratch the itch.

i decided to invite my friends to dance. Showing up at a video chat where a few people are dancing and listening to music with questionable sound quality is not the same as showing up at a dive bar, but it might even be better in some respects. i invited my friends and i play music that people would have to shout over to hear each other.

Tonight one of the people with whom i’ve most enjoyed dancing in my life showed up and we listened to several songs i’d prepared specifically thinking of her. We were beaming and so stoked to be looking at each other while we shook our booties! Another friend popped in for a sec and waved his arms around. These two pals actually knew each other so they yelled hellos and he hung out for like half a song before he took off. We danced just we two for a bit, then came the high energy, latin-flavored “Danza Kuduro”. My mom took that opportunity to show up and share a dance with us before blowing kisses as she left the floor.

Dancing just feels good, especially with other people, friends and strangers alike. People coming and going as they please, freely as if they were in the actual world, unfettered by the still-uncomfortable social norms of virtual meetups. i hope this can help people who are feeling camera shy. i hope people bring someone else from their house to dance along. i hope to see babies and millennials and old folks and everyone in between. i hope i get to see strangers, too. i hope to see them on my screen but also i just hope this catches on. There must be others in the world already doing it!

A half hour of playful movement, good beats and bright smiles. i will do it every night for as long as i can, at 7PM EST. Get at me to baila conmigo, or have so much fun creating your own party.